Bf-109E4...Battle of England

When the first Airfix 1/24 scale kits appeared in the market in the beginning of 70's I felt I'm was in the heaven. In fact, the 1/24 Spitfire was my last model built in almost 30 years. After retake the hobby I couldn't resist the temptation to buy a kit of the old Airfix 1/24 Bf109 but this huge box was resting in the backlog shelf for years because its size. 
The opportunity to work on this kit appear when the youngest of my nephews -the only boy in his generation, including my kids, that shows interest in my hobby- some day ask me about when I should gift him a constructed model. Not an easy task for an old modeler who fell that every of his models is a sensitive part of his own...then, I remembered this kit. I'd said me that it was the only moment in my life to work on a really big model. Moreover, the possibility to see the faces of my brother in law and his wife while thinking what to hell do with this monstrosity was an extra motivation.

The kit is a classical product of that era, but the size is ideal for some scratchbuilding in every part of the model: engine, cockpit, wings, etc, becoming every section in a sub project per-se.
Accurateness was not the main objective of the global project, then I felt free to finish the model thinking in the final paint job only. I'd always like the camo scheme of this specific machine, that is, the famous Major Meyerweissflog ride. This man was not a fighter pilot but a support officer and in his 50's when he couldn't resist to begin a raid alone into british territory one day after lunch in september 1940. After less than one hour he was hit by a british fighter and he had to made an emergency landing and taken prisoner. The rest is history...good luck or bad luck, Major Meyerweissflog?
 

P-39 Airacobra lend lease...

This is a a good example of innovative design not successful in the country that brings it to life but that was an extraordinary success in foreign lands...when US Army decides not to use this plane, American authorities saw an business opportunity exporting it to Soviet Union on the lend lease treaty to help Russians to sustain the war effort.
Soviet Army use P-39 in close ground support role with great success and soviet pilots felt in love with it. They found P-39 a fast, sturdy, well armed and a great fire platform to attack enemy ground forces.
The kit is the 1/72 Academy and is very easy to assemble. The paint scheme is a classic olive drab used in US Army over grey under surface.  Russians over paint the American cockades and serial number in the tail using the usual Russian green applied in a very crude form. The continuous use of this plane in extremely hard conditions cause a heavy weathering  patterns, becoming a modeler dream for ever.  
Final result is a very attractive model...

Mig-3 ...the frustrated hope

This little fighter was developed for high altitude combat, but in the Eastern Front combats usually occur at low altitude in where Messerschmitts was a far superior machine.
Indeed a good looking plane, was difficult to fly specially in a fighter role. 
This model is based in a very known picture, showing a line of Mig-3 in winter scheme camouflage, with bare metal nose and a wide sort of red paint panels in upper wings. I'd prefer the narrow and oblique band in the extremes of the wings.
Very easy and simple kit but a good rendition of this important soviet aircraft.