1/72 Me 109 E3 kit of Tiberiu Vinca

I found this kit at AEROMODEL producer. The kit is not a very good one, but the decalls are quite great. Several versions, T vinca's , I DICezare, Lungulescu, Serbanescu.

Yours,
BM

This is great news for 1/72 fans!!!!!! I just bought today in 1/48 Hasegawa's new Bf-109 E-3 Rumanian Air Force, with Tiberiu Vinca's plane on the box cover! Modelers of every scale, there's hope out there!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the box cover:



Too bad, Vinca's 'Emils was actually an E-7, not an E-3...

Gen. Dénes

Hello Dénes, according to my limited information on the plane, the difference between an E-7 and an E-3 (and 4) was the certerline rack for a fuel reservoir. The canopy, according to pictures in your book (Rumanian aces of World War 2) is the old style with light framing, so the one in the kit is good. Also, what model of spinner was on this plane?

Thanks!

The main visual difference between a 109E3 and a E4 is the cockpit frame, square on the E4, round on the E3; the external difference between E4 and 7 is the spinner, pointed on E7.
Vinca's plane (64) was obviously an E3 as all the pictures show a round frame and short spinner.
So far i've only seen one romanian 109E that i can say for sure it's a E7...it's behind the 109E4 yellow 65. It's number, most probably 63.
This is of course considering ONLY external marks.



Source of the photos, internet.

This post has been edited by 109 on November 15, 2005 05:59 am

Those features were interchangeable, thus they don't clearly denote the sub-type.

Vinca's 'Emil' was an early production E-3 (W.Nr. 704), which was upgraded by the Germans to E-7 standard.

Gen. Dénes

As a modeler i don't care much about what electric switches inside make the difference between an e3 an a e7 , but in the external details that make a model.
Vinca is sitting next to his No. 64 109E , the plane has rounded canopy and short spinner, thus EXTERNALLY (as i previously mentioned) an E3. Therefore if I don't intend that my 1/72 model would fire electrically or pneumatically the cannons or carry external loads, i MUST buy an E3 in order to depict Vinca's plane, not an E7.
IF the Germans had ever upgraded the E3 to E7 standard, they for sure did not change enything outside, it was only wiring and other minor changes INSIDE. That is if they ever did that.
Anyone knows: E1-E3=round canopy , E4-E9 squared canopy.



Source.Aripi Romanesti WWII collection

As a modeller you're obviously correct.

I, as a historian, say that based on documents the airplane was an E-7.

Therefore, Vinca's mount was an E-7 that looked like an E-3.

Gen. Dénes

...than your remark makes no sense...the Hasegawa kit, as detailed as a japonese kit can be, has no electrically operated cannons, nor "droppable" drop tank...this is the modeling part of this forum...

This post has been edited by 109 on November 15, 2005 09:02 pm

...than your remark makes no sense...

It might not make sense to you, I don't know.

I said it clearly and concisely: "Vinca's mount was an E-7 that looked like an E-3" (the latter part of my sentence was directed towards the modellers). Regardless of the forum, I might add.

Gen. Dénes

Than why is "too bad"?

Because despite of what I've understood is a very nicely done model kit, the labelling (E-3) is erroneous.

Gen. Dénes

Here is an excerpt from a German document dated April 1943, detailing the German origin ARR airplanes used in combat at Stalingrad.
I hope the many capital if's, but's, etc. are now settled.

Gen. Dénes

I enclose a photo of a Bf 109E-7's nose section, taken from 'Messerschmitt Bf 109 Recognition Manual. A Guide to Variants, Weapons and Equipment', by Marco Fernández-Sommerau, published by Classic in the UK.
I think the author must know what he's talking about...

Gen. Dénes

Documents may be confusing (especially as 64 was in between 2 E7s (63 and 65)...but pictures NEVER lie...Probably many E3 were retrofitted to carry drop tanks or bombs, (especially on the Balkan front), thus becoming "sort of" E7s. But again the hallmark of E1-3 series is the canopy, as opposed to the E4-7
The spinner had many many forms, indeed, i have seen E1 with pointed spinners.

PS. indeed, Hasegawa sould have said on the cover: "Romanian E7 that looks like an E3"


Picture from Aerodetail 109E book.

This post has been edited by 109 on November 16, 2005 06:04 am