Messerschmitt BF-109 E4 1/5

3 reviews for Messerschmitt BF-109 E4 1/5

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Bert ULRICH – December 11, 2020

   While I agree to everything which has been described in both of the previous reviews, I want to add a few comments based on my personal experience.
   I had visited the FOKKE RC web site many times. I was delighted to learn that one of our club members had ordered a ME-109 E kit which he claimed he was unable to finish due to the increased work load of his newly started business. Within minutes the deal was perfect – no need to wait 5-7 weeks for a kit to be shipped from the factory.
   This was the ideal project to overcome the next 4-5 months of ‘Winter Blues,’ when a trip to the RC field is no option.
   My friend had started with the assembly and it took only a few more hours in my hobby room until the next decision had to be made. I’m one of these guys who uses electric motors only to start gas engines. My DLE 30 with a wrap-around muffler was an easy fit.
   To securely mount the engine, I decided to replace the poplar plywood of the fire wall with 12mm birch aircraft plywood. Depending on the size of the tank the compartment is a bit tight. Had to ensure free movement of the linkage to throttle and engine choke servos.
   There is plenty of room to accommodate all batteries for receiver/ignition/retracts around the engine mount. All 4 servos (throttle, choke, elevator, rudder) are placed as far forward as possible and can be removed easily to gain access to the tank and the fuel lines for future service. The fill valve is hidden behind the super charger intake on the left side of the fuselage.
   A servo in the rear section of the fuselage would have allowed an easy linkage to the elevator, however, to balance the weight of a 60 gr. servo far behind the CG would require 4 times it’s weight in the nose section to balance. Despite the DLE 30 in the nose incl. batteries s (2 x LiFe 2500 mAh, 1 NiMH 3500 mAh ) I still had to add 650 gr. to balance.
   Let’s not get too far ahead – the partly assembled wings were still sitting on the work bench and without the proper aluminium tubes I was unable to continue. After I spent many hours on the internet and phone, I failed to find a supplier in USA/Canada. Therefor I decided to order the tubes from a supplier in Germany:
   http://www.petrausch-modellbau.de/modellbau/modellbau.html
   Great variety, excellent service – the tubes arrived within 10 days.
   Here my suggestion to Rumen Chakarov: Tubes are a vital part – they are not easily available outside Europe. Why not include them in your kits or offer them as an option to your overseas customers?
   As mentioned above, access to the interior is through the rather narrow opening of the cockpit only. Regardless how much I strained the ‘little grey cells’ in my head, I could not come up with a satisfactory solution where to install a control valve incl. servo for pneumatic retracts.
   Following the lead of a previous commentator I also opted for electric retracts which I ordered from a hobby store in Austria Product # 9714521. Here the web site: https://www.lindinger.at Reliable and fast service. The $ 35 shipping charges to Canada did not strain my budget., however, this time the mail was delayed by 9 weeks due to Covid-19. These 85° main retracts fit nicely. Don’t forget to order the control box as well. The gear will not work without.
   The composite skin panels are a unique way to cover all surfaces and give this model the special scale touch. The front and rear halves of the panels for the fuselage are just 10 mm short at the center. The only flaw that I had was that I had to spend (what I felt like) too much time closing the gap to maintain the overall scale appearance of the surface with all the rivets and joints.
   I agree that KLEIBERIT 501.0 is the perfect glue to attach the panels. After applying the glue to all surfaces, you have 15-20 minutes time to line up and attach the fiberglass panels. While drying the glue expands slightly thus filling small gaps in the balsa wood and adding strength to the bond. Kleiberit Adhesives USA, Ltd, Woxhow, NC is the distributor for North America. KLEIBERIT 501.0 has a shelf life of approx.. 8-10 months. I was told that one of the products of the Gorilla Glue Line, which you may find at your local hardware store, may offer an alternative. In my opinion epoxy glue is not suitable for this job.
   Here again my warning: On this rather long scale rear fuselage/tail section any unnecessary ounce behind the CG has to be compensated with lead in front. Scale models are not designed to display outstanding flight performance. “Dead weight” increases the wing load which brings a hole bag of other problems.
   The paint section of the hardware store in town took care of my needs for the various colours. To use my spray gun, I only had to thin down the water-based paint with 10% water. No messing around with lacquer thinner or spray cans. After weathering and applying all decals a coat of flat clear automotive paint, premixed and ready to use sealed the job. I could have spent more time detailing the model but Fall was approaching quickly and it was time to test the wings of this bird.

   This ME-109 E is a scale flying model and does scale aerobatics fairly well. This model will most certainly make heads turn at your flying field.

   Have a nice day

   Bert

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   James Mitchell – December 1, 2018

   High quality fiberglass & wood components that are very well wrapped and excellent plans. Only two weeks to my doorstep after order was shipped to Maryland, USA. Looking forward to starting my 09 and I also ordered the 1/5 FW-190 kit.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Rolf Fritschi – Switzerland – August 4, 2017

   The modular system was delivered as scheduled. The CAD drawn plan shows the Me 1: 5 in all its splendor. The construction is easy to understand. Small parts and attachments were not supplied as expected. The construction consists of a load-bearing wooden structure. This is plastered with thin GRP moldings. I hoped for a quick build-up of the construction, without having to “frimeln” everything into a finished GRP casing. Plywood and balsa are cut in uniform board thickness, often have to be glued together in order to achieve the necessary wall thickness of the heavily stressed parts. Quickly, the project grew on the building board.

   

   Full Review in Deutsch