Messerschmitt Bf 109G/K Black Magic Masks

Meteor Productions

HyperScale is proudly sponsored by Meteor Productions

One of the greatest challenges for the Luftwaffe modeler is accurately capturing the intricate camouflage schemes of the various and sundry aircraft. Until now, it was necessary to sift through numerous resources, try to find the proper Oberflächenschützliste (say that three times fast!), invest in a few rolls of tape, and spend a good deal of time cutting, masking, and spraying.

Cutting Edge now provides an excellent alternative to this process. They have released a series of "Black Magic" adhesive masks pre-cut to the exact shapes one will need to render an authentic camouflage scheme on your Messerschmitt. There are four releases thus far, three of which are shown below:

• CEBM32070, Masks for Bf109G-1/G-2 uppersurface scheme 

• CEBM32073, Masks for three common Bf109G-6/G-8 uppersurface schemes 

• CEBM32072, Masks for Bf109G-10/G-14/K-4 uppersurface scheme

Of the three noted above, the absolute best value is represented by 32073 as this offers masks for two common mid-war splinter schemes as well as the "zig-zag" camouflage pattern found on many G-6 and G-8 aircraft, notably that of J.Gr50's Hermann Graf (decals available through Eagle Editions). 

32072 is earmarked as a G-14 specific set, but the same basic pattern is found on G-10s and K-4s as well, and will prove most helpful once those variants are made available either by Hasegawa or through a conversion set. Both of the above named sets also include a wavy leading edge stencil in order to capture that distinctive effect. 

The instructions are clear and concise, and call attention to the fact that the camouflage patterns were not, in fact, hard-edged; it is recommended that you carefully airbrush the edges of the painted camouflage after lifting the masks to achieve this "blended" effect. I will be using these on my current G-6 project, and will forward the results to Brett for display.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

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Cutting Edge has also released a sheet of fuselage band masks (CEBM32069), thoughtfully keyed to facilitate easy alignment on the model. This one sheet provides one with the ability to mask and spray everything from the single yellow or white theatre band up to the triple Reichsverteidigung ID bands of JG300 and JG4. As someone who's muffed up more than his fair share of fuselage bands over the years, I can certainly appreciate the availability of this sheet.

To round out the current Black Magic product line for the 1/32 Bf109G, we have the now-ubiquitous canopy and wheel hub masks (CEBM32075). These will certainly make quick work of masking these parts for painting.

I am very impressed with the design of the camouflage masks in particular, and applaud Cutting Edge for their efforts in making Messerschmitting easier for everyone!

Recommended.