Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2

Kit:	FineMolds 1/72; model completed on 2022-03-05
Aircraft:	MT-213, "White 3", W.Nr. 14754, 1/HLeLv 34, Ilmavoimat, Suulajärvi AB, April 1944

The model depicts an aircraft flown by ltm. Ilmari Juutilainen, Finnish ace of 93 aerial victories (some sources say 94⅙). He was also the highest-scoring non-German ace of World War 2 as well as twice the recipient of the Mannerheim Cross, Finland's highest military honor.

This is the first model to be completed from our (delayed) Grand Messerschmitt Project of 2021.

Construction Notes

A detailed description of this model can be found by following the blog posts of the Grand Messerschmitt Project. Those blog posts also discuss reference material that was used and the exact color choices. The reader is also referred to our earlier G-2 project that used the same kit.

In short, this is the FineMolds G-2 kit with an Aires resin and photo-etch cockpit (not made for this kit, so it required some work to install correctly), Master Model pitot tube and gun barrels, and SBS decals (from their magnificent sheet #D72033 "Finland's top scorer Ilmari Juutilainen"). Note that the aircraft sports the "low-visibility" versions of the Finnish swastikas.

The model was painted using Tamiya acrylics and Mr.Color lacquers, and finally sprayed with a mix of Testors' Dullcote and Glossgote (mostly Dullcote). Future floor polish was also used. Exhaust soot was added by spraying highly diluted Tamiya XF-69 (NATO black) with low pressure.

Initial masking after spraying RLM 65

Camouflage completed

Using white under yellow and under decals is a must; note the difference between RLM 65 (on the right) and RLM 76 (on the E-7 on the left)

Unfortunate seam required some remedial work; the vellum paper is used as a mask so that masking tape does not touch decals