BestPaperModels Me-109 F4, 1/35

[cjwalas]

While pondering the pages and pages of the Steam House kit I'm doing for the NCAJC, I picked up a few models from this site;
Paper Models & Colouring Books - The newest models
There are a lot of free models there and a few interesting ones. Most are simple models. A number of them seem to be reworked Betexa models. I have never assembled a Betexa kit before, but I picked up this one, the Me 109 F4. It's not a plane I'm familiar with, but I liked the coloring on it.

Now I have to preface this by saying the paper I used was horrible. It's the only A4 I've got and was hand carried from Europe by my darling wife for me, so I have to use it! It's really terrible for models; it delaminates from itself in a slight breeze and it really hates sharp bends. It's got an odd feel to it, almost like plastic. At any rate, the modeling flubs and glue blobs you see are a result of this paper and my own lack of skill.
The model is odd (to me, at least) in that the fuselage is one piece without formers, at least initially.
109a.jpg
What it uses is a series of box formers like this;
109b.jpg
There were a number of firsts for me on this one, including a canopy with an interior frame. Here it is test fitted;
109c.jpg
The tail assembly is easy and straightforward;
109d.jpg
While the kit is not especially detailed, the cockpit is fairly detailed;
109e.jpg
I thought it was odd at the beginning to assemble the fuselage first. But that's what the directions, diagrams and numbering told me. They were wrong. After a frustrating build of the cockpit (due entirely to the paper), I was shocked to find that it simply didn't fit in the fuselage! And I don't mean it kinda didn't fit, I mean there was now way it was going to fit. I wound up cutting away a lot of the assembly and had to crush a piece or two to finally force it into place. That was after I had cut open the fuselage bottom, of course.
The kit does build into a model eventually, though;
109f.jpg
The wing fairings were a nightmare and I couldn't get them to work no matter how I tried to form the paper. I wound up crushing the wings which had looke fairly presentable until then!
This is also the first plane I've built with wheel wells (sorry, the photo didn't come out).
109g.jpg
There were a few parts that didn't fit especially well and it seemed one piece was missing (a seatbelt, I think). There were duplicate foot pedals as well, for some reason? This would be a much more enjoyable build with better diagrams and a very different assembly procedure. There are way too many small tabs that simply get in the way. I wound up trimming off as many as I could. I'm not familiar enough with the F variant of the 109, but this model looks a bit off to me in the general proportions. Any else feel the same?
Here it is with a few other models from the same site;
109h.jpg
The torpedo boat and the tanks are freebies. While I'm not very happy or impressed with this kit, I do look forward to more models on the site. I have a couple of the 1/32 tank kits to try out at some point, but right now I think I'd better attack the Steam House!
Chris
PS. Yes, Don, I will get to the Swordfish someday!

[Dragos]

I've also build it , but the Betexa version ( actually this is a repainted version , BTW it looks similar with Kampfflieger's Me-109) . It's not very hard to build but in the end it is not a fantastic model.

[Stev0]

So this site is selling repaints???

[cjwalas]

That's what appears to be the case. I don't know, but it may be the original designers redoing their own work. But as Dragos said, it's not a fantastic model or even a very enjoyable build, unfortunately.
Chris