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Messerschmitt Me.410A-1 Hornisse - 1:48


Mike

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Messerschmitt Me.410A-1
1:48 Meng Models


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We reviewed the initial Me.410B-2/U4 release of this attractive heavy fighter here when it arrived on our shores, from which you can glean a brief history of the type, its genus as the ill-received Me.210, and subsequent entry into service.

The A-1 model was designated a Light Bomber, a job that it was well suited to, giving the Allies a run for their money on night operations, where they proved difficult to catch. The 410 was unusual in having an "equipment bay" right beneath the pilot, which in the A-1 accommodated the nose armament of pair of MG17s and MG151/20 cannons, and shackles for droppable munitions, with a maximum of 1,000kg. A pair of 500kg bombs was the usual, but other stores could be carried. The underside of the nose bay had two clamshell doors that partially retracted into the fuselage, leaving the floor hanging vertically to allow easy exit for the bombs.

The Hornisse had a short service life after introduction in 1943, any remaining aircraft were withdrawn from front-line service following D-Day, with only a few aircraft used for reconnaissance until the end of the war. Production ceased in August 1944 in order to concentrate manufacturing capacity on the Emergency Fighter Programme for the ultimately unsuccessful defence of the Reich.

The Kit
The first edition was well received, and this one exudes the same quality as the earlier kit, with most of the sprues identical. The "personalisation" of this edition is covered on one sprue, plus one of the clear sprues having a minor part changed along with the sprue's layout. In total, there are eight sprues of mid-grey styrene, two of clear styrene, a Photo-Etch (PE) sheet, a small sheet of decals, and an instruction booklet with integrated painting guide in full colour to the rear. Instead of going through the whole kit, I'll concentrate on the differences, so this won't be as in-depth as the other, but please also read the initial review in the link above if you'd like the full story.

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The separate front and rear cockpits assemble in the same way as the U4, and as before the detail is very good. They are sandwiched between the fuselage halves along with the two short spreader-bars that also function as short spars to improve the grip of the wings to the fuselage. The use of the spreaders also should maintain a consistent fuselage width, giving a good seam between the wings and fuselage. The nose view-panel is also captures along with the tail wheel, and at this point the weapons load is built up. As well as the two 500kg bombs that are mounted on a three part rack side-by-side, you also get a pair of rocket-tubes for under each wing, which are built up from two halves with a separate rear plug and the nose of the single rocket inserted into the front. These are handed, so take care when fitting them to the wings, and ensure you apply the Balkenkreuz to the wing before you fix them, with the pointy end to the front! The final weapons are a quartet of little bombs – perhaps 250kg, that mount on the underside of the wing/fuselage join on small cradles, which build up from halves and have separate aerodynamically shaped cradles that glue onto four holes punched in each lower wing half during construction.

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Instead of the cannon pod, you install the two bombs on their sled, and either choose to install the bay doors closed or open. I was initially a little concerned that the lack of sidewall detail in the nose would be an issue, but because the doors hinge back into the bay, they prevent the viewer from seeing them anyway, so it's a non-issue, especially as the insides of the doors are nicely detailed with engraved rivets and recessed panels. The insert behind the bay covers the spars, and the empennage is identical to the U4, as is the majority of the construction of the canopy. The Hornisse had a partial internal framework in much the same way as the DH Mosquito, although the framing is much more extensive. A set of scrap diagrams show which sections of the canopy should be painted before assembly, which will make masking a lot easier, with the process repeated for the opening sections for pilot and gunner. The windscreen is bereft of the hole for the boresight, but instead has a choice of two types of more traditional gun/bomb sight that attach inside the windscreen via a PE bracket. Only the angled part of the sight remains clear, with the rest being painted black, and your choice is dictated by which decal option you wish to model.

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The wings and engine nacelles build up in an identical way, with only four holes drilled in the outer end of the lower wing to accommodate the two rocket pods later on, and four more in the wing root if you're using the smaller bombs. The engines are built up and installed in the nacelles, which are then closed up (or not) around them, with props and flame-dampers added to the front. A full set of flying surfaces are added to the wing at any sensible angle you choose, plus the large radiator panels in either open or closed positions. The wings then slot straight onto the fuselage with fairings and the short spars acting as mating surfaces. The main wheels and bay doors can be added later in the finishing stages if you choose, as they drop straight into their retaining slots from above, with the majority of the nacelle closed once the legs are deployed. If you want to model your 410 with the wheels up, you'll need to adapt the "spat" bay door and glue it flush with the nacelle before you add the rear of the nacelle in order to give you the ability to adjust it while the glue sets up.

Markings
Only two choices of markings are provided in the kit, with a modest decal sheet. It is printed by Cartograf as usual, with quality up to expectations. The very finely tuned carrier film is again present, cut incredibly close to the edges of the decals, which have a classy satin finish. Register is spot-on, as is colour density and sharpness, and you also get some split swastikas for historical accuracy, whilst avoiding issues in some territories where the symbol is deprecated.

From the box you can build one of the following:
  • 1./KG51 France, January 1944 – RLM70/71 splinter over RLM65
  • 7./ZG1 Sicily, December 1943 – RLM74/75 soft-edged splinter with mottle on the fuselage sides, over RLM76, white tail band and spinners.

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The tail band of the second option is provided as a decal, although if you're spraying the spinners, you might as well mask off the band as well, being careful to include the small cut-out on the port side of the fuselage.

Conclusion
As good as the initial release, but with slightly duller decals due to the in-service machines depicted. Sure there are some aftermarket decals around (not many yet, sadly), but some more colourful choices might have been appreciated.

That gripe aside though, it's a lovely kit that just begs to be built. Thanks for giving us a modern tooling of this great looking (IMHO of course) aircraft.

Very highly recommended.

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Review sample courtesy of
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