I'm starting on the Tamiya 109 E-3 and don't know a whole lot about this aircraft. I am looking for info on whether or not the wheel wells had leather side panels, and if so, was leather used for the entire vertical radius of the wheel well? What was the purpose of using leather?

TIA,

Bill
http://www.porkchopper.com
[email protected]

Hi Bill, welcome to Armorama
I can't honestly answer your question. I have built 4, E model Messerschmitts (one of which you can see at the top of thepage) and have simply painted the wheel wells RLM 02. I do know that later models had leather side panels and only found this out recently.
I just wanted to welcome you aboard, others will post here with the answer, I'm sure
Mal

Hi Bill

Wecome to Armorama!

Yes, the Bf 109 had leather or canvas panels 'round the wheel wells. These were attached with zip fasteners and their purpose was simply to stop dirt and debris getting into the interior of the wing.

You can find some useful pics in the Squadron's Bf 109E Walkaround.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Mal,

Thanks for the welcome aboard. Amorama is a good looking site and you seem like a nice bunch of guys.

Bill

Thanks for the confirmation Rowan. I have the Squadron 109 In Action, but I have to admit to not looking through it too carefully before posting this.

Bill

Hi Bill

It's not the "In Action"... but the new "Walkaround". Lots of detailed shots. I thought I had all the '109 refs I'd ever need , but I still found a few surprises in there.

Worth a check ...

Rowan

Hi Bill,
Welcome to Armorama from me too. This is a GREAT modeling site!!!!
As far as the leather on the wheel wells,..??? I don't know if there is a difference between the 109E and the 109G but check out this link. There are a couple excellent shots of the wheel that might help you out. As long as the G was the same as the E in the leather wheel question
There are also some excellent shots of the engine and cockpit too if were to need those. Just remember there are probably some slight differences between the E and the G version. I was trying to find some good pics of the 109 engine and came across these walkaround pics. I hope the wheel pics help you out.
The rest of the plane
http://www.adlertag.de/bilder/g-10_schw_2/die_me_109_g10_schwarze_2.htm

I am getting ready to start a 109E for myself. Different brand and different scale but same plane

Good modeling,
Wayne

Actually, there were some major differences... so be careful which version you're building...

All the best

Rowan

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for the welcome and the G-10 links! If you're getting ready to build an E-3, you may want to check out the link below. A friend and I are in the process of building this kit and he set up a blog to share info between us as we build the kits. Whatever we learn along the way will be posted there.

http://bf109cb.blogspot.com/

Hope this helps...

Bill

Bill - I checked out your BLOG and I'll check it out regularly. That's one of them internet words I hadn't seen before

That is interesting to read your progress, and will be to see how your projects come along. If you come up with some good resources it can definately help me out too.
I feel like I am lisening in on an old party line telephone :-) :-) :-) :-)

Wayne

I found this pic on ARC, don't know if it wil be of use.

Armorama is the best and yes we are a nice bunch of guys :-) This is the friendliest hobby site on the net.
I checked out your BLOG as well, nice idea. We have plenty of group builds/campaigns here which are similar. I also have a couple of on line builds going on.
Mal