Duel. 1/72 Messerschmitt Bf109 E-3 Vs Supermarine Spitfire 1a. A tale as old as time...

It's a tale as old as time,

Two Rivals meet on the Field of Battle.
A one on one fight to finally reveal who is superior.
They might be friends, or eternal enemies. It doesn't matter in the...

**DUEL!**
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Welcome to the Herbert Erperderp **"Duel" Group Build**!
A one-on-one fight between Rivals. People, Weaponry, Vehicles... there are a lot of duels around. We like pitting things against each other, after all.

And of course this was my first thought.

But I thought this would be better in the long run...

Duel.
1/72 Messerschmitt Bf109 E-3 Vs Supermarine Spitfire 1a a tale as old as time... well 1939/40 more exactly

I had the kits in stock so that was lucky...

It is a classic pair up, what could go wrong?
Then I saw this photo of a downed aircraft and thought why not look at the aftermath?

Checking out the box.

First up, the 109. This one is the 1/72 E-3 by Tamiya.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. It was still in service at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. A liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine powered it. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.

The plane was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor. However, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to several states during World War II and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 34,248 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945.

Obviously can't go wrong with Tamiya. There's a model image in this case rather than artwork on the front panel...

More images on the long side along with the paint recommendations.

Two alternate colour schemes on the other long side. I'll be avoiding the spray schemes as I am brush painting 🖌️

A repeat of the cover image on the end panels along with the basic purchasing information. Five dollar/six pound kit. Great value.

The traditional German stealth colour scheme is on the bottom. It's always works really well. Can't you can't see it can you?...

Spitfire 1a.

To have a duel, we need an opponent...

I question whether there could be a more famous duel between machines...

The box art shows a spitfire surprisingly enough...

The Supermarine Spitfire was one of the most world's most successful aircraft lines, with over 20,000 built across its 24 marks and numerous sub-variants. One of the most famous British WW2-era aircraft, its distinctive thin, elliptical wings allowed it a greater aerodynamic top speed than most of its contemporaries, while its adaptable airframe allowed the basic design to be continually upgraded into the 1950s. The prototype first flew on 5th March 1936 (four months after the maiden flight of the contemporary Hawker Hurricane), and the plane was quickly ordered into mass production upon demonstration of its capabilities. However, delays in initiating production lines for the aircraft meant that the first production models were only completed by mid-1938. Despite arguably being less important than its Hurricane counterpart, the Spitfire quickly became an icon of the war, particularly with its performance against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain and beyond. While the majority of Spitfires participating in the Battle of Britain were of the Mk I variant, most would be replaced by the Mk II by the end of 1940.

Let's have a look at this box.

A colour scheme on the long side...

A couple of shots of a completed model and the paint requirements on the second long side

Purchasing information on the end panels...

Stealth spitfire...

Opening up the box...

So, let's see what you get for your not much money. Well, the box seems to have a goodly amount of model inside it.

Looking in more detail...

A single main sprue, a clear sprue for clear things...

Decals, and a couple of rubber bushes for when we add the propeller...

A closer look at the main sprue ...

Tamiya are usually reliable quality wise and this looks no different...

And the Spitfire?

A closer look at the main sprue ...

Let's get building.

Time to get the instructions out.

The order of construction is different...but...

Pre-painting first.

Wings on the ME109.

I'll be doing them after the cockpit so there!...

Prepaing the cockpit

Painty painty, sticky, sticky...

No, not yet...

They can wait too...

Back to the wings...

Whichever way we do it the end result is the same...ish.

I'll be making this first scheme as it's ideal for a brush painter like myself...

A closer look at my chosen subject...

For the Spitfire, I'm adding the black white underside because I want to...

For the rest I'll use the box version.

Light blue undersides...

Black is not showing on the Spit. Trust me bro, It's there.

I'm going to display the finished model crashed in said field.... Yes, I know, we'll gloss over the historical inaccuracies... I don't think Galland ever landed in an English field...