Hasegawa 1/32 Bf 109K-4 in the markings of Hans-Dieter Bernhard
By Michael Drechsler
Here's my Hasegawa Messerschmitt Bf 109K-4 I built a few years ago. The model is finished in the markings of Hans-Dieter Bernhard's aircraft of II./JG.53, belly-landed near Kaufbeuren/Bavaria on 19th April, 1945.
I added an Eagle Editions Spinner and Cockpit, MDC tail wheel, Eduard seatbelts and a few scratchbuilt items. Decals are by Eagle Strike. Paint is a combination of acrylics by Gunze, Tamiya and Revell, weathering was done with artist's oil paints. The model rests on a base made from a picture frame and grey cardboard.
Construction was pretty straightforward, besides the usual dramas I have to overcome with each model I work on. This time, I had to strip the whole paint job, as the primer didn't really stick to the plastic. Well, drama is my middle name!
The colours could be debatable. Eagle Strike's instructions say, the plane was probably painted in RLM 75, 76 and 82, but that other sources suggest the combination of RLM 75, 76 and 77. Having no reference material at hand that could verify any of those combinations, I had a look at my stock and decided to go with RLM 82. Making an order for a single glass of paint seemed ridiculous to me. The joy I get from building kits is more important to me than the exact number of rivets and the exact hue of the colour...
...and even with all the drama, I had a lot of joy!
© Michael Drechsler
This article was published on Wednesday, November 23 2011; Last modified on Saturday, May 14 2016