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Hi guys! Just finished this one, and what a lovely kit this turned out to be! Everything fitted perfectly, with no filler, just a bit of seam filling tippex needed due to builder error... Dare I say it, but up there with Tamiya in terms of precision fit?! I have wanted to build AE479 ever since I saw a grainy air-to-air photo of her in an old book belonging to my late grandfather when I was a boy. Thank you Airfix for the chance to do so! Here she is- I went for a slightly more weathered appearance- all of my reference photos show her absolutely filthy, so I have tried to replicate this as much as possible. Another thread on here proved invaluable! Thanks for looking! C&C welcome!

Bf-109E Instrument Panel Eduard 1:4 The second release in their 1:4 scale instrument panel series Eduard, having done the Me-110C have now done this one for the Me-109E. Once again the kit comes in the striking yellow and blue top opening box inside of which is one large sprue of blue/grey styrene and two parts of similar coloured styrene for the main panel. In a separate poly bag is a sprue of clear styrene parts, as are two small frets of photo etched parts, one of which is pre-painted and a decal sheet. The instruction booklet is again in a glossy A5 format which is clear and easy to read. There are over 40 instruments, switches and placards and the completed panel measures out at 182mm wide x 140mm high. As for the Me-110 panel it is advisable to paint as much of the panels and bezels before beginning the build. Now, being a single engined aircraft there are bound to be fewer instruments than the twin engined Me-110, but this doesnt make the panel any less interesting. Construction starts with the beautifully detailed Revi C 1/2. gun sight. The main body of which comes in two halves which are joined together and painted, followed by sandwiching the two reflector glass pieces between their respective etched brackets. The rear glass assembly is attached to the main body, whilst the front assembly is fitted between the two support arms that are fixed to the main body. The clear domed glass projector glass is fitted to the top of the main body, with the control levers being fitted to the left hand side and a rotary knob to the bottom. A suitably painted and weathered crash pad is then fixed to the rear of the sight. Several placards finish off the sight and the assembly can be put to one side. With the gun sight completed the build moves to the upper main panel. First to be fitted is a large red button to the indented position on the left hand side, there is no associated placard so research will be required to find out what this is for. Beneath and right of the button is the ammunition counter. The bottom row of gauges are then fitted into place, from left to right, they are the ASI, (Air Speed Indicator), Turn-and- Bank Indicator, RPM gauge and a clock. Each of the instruments are made up of decal card, needle/hands, glass and bezel. Around the panel there are four bolt heads to be fitted, these are for the attachment to the aircraft structure, (not included). Moving on, the mixture control with associated knob and placards is fitted to the left hand side to the upper panel, the flap control/knob and placard is fitted centrally and what appears to be a speed table decal is fitted to the right hand side. The upper row of instruments are now fitted into their respective positions, these are, the Altitude Indicator, gyro compass, stopwatch, and boost gauge. The Revi gunsight support bracket is fitted into the cut-out just to the right of centre and a large etched flap/undercarriage speed warning placard to the left of the stopwatch. The now completed upper panel is put aside and the build moves onto the lower panel. From left to right the is an control box of unknown function, the fuel cock lever, made up of a folded etched arm and plastic knob, gun armament selector, gunsight dimmer knob, combined fuel/oil pressure gauge, undercarriage position indicator, fuel contents gauge, oil temperature gauge, coolant temperature gauge, emergency undercarriage levers and finally the main undercarriage selector lever constructed the same way as the fuel cock lever. The final construction stages see the upper and lower panels being joined together with an angled plastic strip, followed by the Revi gunsight onto its bracket after which the plastic gunsight power cable can be fitted between the sight and the upper panel socket above which an etch socket cover is attached. Decals The decals for the instruments are up to Eduards usual standards, as they are beautifully printed of good density, opaque and in good register. Conclusion Another superb kit which will look great built up. The inclusion of the detailed Revi gunsight is a great addition and really adds to the look of the completed model. As usual, careful painting and weathering will bring it all alive. I just hope that Eduard continue with this series and perhaps release a Spitfire and/or Hurricane panel soon. Highly Recommended. Mask set To help with the painting, Eduard have also released a very useful set of masks for the Me-109 panel. Using die cut kabuki style tape there are masks for the bezel screws, sight electrical socket surround, gunsight glass parts, and several selector switch surrounds. Review sample courtesy of