Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7/Trop - 1:72 Airfix

[Paul A H]

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7/Trop

1:72 Airfix

The Messerschmitt BF 109 was one of the best known and most widely used combat aircraft employed by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Over 30,000 examples were produced between 1937 and 1945 and the type saw active service everywhere that German armed forces were fighting. Initially powered by the relatively low output Junkers Jumo engine, later variants used the more powerful Daimler Benz DB600 series of inverted V-12 engines and were able to achieve speeds of up to 400mph.

In comparison with the early A, B, C and D variants, the E, or Emil, was a significant redesign. It featured the more powerful Daimler Benz engine and better armament consisting of two wing-mounted MG/FF/M 20mm cannon and two MG17 7.9mm machine guns mounted in the cowling above the nose. The E-4 also featured improved armour for the pilot, and improved cockpit canopy which afforded the pilot a better view and was also easier to produce. The E-7 was the first production variant to be factory fitted with provision for a drop tank, thus enhancing the range of an aircraft that was originally conceived as a short-range interceptor and allowing it to be used as a long range fighter or fighter-bomber.

Airfix released a new tool Bf 109E-4 last year, so its no surprise thay they have followed it up with a tropicalised E-7. The new kit contains the same two sprues of grey plastic as the standard E-4 and gains an extra sprue which holds the parts necessary for the conversion. It also contains a larger decal sheet than the previous release, containing markings for two options rather than just one. For these reasons it jumps up a step to Airfixs Series 2 range.

Out of the box the kit looks nicely moulded. Detail is clean and crisp and the panel lines are, in my opinion at least, crisp and fine. My only criticism is that they tend to fade out around the extreme top and bottom of the fuselage, which means some rescribing may be needed. The plastic has a smooth, glossy sheen to it too, which contrasts with the textured finish of earlier Hornby-era kits. There are a couple of faint sink marks on the outside of the fuselage just below the cockpit opening, but these should be easy to deal with. There are a few ejector pin marks here and there too, but the only ones that will need to be filled are those on the cockpit tub. The soft detail that plagued the wing-to-fuselage join of the E-4 has been fixed too, which is good news.

The cockpit is well detailed without being overly complex. It is made up of a tub (which includes the front and rear bulkheads but not the sidewalls), an instrument panel, gunsight, control column, rudder pedals and seat. The seat harnesses are moulded in place and there is also some nice raised detail on the insides of the fuselage halves. The instrument panel does not feature any raised detail, but a decal is provided instead. Unlike the previous kit, the decal does not look oversized another plus point for this version!

The top half of the inverted Daimler Benz engine is moulded in place and is just about nice enough to merit leaving the cowling off, although you will need to add some extra details such as the machine gun barrels. The chin mounted oil cooler intake is moulded in two parts, which allows for a more realistic finish. The tropical air filter is included on the extra sprue. The wings follow the usual format for a model of this type, with a single span lower wing and separate port and starboard upper wings. As mentioned above, the soft starboard wing root detail has been fixed for this edition. Landing flaps are moulded separately and can be posed in either dropped or raised position. The horizontals stabilisers are moulded as solid parts, but the rudder is moulded separately to the vertical stabiliser and can be posed in the deflected position if desired.

In the usual Airfix style there are different parts provided for you to pose your model with landing gear up or down. The landing gear legs are delicate but nicely detailed. The wheel wells feature some basic structural details and the wheels themselves have subtle flat spots moulded in. The canopy is thin, clear and moulded in three parts so it can be finished in the open position. This is an improvement over other kits in Airfixs lower ranges which have been designed with one-piece canopies. A drop tank and a bomb are provided on the additional sprue, along with the appropriate fixtures for the lower fuselage and a choice of two replacement spinner hubs.

Two decal options are provded:

• Bf 109E-7/Trop flown by Fw. Franz Elles, 8./Jagdgeschwader 27, Western Desert, April 1941. This aircraft is finished in RLM 79 and 80 with RLM 78 lower surfaces; and
• Bf 109E-7 flown by Stoyan Stoyanov of 3 Orliak, Royal Bulgarian Air Force, Karlovo 1942. This aircraft is finished in RLM 71 over RLM 65 with a distinctive yellow flash running from nose to tail. The tapering part of the flash is provided on the decal sheet, meaning you have to paint the nose part yourself. I would strongly recommend painting the whole thing in order to avoid the problem of having to match paint to decal.

The decal sheet itself is printed by Cartograf and features a full range of stencils, but no hakenkreuz.

Conclusion

It looks like this kit should be straightforward to build and will result in a pleasing, well-detailed model. In other words: classic Airfix. There are a couple of minor things to watch out for such as the ejector pin marks in the cockpit, but most of the glitches from the E-4 have been fixed. Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Navy Bird]

Oh boy, where's my wallet.....

[dadgaddad]

Are we now so afraid of swastikas that we can't even mention them?

[Paul A H]

Is that question rhetorical or is it aimed at my decision to use the German word instead of the English version? Either way, the meaning is the same.

[dadgaddad]

If the manufacturer deliberately leaves out an important part of the marking scheme and the reviewer tip toes around it by using a foreign word instead of the English one then it would suggest there is an issue here. That german planes during WWII had swastikas on them is a matter of historical fact and by calling them by less familiar, foreign words or avoiding them altogether we are in danger of trying to censor the past. So the meaning isn't really the same if we use words to distance ourselves from the truth.

[Procopius]

Swastika is also a foreign word; it's Sanskrit.

[dadgaddad]

I know but it is the one in common use therefore an "English" word as opposed to any other.

[roys]

My local Toymaster store has 50% off this kit ie £8 so I have picked up a couple.

[Paul A H]

If the manufacturer deliberately leaves out an important part of the marking scheme and the reviewer tip toes around it by using a foreign word instead of the English one then it would suggest there is an issue here. That german planes during WWII had swastikas on them is a matter of historical fact and by calling them by less familiar, foreign words or avoiding them altogether we are in danger of trying to censor the past. So the meaning isn't really the same if we use words to distance ourselves from the truth.

Hi Dadgaddad

I know it probably wasn't your intention, but I'm slightly offended by your comments. You have made an allegation that I used the word 'hakenkreuz' in order to tiptoe around the subject of Germany's past. I'm afraid that simply isn't true.

I'll deal with the absence of the hakenkreuz (or swastika if you prefer) decals first. Airfix have done this because it is illegal to reproduce the symbol in many (mainly European) countries where the kit will be sold. Whilst some manufacturers have found ways around this, Airfix have chosen to omit the symbols completely. I mentioned it in my review because it may be of interest to someone considering purchasing the kit. Rather than being a moral choice, however, I am sure that for Airfix it is simply a matter of regard for the law, whether they agree with it or not. "Dura lex, sed lex" - the law is harsh, but it is the law.

On the subject of my choice of words in this review, I am well aware of the the history of Nazi Germany as well as the dangers of censoring the past. I am proud to have earned a postgraduate degree in modern Jewish history. I wrote a number of papers along the way which examined exactly the problems that you have suggested I am propogating. I could quite happily bore you to death on the subject of the historiography of the Holocaust, but this is neither the time nor the place.

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate your sentiment and I think it is admirable. Your words are wide of the mark on this occassion though

Paul

[mobydog]

One can always find an interesting debate on BM.

For the record, as far as I am aware, it is illegal to publicly display this symbol in Poland, Lithuania and Brazil. It is also illegal tp display it in Hungary

except for educational, artistic or journalistic purposes. There may be other examples of which I am unaware.

A few years ago Germany tried to integrate its ban in an all encompassing European anti racism law but stopped short because of lobbying by Hindus who argued that it was an ancient symbol and had meaning far beyond the Nazi adoption.

Symbols are powerful. For my part I understand the abhorrence of this particular symbol because of the unspeakable acts associated with it in the not too distant past. But one cannot rewrite history and if one is obsessed, as many of us on this forum are, with absolute accuracy in miniature then certain vehicles and aircraft cannot be displayed without the 'hakenkreuz'.

Great review Paul. Many thanks for your time.

Andy

[pgp000]

Very nice of Airfix to have included Bulgarian markings. There are images of this exact machine (and a few others) in the link below:

http://www.airgroup2000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=225507&start=210

For the record, as far as I am aware, it is illegal to publicly display this symbol in Poland, Lithuania and Brazil. It is also illegal tp display it in Hungary

except for educational, artistic or journalistic purposes. There may be other examples of which I am unaware.

Germany has an extensive list of symbols, images and songs/music compositions that are prohibited from display unless they are in a specific historical context (similar to what you said about Hungary). Back in 2008 it was 18 pages long. Germany is a big enough market, so I guess companies will have to consider what they include in the boxes.

For those who need a historically correct 109s from the Battle of Britain creating a JG 53 example with the red band over the cowling and no unit markings and swastika/hankerkreuz on the tail is always an option.

Edited May 3, 2013 by pgp000