This is my second build of the Arii Bf 109G-6. After struggling with several kits that ended up FUBAR, this one didn't turn out half bad. It took a while to complete, but was not particularly difficult. And I did try a couple of new things, which worked well. I used Aeromaster 48-105 Reich Defense Part II decals.

The construction was rather straightforward. The only thing I think I messed up was installing the cockpit. The armor behind the pilot's head is part of the seat, and I think I installed it too far forward. The cockpit was painted Tamiya XF-63 German Grey to represent RLM 66.

I used Mr. Surfacer 1200 as a primer. I can't remember if I used Mr. Color Leveling Thinner or Five Star Acrylic Lacquer Thinner to thin it, but it went on well. I have some Tamiya primer to try out, but the Mr. Surfacer works well. I don't think I'll be using DIY primer for a while.

I used Floquil Reefer Yellow for the RLM 04 bands on the fuselage and the rudder. The RLM 76/75/74 were Model Master enamels, thinned with Floquil thinner. After reading a post by Huey Gunner on ARC, I decided to thin the paints more than I usually do - more thinner than paint. They sprayed very well. I also tried the thread-under-masking-tape technique for the first time. I used it to get a feathered edge between the RLM 76 on the side of the fuselage and the RLM 75 on top.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until I was almost done that I looked more closely at the decal sheet and realized that I used the wrong colors. According to the decal sheet, they should have been RLM 81 (or 71)/82/84. I suppose the decal sheet could have been wrong, as Aeromaster does not have the best reputation for accuracy. This represents a G-6 from 2./JG302 in October of 1944. I used the Black Magic mask for the canopy, which fit perfectly.

The spinner is Floquil Engine Black. The propellor blads are Floquil Brunswick Green, which is so dark as to be almost indistinguishable from the black. I've been meaning to try the Brunswick Green as a substitute for RLM 70 for a while, and I think it worked well.

The landing gear bays were painted a 50:50 mix of Tamiya XF-22 RLM Grey and XF-49 Khaki, which is what Tamiya recommends for RLM 02. It was darker than I would have liked. I will mix in some XF-2 Flat White to tone it down a bit for the next model. I used Jo Sonja Carbon Black for the wheels, and Tamiya XF-63 German Grey for the tires. As in the past, I had a little trouble getting the Jo Sonja to stick to bare plastic. It works fine over a previously painted surface though.

The guns were Floquil Graphite, which is something of a metallic black. The cowling guns in the kit had some flash, so I cut some plastic rod to about the right size. They don't look great, but I wasn't going to splurge for aftermarket parts for an inexpensive kit like this one. The exhaust was painted a mix of Tamiya X-10 Gun Metal and X-34 Metallic Brown.

I used Krylon Acrylic Gloss as my prep coat, and Right Step matte, thinned with Testor's Acryl thinner, for the flat coat. The flat coat went on very well - thin, flat, and no runs. This will be my go-to flat coat in the future.

A couple of other things went wrong. There is some splatter on the mottling - I need to work on my technique. Also, the canopy did not fit very well, but I did not realize this until I had painted it. I need to remember to test fit the canopy before painting it. The national insignia on the starboard side folded under, but it is difficult to see unless you look at the model from underneath.

Page last updated June 15, 2023.