Here is my recently finished 1/48 scale Hasegawa Bf 109K-4.








Matrixone

Les,
That's one very nicely done Bf 109K-4. Camo paint scheme and weathering is really outstanding.
Joel

Very nice indeed, but I never knew any variant of the 109 had a four-bladed prop! This is the first such representation I have ever seen. Very end of the war? What can you tell us about it?

Les, this 109 is excellent as usual, but I'm also intrigued about the 4 paddle prop. Can this be one off later K version?

Cheers
Pedro

Great 109 Less, the first time i have seen a K with a four bladed prop operationally.
Great presentation as always !

Bernd

Thanks very much Joel and Brian!

Joel,
The camouflage scheme I used on this model was the last one used on the Bf 109K-4. The upper surfaces were painted in RLM 81 and RLM 82, the fuselage had these same colors softly sprayed on the top and upper sides while the lower half of the fuselage was unpainted. About midway on the side of the fuselage a thick wavy line of RLM 76 was sprayed on blending in the paint with the unpainted parts of the fuselage.
Here are some photographs of some captured Bf 109K-4 fuselages that were painted in the scheme described above. If the war had dragged on a little longer this scheme would have been in widespread use.




Brian,
From bits and pieces of information I have gathered here is the short story behind the four bladed propeller on the K-4.
First of all the Bf 109K-4 was never designed to use a four blade propeller, the last 109 version that was planned for production was the Bf 109K-14, the K-14 was to use the DB 605L as its power plant and the DB 605L was designed to be used with the VDM 9-12199 four bladed propeller. Some work was done in preparation for the upcoming K-14 production but before that could take place the RLM decided to stop Bf 109 production with the K-4 version and drop the K-14 in favor of producing more Ta 152's. Months later because of interruption in the supply of power plants for the K-4 permission was granted to go ahead and use some of the DB 605L engines and other components that were intended to be used in the K-14's in order to keep the production line for the K-4 moving.
There have been stories over the years that some Bf 109K-14's were actually used by JG 52 in the spring of 1945 but in reality that was just people mistaking the Bf 109K-4's with four bladed propellers as full blown K-14s.

Here is another picture of my model.


Matrixone

Thanks Pedro and Bernd!

I doubt there were more than a handful of 109s ever fitted with the four bladed propeller and it is still uncertain if JG 52 ever used them on operations. I hope more information comes to light on this matter.


Matrixone

very nice photographic technique as well as the model. lovely images, light and shadow.
I also smiled to see the Porsche Volkswagon on the ramp.

Thanks Jonathan!
In the pictures of my finished models I will sometimes use some older builds placed in the background to give the pictures some atmosphere...you never know what might be seen.


Matrixone