STORMO! Hasegawa 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf.109G6/Trop -Giuseppe Ruzzin- by Michel Gruson

Hasegawa 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf.109G6/Trop
Italian Ace - Giuseppe Ruzzin
by Michel Gruson

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With a worsening supply situation and in need of canon equipped fighters to counter the growing menace of American four-engine heavy bombers, the Regia Aeronautica placed sizeable orders for the Bf.109G as a stop gap until enough of the Series 5 aircraft could be manufactured. Put to good use by the Regia Aeronautica, the plane was liked by its pilots who appreciated its good armament and some notable pilots preferred the mount such as Ugo Drago. The Bf.109 was suppled to the Regia Aeronautica in the following quantities: 5 x G-2, 8 x G-4 and 101 x G-6s.

Construction

This is the Hasegawa 1/48 scale Bf.109 G-6/Trop. There’s no point in presenting this model to you: It's an excellent kit and well known! In spite of this, I added some accessories to improve it further: Eduard's photo-etched for the cockpit, the wheels are in resin part: Ultracast. The spinner is from Fusion Models a Bf-109 spinner with the correct "teardrop" Markings are from Stormo! Italian Bf.109 Aces Part I.

I chose the 4° marking, this 109 is the plane of Giuseppe Ruzzin of 154° Squadriglia, 3° gruppo. The cockpit was painted RLM 66, I did the fine detailing with a fine paint brush followed by burnt sienna and black pigments for recessed lines.

I replaced the instrument panel with photo-etched Eduard. The rest of the cockpit was improved with Eduard etched parts and several cables made from lead wire. The undercarriage and wheel wells are painted in RLM 02. The wheels were painted with Black satin, the tires with Notan Black Tamiya. This aircraft is described as having a camouflage scheme of RLM 75/74 over 76. Wide vague strips on the sides of the fuselage are painted in RLM 74. White theatre markings under the wing tips and the spinner. For the weathering I used a combination of oil wash. Exhaust stains were made by spraying highly thinned black and red paint.

This isn't the first Bf.109 Hasegawa I've constructed made, but to dressing in Italian markings is certainly an additional treat.

Technical Data

Aircraft: Messerschmitt Bf.109G6
Manufacturer: Messerschmitt A. G.
Type: Fighter
Year: 1943
Engine: Damiler Benz DB 605A-1, 12-cylinder V, liquid-cooled 1,475 hp
Wingspan: 32 ft 0 1/2 in (9.95 m)
Length: 29 ft 7 1/8 (8.84 m)
Height: 8 ft 2 ½ in (2.49 m)
Weight: 6,834 lb (3,095 kg) (Loaded)
Maximum Speed: 386 mph at 22,000 ft
Ceiling: 39,370 ft (12,000 m)
Range: 528 miles (850 km)
Armament: 2 x 13 mm MG 131 MGs, 1 x MG151/20 mm cannon
Crew: 1

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