109 PANEL/SEAM LINES

[amiers]

i am currently building several 109's E,F,G and K models. my question is this, was there a visiable seam line on the top and bottom of the rear fuselage?

[harrison987]

Hi!

There was a "barely" visible seam line on top and bottom. Up close you could see it, but on a model (even as large as 1/32), chances are you would never see it...

Mike

[ChrisS]

Here are some pictures of E,F and G versions and virtually no upper fuselage line can be seen (and virtually no other lines either for that matter)

Hope this helps.

[Kutscha]

Originally Posted by harrison987

Hi!

There was a "barely" visible seam line on top and bottom. Up close you could see it, but on a model (even as large as 1/32), chances are you would never see it...

Mike

If the other panel lines are showing, then the line will show.

Anyways, notice the Flettner tab on the rudder and how crude the construction is.

[Cpt_Farrel]

Unless you plan to fill the other panellines on the rear fuselage I think that the centrelines should be visible as well. I've seen a few models where the modellers have opted to fill the panellines for "scale effect" but in my opinion it just looks weird!

/Anders

[George Hopp]

Anyways, notice the Flettner tab on the rudder and how crude the construction is.

Yes, but that has nothing to do with the panel lines of the aircraft.

You will see the lines around access panels for the radio and for fuel and oil tank covers, but the seams on fuselage and wings are virtually invisible.

[ArtieBob]

In the case of the Bf 109, IIRC, the fuselage was made in two halves split on the vertical plane fore and aft. Thus the line is not just a panel demarcation, but actually the butt joint between the two halves. In the photo it appears quite pronouced. Apparently, one of the tricks in Bf 109 fuselage assembly was finding a method for riveting the two halves together on the inside, particularly at the rear end.

Best Regards,

Artie Bob

[Kutscha]

Originally Posted by George Hopp

Yes, but that has nothing to do with the panel lines of the aircraft.

I know it doesn't but is the best pic of the tab I have seen.

Btw, when I said crude I meant the general construction of the a/c.

[harrison987]

The panelling construction is quite interesting. The Russians thought the Me109 was an amazing aircraft the way she was put together.

I don't know much about the US aircraft or other countries, but all panels on the Me109 "interlocked"...meaning they overlapped each other by around 2-3 cm.

You wouldn't know it even looking up close as they all "look" like they are rivetted right next to each other. This causes what looks like a gap between each panel. The gaps range from 1mm to 2.5mm in size.

The hatches, covers, access or radio etc. have around the same spacing, if not tighter.

Below is a close-up of the bottom seam of a G2 (section 2). You will see it is uneven. Widest space is 2.5mm. You can also see how the first skin (just behind the cockpit) overlaps.



Mike

[amiers]

thanks all. seams it is!