Eduard Bf.109G-6 Mtt Regensburg - 1:48 Eduard WEEKEND

[Julien]

Bf.109G-6 Mtt Regensburg
1:48 Eduard WEEKEND

 

There must have been billions of words written on the Bf.109 over the years, which was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm, despite having been superseded by the Fw.190 and others during its service life. It kept coming back to prominence due partly to it being a trusted design, the manufacturer's sway with the RLM, and the type's ability to be adapted as technology advanced.

The G or Gustav as it was known was one of the later variants, and probably one of the better ones, with improved armament that give it a distinctive pair of blisters in front of the windscreen, plus mounting points for the 210mm rocket tubes used to disrupt the bomber streams in long range attacks using timed detonation. The other minor changes were targeted at defensive means, removing the mounting points and hardware for long-range tanks etc.


The Kit
This is a re boxing of Eduard's second attempt at the G after there first one hit a few snags. This weekend edition boxing features aircraft built at the Regenburg factory with their typical cowling, early canopy & tail unit.

 

 

 

The cockpit is first, with all the basic details you could want, including  a clear fuel line which you paint leaving a little section clear to represent the inspection tube. You could add a coat of clear yellow to imply there's some fuel in the line if you like. With the cockpit complete the new fuselage halves are closed up and a choice of shrouded or un-shrouded exhaust stubs are inserted. Incidentally, Eduard have some beautiful resin update sets for the cockpit and exhausts if you wanted to go for the ultimate in detail, and we'll be reviewing those shortly, adding links as we go. The new fuselage halves don't include the whole rudder, as you have an option of one with or without a horn-balance later on. The cannon troughs are backed with additional tubing and the barrels, then added to the nose along with the supercharger trumpet and those prominent cannon bulges that change the look of the nose. 

The tail is next, the fin sections of which fit to the root via two pins, with the elevators fitting the same way to the sides. All the flying surfaces are separate with tabs fitting into recesses to allow deflection at your whim. Check which parts to use for the rudder by referring to your chosen decal option, as the straight rudder only applies to two choices.

The upper wing halves fit on the lower after the bays are done, with detail moulded into their undersides to complete the bay. The completed wing is then attached to the underside of the fuselage and work on the flying surfaces, gravity activated leading-edge slats, radiator housings, and the sleek oil-cooler under the nose, which sits on four pegs so that it sits flush with the surrounding panels. Finally, the flaps are added, which have separate upper and lower parts, the fit of which is shown from the side in an accompanying scrap diagram to remove any confusion.

 

 

The shortened landing gear legs are attached to the three-part wheels and bay cover, then inserted into the substantial socket in the gear bays, needing only the brake hoses to complete them. Although there are a number of props on the sprues, only one is used in this boxing, with a single part containing all blades, sandwiched between the boss parts. The canopy is one of the defining aspects of these aircraft improves the look immensely. There is a choice of two for the various marking options, with the windscreen having the same options. There are two styles of drop-tanks included, one of which has a tapered bottom for improved ground-clearance, and a pair of cannon pods are also in the box.

Markings
As usual with weekend edition there are two options on the sheet, and from the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Bf 109G-6/R6/trop, flown by Oblt. Emil Josef Clade, CO of 7./ JG 27, Kalamaki, A Greece, January 1944
• Bf 109G-6/R6, W.Nr. 18807, flown by Ofw. Alfred Surau, 9./JG 3, Bad Wörishofen, Germany, September 1943

 

 

Both decal sheets are printed in-house on a very blue backing paper with super-shiny carrier film, but the register, colour density and sharpness is excellent, with a pair of complete swastikas on one corner ready to be cut off if local laws could be a problem. The usual halved versions are the other side of the dotted line in this event, so you can suit yourself.


Conclusion
What is a great kit is now being released in the weekend series which is very welcome.

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of