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  1. Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 Easy-Click System (03653) 1:32 Carrera Revell With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, deploying monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor as used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The Kit This is a new tooling from Carrera Revell, but it isn’t a traditional plastic model kit, instead it is one of their Easy-Click system, but unlike any that we have seen previously, as it snaps together in a manner similar to the famous Lego bricks. The kit arrives in a standard end-opening box with a render of the finished product on the front, and inside are five sprues of parts, one grey, one green, two light blue, and one black, each one ready to clip together once cut from the sprue. There is also a clear sprue with a single canopy part, a sheet of decals, a sheet of stickers, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour and has decaling and sticker application guides on the rear. Each part joins to the other by friction fit, and each location turret has a corresponding circular receiver, and here an issue has crept in that might concern a “serious” modeller, as some of the receivers have resulted in shallow sink marks in the self-coloured plastic, which is most evident on the green coloured plastic. I suspect that we’re not the intended audience however, as this is an ideal method of introducing modelling to a younger person, removing paint and glue from the equation, but keeping the cutting of parts from the sprues, and giving them a choice of decals or stickers, depending on their skill level or impatience. Construction begins with the main landing gear, which are made up from two parts including the wheel, and can be lowered or retracted thanks to a short axle at the top of the legs. They are placed in the lower wing halves, and each wing is fitted to a central black former that has some of the cockpit detail moulded-in, including the control column. The wing roots are added, with optional painting instructions for the more advanced modeller, fitting the seat back into the cockpit, then surrounding it by two cockpit sides. The exhaust stubs are fixed to the front of the central former, and is surrounded by cowling parts on both sides and under the chin, adding another panel under the wings, hiding the central former. The instrument panel has two decals to apply, and this is inserted into the front of the cockpit, fixing the supercharger intake on the port side of the fuselage, then fitting the upper cowling gun troughs, the black barrel insert, and the rear cowling in front of the cockpit. The upper wing parts are then clipped into place in green and grey to create the splinter camouflage out to the rounded tips of the wings, trapping the gear legs in position at the same time. The starboard side of the rear fuselage is clipped into position on the central former, then a black extension is added, and locked in place by the port rear fuselage side, pausing to clip the canopy into the upper fuselage part, which has recesses to accept the moulded-in framework, which has caused a little distortion of the clear parts. The centre former is extended again with a short part that includes the tail wheel, closed in by more tapering fuselage sections, then adding a short length of spine in green, and the tail fin on both sides of the centre, filling in the rest of the spine and slotting the elevators into a groove in the tail fin, then finishing off with the rudder. To complete the model, the three-bladed prop is clipped onto the axle, and a spinner tip completes the prop. Underneath, a two-part drop-tank plugs into a two-hole recess after clipping the two halves together. Markings There is one scheme in the box, but as there are decals and stickers included, the process is shown twice, as the numbers differ between the sheets. Even though this is an Easy-Click kit, there is still a good number of stencils and other markings, so your model will have plenty of visual interest once completed. From the box you can build the following: The decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This kind of kit is a great introduction to modelling for today’s impatient youth, who probably wouldn’t even notice the slight sink marks on some parts. Recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  2. Sources http://www.azmodel.cz/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/AZmodel/478579078833373?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline AZModel is working on a new tool Messerschmitt Bf.109G "Gustav" & K "Kürfurst" (link) families in 1/72nd. V.P.
  3. The Revell new tool, easy click, 1/32nd Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 Gustav - ref. 3653 - is on approach This kit was first announced in 1/48th scale (link) and is now reported 1/32nd scale in the Revell homepage ! Sources: https://www.revell.de/en/products/novelties/model-set-messerschmitt-bf109g-6-easy-click-system.html https://1999.co.jp/eng/10919805 (still announced in the 1/48th scale kits as in most of the hobbyshops) box art V.P.
  4. Bf.109G-14/AS ProfiPACK (82162) 1:48 Eduard The G variant of the Bf.109, colloquially known as the Gustav was one of the primary fighters available to the Luftwaffe during the closing years of WWII, and saw extensive active service, all the while being upgraded to combat the increasing Allied superiority in the air. Happily for the Allies, the supply of experienced pilots was fast running out, so as good as the upgrades were, they couldn't make an appreciable difference to the outcome. The G-14 was brought into service at a crucial time for the Axis forces, as the Allies pushed inland from the beachhead at Normandy, and it had an improved water injection system that gave the engine extra performance, plus the new clear-vision Erla-Haube canopy as standard. It was also an attempt to standardise the design to ease the job of construction, which had become decentralised due to the ferocity of the bombardment of the industrial areas by the Allied bombers at that stage of the war. As a result, few sub-variants were made of the G-14 even though over 5,000 were built, with command fighters and high-altitude variants the main exceptions, but the U4 had a powerful 30mm MK108 cannon fitted through the engine and firing through the centre of the prop. The AS sub-variant was the high-altitude interceptor that ran a DB 605ASM engine that was tuned for altitude, and used a methanol/water mixture dubbed ‘MW 50’ to provide an emergency combat boost for a limited period before it would cause issues. The Kit The 109G has been fairly comprehensively retooled by Eduard from their original, and while this is a new sub-variant some of the sprues date back to their later, more accurate edition. The five-digit product code is a clue to this do-over. The ProfiPACK offers additional decal options as well as other upgrades to the basic kit, and alongside the four sprues of grey styrene you will find one of clear, a sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of pre-cut yellow kabuki tape masks (not pictured), two decal sheets and the usual Eduard colour instruction booklet printed on glossy paper. By now most of us are familiar with the fine surface detail and dainty riveting on the outer skin of Eduard’s many Gustav boxings, and the level of detail that has been crammed into this excellent tooling. There are also tons of aftermarket parts available from Eduard for those that want to add even more detail to their models, from engines, cockpits, to wheels, bronze gear legs and flying surfaces. The world really is your oyster when it comes to how much you want to throw at your build, but for many the included PE will be more than adequate. It's all up to you! Predictably the build starts with the cockpit, which has a number of PE controls added to the floor, and a full set of PE instruments that are ready to add to the painted cockpit, as well as the fuel line part that is supplied on the clear sprue because it has a glass section as it runs through the cockpit to allow the pilot easy access for checking if there's fuel reaching the engine. A hump between the pilot’s knees caters for the breech of the cannon fitted to this sub-variant, and a full set of painted crew belts are supplied on the PE fret, plus rudder pedals for good measure. More PE is attached to the cockpit sidewalls, and with all that glued and painted you can close up the fuselage around it, not forgetting the fixed tail wheel for two options, with a spinner back-plate fitted to the front of the fuselage, and the exhaust stubs with their slide-moulded hollow tips inserted from inside into their slots, with or without a flare shield that was useful during night flying. The upper nose cannon insert and supercharger intake fit into their respective areas, and a set of optional flame deflectors made from PE are added over the exhaust stacks to prevent blinding the pilot in low light flying, while giving the modeller a more realistic thickness to them. The G-14 had a couple of options for the tail fin, with the increased use of non-strategic wood, so the fin base is moulded to the fuselage, while the tip is separate with a vertical hinge-line. The rudder is separate, and you have a choice of two, one of which needs a little material removed from the trailing edge, as indicated in red. The fin depicted in this step is the cranked hinge-line variant that isn’t used in this boxing, so just ignore the fact that the rudder wouldn’t fit the fin as shown. The fixed tail wheel with gaiter for three of the decal options is fitted to a recess under the tail at this point too. The lower wing halves are full span, and you need to open up two holes for a centre-line rack and insert a clear part in the port wing for the antenna’s electrical isolator. The wheel bay sides are in three segments and mate with the inner surface of the upper wings to give an excellent level of detail once finished, with a tunnel added that receives the strut. A small pair of rectangular panel lines are scribed into the fuselage just in front of the windscreen using a PE template that is provided on the sheet, and a pair of teardrop masks are supplied for the wingtip lights, which are moulded into the wing, but can easily be replaced by cutting out the area and fitting some clear acrylic sheet of a suitable thickness, then sanding it to shape and polishing it back to clarity. A depression depicting the bulb can be drilled in the clear part before gluing to further enhance the look if you feel so motivated. Separate leading-edge slats, ailerons and flaps are supplied, with the latter fitting around the radiator bays under the wing, which have PE grilles front and rear. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the parts to ensure that both layers align correctly as per the real thing. The narrow-track landing gear consists of a single strut with moulded-in oleo scissor, a captive door that glues against it, and the one-piece tyre with separate hubs on each side. The legs fit into sockets in the wheel bays, and horn balances are fitted to the ailerons, a choice of styles of antenna under the wing is added, and a small PE access panel is glued under the fuselage behind the wing trailing edge. Before fitting the canopy, the clear gunsight must be partially painted and fitted to the top of the instrument panel, and a pair of PE grab handles are attached to the inside of the windscreen, which should be partially painted RLM66 inside or outside before the exterior colours. The Erla-style canopy opener also has PE parts added plus the pilot's head armour and a short aerial on the rear, with a PE retaining wire included for posing the canopy open. A manual starter handle is also present in case you wanted to show your G-14/AS in a more candid pose on the ground. The prop is a single part and is sandwiched by the back plate and spinner before being inserted into the hole in the front of the fuselage. Two styles of external fuel tank are supplied, one with a flat bottom edge for additional ground clearance, and the other with a smoother exterior. These fit on a rack that sits on the centreline for all markings options, a rudder trim actuator is fitted, and a small twig antenna is fitted to all options with a tiny circular base, both of which are made of PE. Markings The main markings are carried on the larger sheet, while the stencils are on the smaller one. Stencils are drawn on a separate page of the instructions to reduce repetition and clutter, and each marking option has a page all to itself to cut down on confusion and give the modeller good sized diagrams to follow. From the box you can build one of these five options: WNr.784938, III./JG6, Bissel, Germany, January 1945 WNr.783891, Fw. Heinz-Paul Müller, 9./JG300, Jüterbog-Damm, Germany, Autumn 1944 Lt. Walter Köhne, CO of 6./JG 11, Wunsdorf, Germany, October 1944 Wnr.785185, Lt. Heinz Schüler, 16./JG5, Stavanger-Forus, Norway, March 1945 WNr.785083, Sgt. Magg. Aroldo Burei, 1° Squadriglia, 1° Gruppo, Caccia ANR, Malpensa, Italy, April 1945 The masks (not pictured) cover the armoured glass in the pilot's head armour, the wheel hubs and of course the canopy, with the curved part having frame-hugging masks that need filling in the compound curved areas with scrap tape or liquid mask. These are a great time-saver and the fit of them is usually spot-on, and the only masks that are better would be if you picked up a set of Tface masks, also from Eduard that allow you to paint the canopy internally, as well as the usual exterior paint-job. I’m a big fan of those. The decals are printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils are on a separate sheet, and are marked on a page of the booklet, separate from the rest of the markings to avoid confusion from trying to read overly busy diagrams. Don’t forget that as of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view. Conclusion These are superb kits from Eduard, and they are priced well, considering the detail and markings options included. They don't bother with novelties such as magnets to hold cowlings in place, but if you should perchance want to show off your engine, you can get a superbly detailed resin unit separately and those that don't want to show off their engines don't have to pay for parts they aren't going to use. The G is my personal favourite, so I'm more than happy to see another one from Eduard. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  5. Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 ‘Captured’ (AZ7818) 1:72 AZ Model With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, deploying monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor as used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The Kit This is a reboxing of AZ’s original tooling from 2014, with some new parts somewhere along the way. It’s a well-detailed kit with moulded-in equipment in the cockpit sidewalls, details in the wheel wells, and subtle exterior detail too. It arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the subject matter on the front, and the decal option profiles on the rear. Inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a tiny clear sprue in its own Ziploc bag, two decal sheets and the instruction booklet, which covers G-5/6,8 and G-14 variants. You will need to pay attention to the headings on the various steps to ensure you build the correct version, and some scribbling out of unnecessary steps could be a good plan if you’re forgetful like me. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is well-detailed as previously mentioned, consisting of the floor with rear bulkhead, seat base, rudder pedals, control column, trim wheels, gunsight, a well-recessed instrument panel (sadly no decal), and the moulded-in side wall detail, plus the forward bulkhead, which has the cannon-breech cover inserted before it is added to the front of the assembly. It is glued into the starboard fuselage half when completed, and the exhaust stacks are slipped through the slots in the cowling on both sides ready to be closed up, after which you can add the chin mounted oil-cooler fairing. There is a top insert added later to complete the fuselage, which has the central hinge-point of the cowlings moulded-in, as well as the two nose machine gun troughs, a section of the fin and a choice of two rudders, the prominent Beule fairings over the enlarged breeches of the nose armament, and a choice of head armour, one of which is clear because it has a section of armoured glass in the centre. Incidentally, the port Beule has a smaller fairing to the front, which should be cut off and made good unless you are building a tropical Gustav. The lower wing is full-width except for the tips, which are moulded into the upper surfaces for finesse, and these have the radiators depicted by front and rear faces inserted into the fairings, reducing their size if necessary. The uppers are glued over, and then you can paint the two gear bays and insert the radiator flaps, which also get a coat of RLM02 on the inside, like the majority of the interior. The wings and the fuselage are mated, then the landing gear is prepped, although they’re best left off until later. The struts have the scissor-links moulded-in, separate wheels and captive bay doors, using the narrower tyres in preference to the thicker ones that are left on the sprue. The elevators are both moulded as a single part, and attach to the tail in the usual slot and tab manner, then the prop with the broader blades is made up with the appropriate front and back spinner parts, sliding into the hole in the flat front of the fuselage. The correct tail wheel and insert to close the bay over are fixed under the rear, and the single-part canopy covers the cockpit with a choice of two styles of antennae. There are some additional parts on the sprues to add weapons and extra fuel to your model, with two-part MG 151/20 that depict field-modification or Rüstsatz VI, 20mm cannons in their own gondolas. A four-pronged palette under the centre of the wings is also included, although these were generally taken off captured aircraft. Markings There are three options on the main decal sheet, while the separate sheet contains all the stencils, which is good to see at this scale. These aircraft were captured, so are wearing their new owner’s markings, sometimes painted straight over the crosses of the then defunct Luftwaffe, and these background markings are included on the decal sheet. Where the old crosses and swastikas have been painted over however, you will be responsible for painting those, so be prepared for a little detail painting. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are decal seatbelts on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion This boxing includes some interesting markings options that were in use before the end and just after WWII, and it’s an iconic variant of this aircraft into the bargain. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  6. Good evening to all! this is my last work from the Eduard's Bf.109 G-6 kit (converted to G-14 standard - all the parts you need are already in the box). This particular Gustav was the personal aircraft of Maj. Mario Bellagambi of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, during march 1945. Aftermarkets used: Brassin cockpit and wheels. Eduard PE set. Quickboost propeller and corrected spinner. STORMO! decals. Master guns & pitot. Fuselage/upper wings balkenkreuz and yellow 1 masked and painted with self made mask, camo painted with Gunze Sangyo paints. Hope you'll enjoy. Cheers from Rome! 🤙 Valerio. BF.109 END_28 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_24 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_20 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_18 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_17 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_19 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_16 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_15 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_14 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_13 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_12 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_11 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_8 by Valerio, su Flickr BF.109 END_26 by Valerio, su Flickr
  7. Bf.109G-10 Propeller (648672 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s newly tooled range of Bf.109G or Gustavs had a false start a few years previously with some scale issues that they corrected soon after with newly re-tooled releases, and went on to flesh out the range with various sub-variants that rapidly became the de facto standard in the scale for the discerning modeller. This prop is for the G-10, and as is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, it arrives in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. This is a simple set that improves on the kit detail immensely, and gives the builder the option of showing the prop without various parts as if it was in maintenance. The set consists of three individual blades, a prop boss with backing plate, drive shaft, hollow spinner in resin, plus a PE ring to finish off the tip of the spinner after liberating it from the casting block. The interior of the spinner is detailed, and the hub is also superb. The props are aligned with the supplied resin jig, allowing you to insert one at a time and get the angle of the blade just right. Plastic backing plate H67 from the kit is still used behind the prop. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  8. Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 (A02029B) 1:72 Airfix With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, deploying monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The Kit Airfix's Bf.109G-6 dates back to 2009, and as such is one of the earlier kits released under Hornby's ownership. The kit bears all the hallmarks of that particular era, with a low part count and broad, deep panel lines. Those hoping that this would be a re-tooling of the aforementioned kit will be disappointed, as the plastic is exactly the same as that provided in the original release. The kit is part of Airfix's Skill Level 1 range, and it arrives in a top opening box with the kind of dramatic artwork that we have come to expect from Big Red. Inside the box are three sprues of grey plastic and a single, small clear sprue. There are just 41 parts in total, which is quite low when you consider that the more recent 'Emil' in the same scale is made up of 64 parts. Out of the box the kit is cleanly moulded and the plastic has a satin finish to it. The cockpit is extremely spartan, comprising of a simplified seat, pilot and nothing else. There is no instrument panel, no control column and no sidewall detail, which harks back to days gone by. This is in stark contrast to the Emil, as that kit was very nicely detailed, despite being part of the series 1 range. The instructions recommend that the propeller be joined to the fuselage at the same time that the fuselage halves are joined, but I would recommend leaving this step until the end as it will make painting more difficult otherwise. The bulges for the 13mm MG 131s on the upper fuselage in front of the cockpit are inaccurate as they are represented by a single large bulge rather than two separate bulges on each side of the fuselage with a depression between them. 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. Flaps and control surfaces are moulded in place, but some basic structural details have been moulded onto the roof of the main landing gear bays. The horizontals stabilisers are moulded as solid parts, as is the rudder. As with other recent Airfix kits, there are different parts provided for you to use if you wish to pose your model with landing gear up or down. The landing gear legs provided for the down option are moulded in place with the bay doors, which is a plus point for strength and ease of assembly, but a negative point in terms of detail and ease of painting. A drop tank and two under wing gun pods are provided, along with a choice of canopies, including the aforementioned Erla Haube canopy. Both are duplicated and moulded in one piece, but this is no great loss given the lack of internal detail. Markings There are the usual two options from the included decal sheet, both different enough to give you variety, and both having some fun schemes that will test your masking and airbrushing skills. Option A has a saw-tooth splinter pattern on the wing uppers, while option B has a an RLM75 sinewave squiggle on all its upper surfaces. Better get your airbrushing and/or masking skills honed for either option. From the box you can build one of the following: Bf.109g-6 Maj. Herman Graf, Jagdgeschwader 50, Wiesbaden/Erbenheim, Germany, Autumn 1943 Bf.109GF-6/R6 Lt. Manfred Dieterle, 3./Jagdgeschwader 300, Bonn-Hangelar Airfield, Germany, Mar-April 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This isn't the most detailed nor the most accurate Gustav on the market. It also lacks finesse in terms of the overall finish. All-in-all, there isn't much here to tempt the modeller with a primary focus on detail. Having said that, this is probably one of the cheapest Gustavs around, which is perhaps a hint to its intended market? Possibly the best thing about the kit is that it shows how far Airfix have come since this kit was initially tooled. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  9. Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 (BF001) 1:35 Border Model via Albion Alloys 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 partly due 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 that used timed detonation in an effort to create a huge explosion in the middle of them. The other minor changes were improvement to the armament, fitting larger MG.131 cannons in the nose gun bay which necessitated the aforementioned “nose” blister cowlings, or Beule. The Kit This is a first for me. A 1:35 aircraft kit. The majority of 1:35 kits I’ve seen over the years that aren’t AFVs have been rotary-winged, but Border have decided that AFV modellers and aircraft modellers should have the option of modelling in matching larger scales, opening up some much easier diorama opportunities into the bargain. That’s correct. I said 1:35, and they have some more subjects inbound to a model shop near you soon to further broaden their range. Clearly this is a brand-new tool from Border, and arrives in a satin finished top-opening box. This is a special Limited Edition boxing, and comes with a randomly assigned bonus in a gold foil envelope, with a couple of random goodies within. My box had a handsome high-altitude pilot figure in resin, and a set of strong metal prop blades, but other figures, metal Wfr.Gr.21 rockets or Photo-Etch (PE) seatbelts are amongst the possible options. There are also optional clear cowlings to show off the engine that have been moulded by including the canopy parts on the same sprue as the cowlings, with the unusual result that you also get a set of grey styrene canopy parts, which was initially troubling to this old modeller due to their greyness and shininess. Then I started trying to think of possible uses for them, as I hate to waste things, although I struck out so far. I really need to get out more! Inside the box are eight sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, a sheet of PE parts, a decal sheet and instruction booklet with colour profiles for the included markings, plus a half-dozen additional profiles to whet your appetite for going off-piste in terms of markings, once 1:35 aircraft decals start to appear in the mainstream. The detail is excellent, with plenty of additional features included thanks to substantial use of slide-moulds, including hollow exhausts muzzles on the guns, detail on the cowlings, the supercharger intake, and panelling under the fuselage. The surface detail is also of high quality, with engraved rivets and panel lines, plus finely moulded raised and recessed details where appropriate. There are bound to be some for which the panel lines are maybe a hair too deep, but once painted everything should look great and the clear parts are just that – glossy, clear and shiny. As well as the cockpit, a complete Daimler-Benz engine, cowling, detailed wheel bays, guns, Wfr.Gr.21 underwing rockets (with additional metal rockets if you get them in the gold foil lottery). Construction begins the block of the DB605A inverted V-12 engine, which predictably starts upside-down. The reduction gear and drive axle are added to the front, with ancillaries in the rear, the crisply moulded individual exhaust stubs with their hollow tips, coaxial cannon and an excellent reproduction of the wiring harness for each side of the engine. The supercharger “conch” and air input tubing are next, and are bracketed by the two cylinder heads, complete with their oil input/output pipes. The cockpit is assembled on the flat floor, with separate rudder pedals, seat pan, trim-wheel, rear bulkhead/seat back and cannon breech cowling that inserts into the floor and front bulkhead. The instrument panel is well-detailed, but there aren’t any decals to put into those well-defined instrument wells, which is one of the small drawbacks of the kit. I’m going to have a look to see if the 1:32 Airscale Luftwaffe decals will squeeze in, but maybe Peter can resize them for the likely increase in 1:35 aircraft builders. The panel slots into the coaming, which fits on a base plate, and accepts the gunsight with its two clear parts, which will benefit from a dab of clear greenish blue on the edges to simulate their thickness. When complete, the coaming assembly attaches to the top of the cockpit front bulkhead and supports the twin MG.131 cannons, each one made up from five parts for detail, even though they won’t be seen much. The completed engine is restrained between the two engine mounts with their drop supports, and a small tank in one of the triangular interstices (good word!). The tail wheel is next, with the hub slipping over the tyre, then slotting onto the axle, and trapped between the two halves of the yoke. Moving toward closing up the fuselage includes making up the rudder, which has a hinge trapped between the two halves, and a tiny dot added to the lower trailing edge. The fuselage halves need prepping with interior detail to augment the ribbing that is already moulded-in, adding the fuel-line, throttle quadrant and other equipment to each side, with a pair of scrap diagrams showing the finished look. Now you can bring those fuselage halves together around the cockpit/engine assembly and the horseshoe shaped oil tank, with the tail wheel and rudder at the rear. Once you have it all aligned and the seams sanded, remember to leave the seams on the top and bottom of the fuselage, as panel lines can be found there on the real beastie so don’t bother sanding them back – just scribe them, or adze the outer sides of the fuselage join-line with a sharp blade to make the groove – I gave that a try, and it worked well. The cowlings can be clear or opaque, and the clear ones are crystal clear, so you should be able to see all your hard work on the engine through them if you choose that option. Each cowling panel has a section of the gun trough inserted from the inside, and with the single part Beule panel over the gun bays and the central spine fixed between the front and rear of the engine bay, the cowlings can be put in place, choosing to leave them closed or open, using a strut from your own supplies. The supercharger intake horn is a slide-moulded single part that is quite impressive to behold, and makes for a handsome part that fits straight onto the port-side cowling. A single internal panel is glued under the floor of the cockpit, which adds extra support to the wing tabs later in the build. Before the wings are started, the main gear legs are made up, starting with the two hub halves that are glued together and surrounded by the two tyre halves with radial tread, and another choice of weighted or unweighted tyres. The main gear strut is moulded in two parts, with the oleo sliding inside the exterior casting, with a pin holding it in place but allowing it to slide between maximum and minimum range of extension. The scissor-links are two separate parts, and you should glue those in place depending on how deflected or otherwise you want the suspension to be, ensuring that you set the two wheels at the same level. Also, the parts are from sprue E, not F as noted in the instructions. You also get a brake-line, a cap for the axle, and the captive gear leg door glues to the side of the leg. You do this twice, as you probably already knew. The upper wings both have their flap parts installed before attention switches to the full-width lower wing, which also has the two lower flap sections fitted, then a bit of confusion creeps in. inside the wings, just outboard of the wheel bays, a pair of shallow two-part cylinders are made up and fixed into the wing lower. I suspect that these have been drawn back-to-front, as the L-shaped ammo feed parts that fit into the slot in the top of the cylinders only install correctly when the slot is at the rear. These are only required for the decal options with the wing-mounted gun gondolas, and the instructions advise you to only cut out the ammo slot for the other options. In this case, you’ll need to fill those slots for Hartmann’s steed. It’s a minor mistake, but it left me scratching my head for a minute. Anyway, nearby is a small thinned-out section of the wing skin and another ammo chute that are both flashed-over, which indicates we’re going to be seeing more boxings. The nicely textured radiator baths are inserted into their ledges, and the rest of the flying surfaces are made up in the same manner as the rudder, each one having a hinge-set that is made up from two rectangular sections that are linked by a straight rod. The wings tops and bottoms are glued together, and for all the non-Hartmann decal options, the underwing gondolas are made up, consisting of the hollow muzzled MG, two PE brackets and a choice of clear or opaque gondola cowlings, although those aren’t discussed in the instructions, but you’ll find them on sprue G where the clear cowling parts and clear canopies can also be found. Flipping the wing over, the gear bay walls are detailed up by adding two PE skins into the rear walls, the leading-edge slats can be attached in either the open or closed position, and as they’re gravity operated, their natural position when parked will be deployed. Check your references for the correct position and colour, as the latter seems to vary between individual airframes. Also note that there are some tiny end-caps that you could add from scrap styrene if you’re so-minded. The horn-balances on the ailerons, the radiator actuators and clear wingtip lights are fitted while the wings are inverted, and the cut-out for the lights has a small lump moulded-in to represent the bulb, which you can paint the relevant colour. There is a set of Wfr.Gr.21 and their launch tubes included in the box, and you are advised to put these under the wings of decal option 4. The markings aren’t numbered, but as there are only three, which is supported by the box art and decal sheet, however the only set of profiles with the rockets depicted are the ones in the “also possible” options for which no decals are included. Unless I’ve got the wrong end of the stick somewhere? That’s something I do from time-to-time. The launcher tubes are well-detailed, having detailed supports, PE strakes running down the inside of the tubes, plus a cap and ignition wire at the rear. There are two rockets on the sprues that you can slip inside those tubes, and they do fit loosely, so will probably work well with the PE strakes. Just make sure you’ve drilled out the correct holes in the wing undersides before you get too far down the line. With that the wings can be glued in place under the fuselage, with the uppers having a “hook” at the join-line that should pull the fuselage and wing root together. The bottom engine cowling has lots of detail moulded into it, although if you decide to depict it hanging down, you’ll need to fill a couple of ejector-pin marks before you apply the paint. The chin-scoop and oil-cooler radiator are made up from the C-shaped cowling, the posable flap at the rear, and a nicely textured depiction of the radiator front, which will look great with paint and a wash. It attaches to the underside of the chin-panel in its recess, and on the flipside of the panel another part fits in place, after which you can glue it into position under the nose. The elevators have posable flying surfaces, which are made up in the same manner as all the others, attaching between the two halves of the elevator fins, then are glued to the tail using the usual slot and tab method. They’re intended to be fixed at 90o to the rudder, so you’ll need to check that yourself, rather than relying on the struts that were present on early models. A blob of blutak should hold them in-place once you’ve set them to the correct angle. The main gear slots into place in the sockets in the gear bays, and is joined by a long-range tank on a stubby pylon that attaches on the centreline, then the props are assembled. If you got the metal blades like I did, you can put those in the two-part hub, or use the styrene ones that are on the sprues. They attach to the rear of the spinner, and are covered over by the front, which has a hole in the tip for the cannon to pour out its rounds, and the completed assembly slides over the axle with glue or without – up to you. Your final choice in the build is which canopy you wish to fit. The traditional greenhouse starts at the windscreen, which has a couple of grab-handles added before it is installed, then it is joined by the squared-off canopy, which has a pull-handle and head armour fitted before it is put in place. The more modern so-called Erla canopy has a different windscreen and grab-handles, and is joined by the sleek opening canopy, which has reduced framing to give the pilot a better view to the rear and sides. This also has head-armour panel but with a clear insert, again to improve the view aft, and fitting it required the small step in the lower corner at the rear of the aperture to be cut away. There are two G sprues in the box, one clear, the other opaque. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you which parts to use there though. The Erle canopy option has a short antenna inserted into a hole in the rear of the canopy, and a D/F loop on the spine behind it, while the original canopy has the aerial in the fixed aft clear section, with the D/F loop common to both versions. That’s it! You’ve finished building possibly your first 1:35 aircraft model ever. Goody Bag Each box of the initial release of this kit includes a goody bag, which is literally a golden foil bag, but inside you will find a choice of random items as previously mentioned, including a resin figure. My kit included the high-altitude pilot and a set of metal prop blades, with superb sculpting on the figure, which is broken down into merged torso and legs, separate head and arms, and finally an oxygen mask with hose. Markings There are three full-page sets of profiles in the instructions, for which there are decals on the sheet, plus six more possible options if you have the decals or masks in your possession. They are described as “just a random reference painting”, so have a squint, but don’t get too attached to them until you’ve found some decals to make it happen. This also brings us back to a few other issues, in that Hartmann’s aircraft didn’t carry machine gun gondolas, but is shown with them in the profiles, and the rocket tubes are described as for “marking 4”, but there doesn’t appear to be one, as evidenced on the side of the box as well as the decal sheet, which only has decals for the first three subjects. From the box you can build one of the following: Bf.109G-6 Barkhorn Bf.109G-6 Hartmann Bf.109G-6 JG.53 The decals are printed anonymously, and have good register, sharpness and colour density, but don’t include any stencils. The swastikas for the tails have their black centres omitted for the convenience of those territories where its depiction is frowned upon, but the white outer is included on the outer decal, which should allow easy registration of the central X when you apply it over the top. Conclusion This is an unusual beast thanks to the 1:35 scale, and as such it’s going to generate some interest for that. Add to that the fact that it’s a Bf.109G-6, and it should sell well. It’s a well-detailed model with some nice accessories including those funky clear cowlings and the weapons under the wings. Highly recommended. Available in the UK in all good model shops. Review sample courtesy of
  10. Border Model (http://www.bordermodel.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/Border-Model-339312286698433/) is to release soon a 1/35th (not 1/32nd!) Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 "Gustav" kit - ref. BF001 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7176370921 V.P.
  11. Bf.109G-2 ProfiPACK (82165) 1:48 Eduard The G variant of the Bf.109, colloquially known as the Gustav was one of the primary fighters available to the Luftwaffe during the closing years of WWII, alongside its supposed replacement the Fw.190, and saw extensive active service right to the end of hostilities, all the while being upgraded to combat the increasing Allied superiority in the air. Happily for the Allies, the supply of experienced pilots was fast running out, so as good as the upgrades were, they couldn't make an appreciable difference to the outcome. The G-2 differed from the initial G-1 insofar as it didn’t have the pressurised cockpit of the earlier variant, and it was sometimes fitted with different head armour for the pilot – lucky fella! The various G sub-types were a problem from a maintenance point of view, having far too many variations to be practical, so the K series, Kurt to its few friends was created, but at that late stage it wasn’t particularly well liked or very successful. Some actually considered it to be a retrograde step. The Kit The G-2 is just one of Eduard's series of Gustavs, which is now enjoying a reissue with just a minor change in parts and decal options, plus some fetching new artwork that shows the replacement decal option having just shot down an RAF P-40 in the desert, the poor pilot scrambling free from the cockpit as the wreckage burns. The ProfiPACK boxing contains a wide selection of decal options and Photo-Etch (PE) parts in Eduard’s pre-painted style with the recently implemented glossy dial faces. Given the aforementioned differences between the sub-variants, there aren’t a huge number of differences in parts between the airframes. The cockpit is adorned with most of the coloured PE to upgrade the detail, and a clear fuel line so that the clear vision section can be left unpainted to allow the pilot to see the fuel sloshing about within. The PE harnesses and rudder pedals, plus all the other detail parts on the cockpit walls make for a seriously well-detailed cockpit. With the addition of the tail-wheel in the rear, and a choice of shrouded or unshrouded exhausts in the nose, you can close up the fuselage with the cockpit trapped between the halves. The nose also receives a circular bulkhead that receives the prop later in the build. The exhausts without the moulded-in shrouds are your best choice for detail, as they have hollow tips, and you can add PE shrouds while you are installing the small PE hinges and the intake filter that is specific to the tropicalized variant, which has a pair of PE meshes that require bending to fit the cylindrical housing. It also has a pair of small stays added from the PE sheet to stabilise it in the airflow, which shows nice attention to detail. The flying surfaces are all mobile and capable of being depicted deflected, while the wingtip lights have been moulded into the wing halves, so a small mask has been included to help you cut a neat demarcation between the wing skin and the light, unless you are going to remove the styrene and replace it with clear plastic from your own stock. The gear bay walls are made up in the full-width lower wing, and two holes should be drilled for four of the decal options, plus two ammo chute inserts that drop through from inside the lower wing. With the addition of the upper wings you can join them to the fuselage, then add the leading-edge slats in the dropped position for stationary, or retracted whilst in the air once the pressure is sufficient to push them in. The radiators have PE mesh skins, as does the chin-mounted oil-cooler, the flaps consist of upper and lower elements just like the real aircraft, and there is a choice of tyres for your decal options. One option requires the removal of the majority of the captive main gear bay door, which is an unusual sight, possibly to prevent snow from building up between them and the wheels. Another choice is offered for the clear windscreen part, with a common square profile canopy and fixed rear portion with the earlier larger aerial mast, which has the usual post and PE attachment for your choice of rigging material at the tail-end. There is a canopy stay wire included with the PE, which is a great addition that adds realism, and is common throughout the G-series Profipaks IIRC. With the prop added, it's just a case of choosing whether or not to add the additional armament in the shape of underslung cannons in gondola cowlings outboard of the landing gear bays, which is what the reamed out holes were for. These are also available as a resin Brassin set if you are going for hyper-detail and perhaps want to leave open the access hatches to show off the cannon breeches and ammo magazines. Supplied on yellow kabuki tape, a sheet of pre-cut masks provide you with a full set of masks for the inside AND outside of the canopy, with half a page of instructions devoted to their installation. In addition, you get a set of hub masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Markings As is often the case with Profipak boxings, there are five decal options included on the larger decal sheet, and a set of stencils on the other sheet, which will allow you to build one of the following: Bf.109G-2/Trop Wnr. 10533, Uffz. Horst Schlick, 1./JG, Bir-el-Abd, Egypt, Nov 1942 Bf.109G-2/R-6/Trop, W.Nr.13916, Fw. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Alakurtti, Finland Feb 1943. Bf.109G-2/R6, Lt. Walter Krupinski, 6./JG 52, Maykop, Soviet union, October 1942. Bf.109G-2/R6 W.Nr. 13949, Mjr. Hans Hahn, II./JG 54, Rjelbitzy, Soviet Union, Jan 1943. Bf.109G-2/R6, W.nr.13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy, 7./JG 77, Tanyet Harun, Egypt, Oct 1942. The stencils are shown on a separate placement guide on the back page of the booklet, and both sheets are printed in-house, with good colour density, register and sharpness. In use these decals settle down well with a little solution, and the carrier film is closely cropped and slightly glossy. As always, there are some removable Swastikas at the corner of the main sheet, and some two-part decals that can be made into Swastikas by the modeller in territories where that's a touchy subject. Conclusion A very nice rendition of the G-2 and a welcome reboxing, with suitably disparate schemes that should appeal to many out of the box. The surface detail on these kits is by now legendary, and the addition of the PE just improves on the basic kit, which is already excellent. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  12. TopDrawings 67 – Bf.109G/K (9788366148130) Kagero Publishing via Casemate UK The 109 was reaching the end of its potential for development as Britain and Germany fought the Battle of Britain, but the designers still managed to squeeze yet more from the ageing airframe, so much so that it lasted until the end of WWII, although in fewer numbers due to the attrition both of pilots and the factories in which the aircraft were made. The Gustav was perhaps the pinnacle of development, refining the design, streamlining the airframe and taking advantage of engine developments despite the limitations of the basic design. The G series can be broken down between early and late, and the short-lived K series, of which the K-4 was the only in-service sub-variant of the attempt to standardise production can be appended to the Gustav's run, as it was effectively concurrent, shared many design aspects, and was the last wartime development of the type. We have kits in all scales from almost every manufacturer due to the popularity of the type (along with the Spitfire and 190). The TopDrawings series majors on scale plans, which is the main thrust, but also includes a little background information, some pertinent profiles, and often a bonus of decals or masks targeted at the subject matter in hand. With this edition, you get a set of Balkenkreuz paint masks for the Bf.109G/K in 1:48 and 1:72, which could probably be used in plenty of other circumstances too. The book is written in English on the left of the page, with Czech on the right, which translates to top and bottom for the captions to the various drawings within. The book itself is bound in a card cover and has 24 pages, with the rear cover devoted to additional profiles of a couple of Ks, but in addition you get a sheet of loose A3 plans printed on both sides in 1:48 with plenty of K drawings. The first half of the bound plans show the variants with several pages devoted to the G-1/G-3 , G-4 and G-2, with weapons fitment diagrams for the G-2, after which the colour profiles are printed on four pages in colour, augmented by the two on the rear cover. After the break there are a comprehensive set of plans on the G-10, plus some of the various field modifications and weapons fits. The final four pages show side profiles with the changes between the discussed picked out in grey, with bullet-pointed lists detailing the changes further. Throughout the book, there are numerous smaller diagrams that shows gun packs, the differences in intakes/exhausts, weapons carriers and so forth. Conclusion These books are essential for the modeller that enjoys comparing their models against scale plans, and wants them to be as accurate as possible, with the masks a useful bonus if you have wanted to try painting your own markings. You might also be interested in TopDrawings 63, which covers the rest of the G series. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  13. TopDrawings 63 – Bf.109G-5/6/8/12/14 (9788366148086) Kagero Publishing via Casemate UK The Bf.109 was reaching the end of its potential for development as Britain and Germany fought the Battle of Britain, but the designers still managed to squeeze yet more from the ageing airframe, so much so that it lasted until the end of WWII, although in fewer numbers due to the attrition both of pilots and the factories in which the aircraft were made. The Gustav was perhaps the pinnacle of development, refining the design, streamlining the airframe and taking advantage of engine developments despite the limitations of the basic design. The G series can be broken down between early and late, and to an extent the K-4, which was the only sub-variant of the attempt to standardise production that reached service and can be lumped into the Gustav's orbit, as it was effectively concurrent, and the last wartime development of the type. We have kits in all scales from almost every manufacturer due to the popularity of the type (along with the Spitfire). The TopDrawings series majors on scale plans, which is the main thrust, but also includes a little background information, some pertinent profiles, and often a bonus of decals or masks targeted at the subject matter in hand. With this edition, you get a set of masks for the Tamiya Bf.109G-6 in 1:48, which is the latest kit of the type. The book is written in English on the left of the page, with Czech on the right, which translates to top and bottom for the captions to the various drawings within. The book itself is bound in a card cover and has 20 pages, with the rear cover devoted to additional profiles including the ungainly two-seater G-12, but in addition you get a sheet of loose A3 plans printed on both sides in 1:48 with the differences between the covered sub-variants picked out in grey. The first half of the bound plans show the variants with several pages devoted to the G-6, and one of the G-5, after which the colour profiles are printed on four pages in colour, augmented by the two on the rear cover. After the break there is another page on the G-5, then the G-14, which is also shown on maintenance stands with the tail held high by two tripods and a cross-bar. After that we skip back to the G-8 and finish with the G-12, which as already mentioned has an additional cockpit behind the standard one for training and VIP transport purposes. Throughout the book, there are numerous smaller diagrams that shows rocket packs, the differences in tail units, props, weapons carriers and so forth. Conclusion These books are essential for the modeller that likes to compare their models against scale plans, and wants them to be as accurate as possible, with the masks a useful bonus if you happen to have succumbed to the new kit from Tamiya. You might also be interested in TopDrawings 67, which covers the rest of the G series and the short-lived K-4. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  14. Hallo again This is my Me-109 G-10. 1/32 Kit is Revell. All painting, insignia, and stencils are as explained in: Stencils are wet transfer from HGW. Happy modelling
  15. Hallo again This is my Me-109 G-6. 1/32 Kit is Hasegawa. All painting, insignia, and stencils are as explained in: Stencils are wet transfer from HGW. Happy modelling
  16. Bf.109G-6/U4 Essentials (SIN64845 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya's new 109G in 1:48 is a bit late to the party, but I'm sure it's a good one. Eduard have already done the research for their own G series and their various updates, and it would be a shame to waste it, so they've adapted it to the new kit, improving the main focal areas in a modular fashion. If you wanted to throw the kitchen sink at the kit (and why not?), this Essentials Brassin set brings almost everything you'll need, which when you add the engine I reviewed earlier here, will make your 109 stand out from the crowd. As usual with Eduard's SIN resin sets, they arrive in a rectangular Brassin tray box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam sheets, and the instructions on top, providing just a tad of extra protection. All in, you make a healthy saving on buying the individual sets. Bf.109G-6 Wheels (648400) The narrow track of the 109 was well known as a danger during ground handling, and later on a set of wider diameter wheels were fitted with smaller hubs to help with this unwelcome characteristic. The tyres are fitted with large diameter shallow hubs and thin radially recessed treaded tyres, with the raised manufacturer's data faithfully reproduced, and the hub detail is superb. Bf.109G-6 Exhaust Stacks (648402) If you don't want to go all the way and open up the engine, but want those nice hollow exhaust stacks and the feint glimpse of the engine within the cowlings, then this set is for you. It contains two backing plates for the exhaust slots with engine detail visible, and 12 individual exhaust stacks that fit into slots in the manifold. A pair of PE flame damping strips are added above and below the exhaust stacks, which require a slight widening of the slot, as shown on the accompanying instructions. Bf.109G Gun Pods (648403) Containing one MG 151/20 cannon in each pod under the wing, these bolt-on weapons upped the 109's offensive armaments significantly, and gave it a more aggressive look into the bargain. This set contains parts for both cannons, and each one can be posed open or closed at your whim. To build them closed is simple – just add the barrel to the fairing and scribe a small circular access hatch in the lower wing using the template provided. Bf.109G-4/U4 cockpit (648411) A complete resin cockpit to replace the kit parts with more highly detailed resin and PE parts, with eighteen parts in grey resin, four in clear resin, two sheets of PE, one pre-painted and nickel-plated, the other bare brass, a small sheet of acetate, and the instructions. The new cockpit replaces the old, and necessitates the removal of all the interior detail before it can be installed, with a choice of resin instrument panel with decals, or a resin and PE sandwich that has realistic detail on the individual dials. Crew seatbelts are included, as are delicate rudder pedals and details far beyond what styrene alone can achieve, such as the combined resin/PE and acetate Revi 16b gunsight, or the alternative Revi 12c. The inside of the canopy is detailed with head armour, padded headrest and grab-handles on the inside corners of the windscreen, while the sloping rear of the cockpit can be depicted as early or late designs, with a different stowage panel inserted after making space for it by removing the early version that is moulded into part B25 of the kit. In both cases the two sill sections are removed beforehand, as these are included in the resin parts of the cockpit. Masks (EX583) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of
  17. Bf.109G-10 Mtt Regensburg ProfiPACK (82119) 1:48 Eduard 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 supposedly 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 substantial 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 is widely regarded as one of the more successful, with improved armament that give some variants 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 Defense of the Reich, removing the mounting points and hardware for long-range tanks etc. The G-10 was fitted with the new DB605D-2 engine that was later seen on the K, and became the de facto standard Gustav once introduced, often using as-yet unfinished G-14s as the starting point, which has confused some researchers in the past. It was fitted with the sleek Erla-Haube canopy and a deeper oil cooler under the nose that sets it apart from previous issues along with some small blisters just forward and below the exhaust stacks. It also had a swept-forward installation of the radio antenna under the wing leading edge, all of which you can see on the box art. The Kit This boxing depicts airframes that were manufactured at Messerschmitt's own Regensburg factory, and as you can imagine, it shares some sprues with earlier variants from Eduard, most notably the G-14 that came before and overlapped its tenure. With this being a ProfiPACK issue, it arrives in the orange banded box, with four sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of yellow kabuki-style masking medium (not pictured), two decal sheets for markings and stencils, and of course the instruction booklet. The build process will of course be familiar to anyone that has either built a 109 before, and/or owns one of Eduard's other Gustav offerings. Where it differs is in the new fuselage halves, which have all the requisite lumps and bumps mentioned above, plus a new lower wing sprue (half) that has a small hole for the clear isolating panel at the base of the antenna. The build of course begins in the cockpit, with PE and styrene parts aplenty, plus a nice transparent fuel feeder pipe, which is clear so that you can mask the vision port and paint the rest. This was a lo-fi way for the pilot to quickly check whether his engine was sucking vapours, or had gone pop for some other reason. PE seatbelts are included, and a choice of PE or styrene rudder pedals, depending on how dexterous you are feeling. The instrument panel is laminated from layers of pre-painted PE, with the new glossy, slightly domed dials already present on the frets, which Eduard have slyly introduced recently with little in the way of fanfare. The sidewalls too are decorated with more painted PE parts, after which you can close up the fuselage unless you're treating yourself to a resin engine or other goodies. Don't forget to trap the tail wheel between the halves, or you'll regret it later. The backplate for the spinner and exhaust stubs are installed, and the top cowling with gun inserts is glued into place along with the intake for the engine's turbocharger, a PE hinge section on the top of the cowling, and a choice of PE flame-hiders for the exhausts, which vary between markings options. The G-10 had an extended fin, which is separate from the fuselage on this boxing, breaking at a convenient panel line to ease the way. The elevator fins are each two parts and fit using pins, with separate elevators and a choice of two rudder types. The wings are only slightly different from the norm, with the usual (but new) full-width lower, main gear sidewalls and split upper wings, plus a gaggle of separate parts for the leading-edge slats (gravity deployed when stopped), ailerons, and the two-layer flaps that butt up to the back of the radiator bays, which have PE skins front and back, as does the extended chin-scoop that identifies it as a G-10. A scrap diagram shows the correct positioning of the flaps when they are deployed. The main gear is the same narrow-track stuff from earlier models, with separate tyres and hubs, plus captive bay doors, socketing into the bay using nice strong parts, and with hub masks for easy painting of the wheels. A tiny square clear part is supplied for the aerial isolator and a mask is on the sheet, with a choice of styrene or PE aerial, and here my review sample had a short-shot of this delicate part, which is the first time ever that I have seen this happen on an Eduard kit. The PE backup is there of course, and as it happens I have a set of the resin FuG16 antennae that we reviewed recently here. You'll want to check part I17 on your sprues however, just in case. Horn-balances are fitted to the ailerons, a small raised panel under the wing trailing edge is added from PE, and a circular panel on the flank of the fuselage needs to be filled for authenticity's sake. As the build draws to a conclusion, the gunsight is added from a partially painted (by you) clear part, and if you add a little translucent green/blue to the edge to simulate the thickness of the glass, it will improve the look of the finished part. The windscreen has a couple of small PE parts added to it before you can glue it to the front of the squared-off cockpit opening, and the uber-sleek Erla-Haube canopy has a windowed head armour part that will need masking from the enclosed sheet and painting before it is fitted. If you have treated yourself to a set of Tface masks that allow painting of both interior and exterior surfaces of the canopy, the additional small parts added will gel nicely with this improvement. A stubby aerial fits to the top rear of the canopy, and you have a choice of PE or styrene DF loop antenna for the spine a little way back. The canopy can be posed open by using the thin PE restraint that's included on the fret, which allows you to set the correct angle when open. The prop is a single part, which has the two-piece spinner fitted around it, after which you can either glue it in place, or leave it loose for travel and impromptu spinning if you like. A trim actuator for the rudder and a tiny aerial under the fuselage are the last parts on the PE fret, which ends the construction phase unless you have chosen markings option C, which has a two-part drop-tank on a four prong mount under the centre of the fuselage. Markings As is usually the case with ProfiPACK editions, there are five marking options included in the box, with a nice broad range of colour options, some of which have interesting and fairly unusual quirks to them. The main sheet contains all the national, unit, and theatre markings, while the smaller sheet is full of stencils, which are detailed on a separate page to avoid cluttering each full page set of profiles. You get spinner decals where appropriate, so you're not left wondering how on earth you're going to do them, so all you have to worry about (if you do) is the various mottle and scribble patterns that are seen on all but one of the aircraft. Option B is perfect for the mottle-phobic, as it is a bare metal Mosquito Hunter from Fassberg, which was stripped and polished to give it the best chance of swatting those superbly swift Mossies. 1./ KG(J) 6, Prague – Kbely, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, March/April 1945 W. Nr. 130342, 5./ NJG 11, Fassberg, Germany 1945 W. Nr. 130297, flown by Fw. Horst Petzschler, 10./ JG 51, Bulltofta, Sweden, May 1945 13./ JG 27, Schleswig – Holstein, Germany, May 1945 W.Nr. 130282, flown by Hptm. Franz Wienhusen, CO of IV./ JG 4, Frankfurt/Rhein-Main, Germany, November 1944 All the decals are printed in the Czech Republic with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The black is a little dominant on the instrument panel decals, but as we have a PE panel anyway, it's hardly of great importance! Conclusion Another great 109G kit from Eduard that has plenty of detail out of the box, and can be upgraded even further in the detail department if you're minded to add the extra resin and PE sets that are patterned for the kit and available separately. ProfiPACK Kit EduART As Eduard have such consistently good box art they began offering prints in special editions of their models, but have now modularised the art so that you can buy it separately, or along with your kit. The print arrives in a cardboard folio, the flap of which is taped shut, and has a card flap to lock it closed again once the seal is broken. Inside is the print, safely sandwiched by two pieces of white card to prevent any scuffing of the printed surface during storage or shipping. The print measures 59.5cm x 42cm, and there is a border around the artwork to make framing easier, plus a caption underneath for those that don't immediately know what they're looking at. I have outlined the canvas of the accompanying picture in black to demonstrate the proportions and size of the artwork in relationship to the overall size of the print. The EduART logo is found at the bottom of the caption in the centre. Print quality is impressive, and at this size it makes for an imposing picture, eliciting a "whoa!" from my son when I pulled it from its folio. EduART Print Overtrees (82119X & 82119-LEPT) If you have one of these new kits but wanted to do another decal option in addition, or have an aftermarket decal sheet in mind, you'll be pleased to know that you can get just the sprues from the Eduard site, and if you want to add some detail, you can also get a set of Photo-Etch to go with it. They arrive in a white box with a sticker on the end, with all the styrene in the one bag, and the clear parts bagged inside that for their safety during transport and storage. The Overtrees as they're called can only be bought directly from Eduard, so click on the button below to pick up yours. You can also download the instruction booklet if you don't already have one from the main kit page. Kit Overtrees Photo-Etch Overtrees Review sample courtesy of
  18. Bf.109G Update Sets (for Eduard/Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin This is a catch-up of some sets for the excellent new Eduard kits of various marques that haven't been incorporated in other reviews for whatever reason. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The resin sets arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell or card box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card in the clear boxes. Bf.109G Tropical Filter (648410 for Tamiya) This is a simple replacement with additional detail, which requires only two small bases to be removed from the side of the fuselage in front of the intake. There are two resin filters (enough for two kits) with extreme detail, and two sets of brackets that brace the filter against the fuselage, replacing the lumps removed earlier. The original styrene intake from the kit is retained, while the resin part just plugs into the aperture. Bf.109G-4/U4 cockpit (648411 for Tamiya) A complete resin cockpit to replace the kit parts with more highly detailed resin and PE parts, with eighteen parts in grey resin, four in clear resin, two sheets of PE, one pre-painted and nickel-plated, the other bare brass, a small sheet of acetate, and the instructions. The new cockpit replaces the old, and necessitates the removal of all the interior detail before it can be installed, with a choice of resin instrument panel with decals, or a resin and PE sandwich that has realistic detail on the individual dials. Crew seatbelts are included, as are delicate rudder pedals and details far beyond what styrene alone can achieve, such as the combined resin/PE and acetate Revi 16b gunsight, or the alternative Revi 12c. The inside of the canopy is detailed with head armour, padded headrest and grab-handles on the inside corners of the windscreen, while the sloping rear of the cockpit can be depicted as early or late designs, with a different stowage panel inserted after making space for it by removing the early version that is moulded into part B25 of the kit. In both cases the two sill sections are removed beforehand, as these are included in the resin parts of the cockpit. Bf.109G Seatbelts STEEL (FE910) In case you don't already know, these belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. A complete set of shoulder and lap belts are included, with the buckle-padding parts additional items that are glued under the buckles for the pilot's comfort (in the real version). Bf.109G-14 Update Set (48942 for Eduard) This single sheet of PE adds more detail to the already well-detailed kit, in the shape of the radio-compartment door and surround, with realistic locking mechanism; the linings for the main gear wells where the legs reside; a retaining strap for the drop-tank; scale-thin flaps on the rear of the radiator housings; the two-layer flap sections behind the radiator baths, which have additional diagrams showing the correct layout of parts; a set of in-scale gear legs in multiple layers, with oleo-scissors, tie-down lugs and brake hoses; rudder trim actuator, and a stiffening base to the underwing aerial. Review sample courtesy of
  19. Bf.109G-14 ProfiPACK (82118) 1:48 Eduard The G variant of the 109, colloquially known as the Gustav was one of the primary fighters available to the Luftwaffe during the closing years of WWII, and saw extensive active service, all the while being upgraded to combat the increasing Allied superiority in the air. Happily for the Allies, the supply of experienced pilots was fast running out, so as good as the upgrades were, they couldn't make an appreciable difference to the outcome. The G-14 was brought into service at a crucial time for the Axis forces, as the Allies pushed inland from the beachhead at Normandy, and it had an improved water injection system that gave the engine extra performance, plus the new clear-vision Erla-Haube canopy as standard. It was also an attempt to standardise the design to ease the job of construction, which had become decentralised due to the ferocity of the bombardment of the industrial areas by the Allied bombers at that stage of the war. As a result, few sub-variants were made of the G-14 even though over 5,000 were built, with command fighters and high-altitude variants the main exceptions, but the U4 had a high powered 30mm MK108 cannon fitted through the engine and firing through the centre of the prop. The Kit The 109G has been fairly comprehensively retooled by Eduard from their original, and while this is a new variant some of the sprues date back to the re-tool after issues with the original kit were found. The five-digit product code is a clue to this do-over. The ProfiPACK offers additional decal options as well as other upgrades to the basic kit, and alongside the four sprues of grey styrene you will find one of clear, a sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of pre-cut yellow kabuki tape masks, two decal sheets and the usual Eduard colour instruction booklet printed on glossy paper. There are a lot of these new Gs out there amongst everyone's stashes by now, so most of us are familiar with the fine surface detail and dainty riveting on the outer skin, and the level of detail that has been crammed into this excellent tooling. There are also tons of aftermarket parts available from Eduard for those that want to add even more detail to their models, from engine, cockpits, to wheels, bronze gear legs and flying surfaces. The world really is your oyster when it comes to how much you want to throw at your build, but for many the included PE will be more than adequate. It's all up to you! Predictably the build starts with the cockpit, which has a number of PE controls added to the floor, and a full set of PE instruments that are ready to add to the painted cockpit, as well as the fuel line part that is supplied on the clear sprue because it has a glass section as it runs through the cockpit to allow the pilot easy access for checking if there's fuel getting to the engine. A choice of humps between the pilots knees cater for the cannon fitted U4 sub-variants, and a full set of painted crew belts are supplied on the PE fret, plus rudder pedals for good measure. More PE is attached to the cockpit sidewalls, and with all that glued and painted you can close up the fuselage around it, not forgetting the retractable tail wheel used in one of the decal options, with a spinner back-plate fitted to the front of the fuselage, and the exhaust stubs with their slide-moulded hollow tips inserted from inside into their slots. The nose cannon insert, supercharger intake and cannon bulges in front of the windscreen fit into their respective areas, and a set of flame deflectors made from PE are added over the exhaust stacks to prevent blinding the pilot in low light flying. The G-14 had a couple of options for the tail fin, with the increased use of non-strategic wood, so the fin base is moulded to the fuselage, while the tip is one of two separate choices, with a straight rudder hinge, or the more familiar cranked hinge-line. The fixed tail wheel for four of the decal options is fitted to a recess under the tail at this point too. The wings are full span underneath, and depending on your decal choice you may need to open up some holes for a centre-line rack and on the port wing for the forward-raked antenna carried by most decal options. The wheel bay sides are modular and mate with the inner surface of the upper wings to give an excellent level of detail once finished. A small pair of rectangular panel lines are scribed into the fuselage just in front of the windscreen using a PE template that is provided on the sheet, and a pair of teardrop masks are supplied for the wingtip lights, which are moulded into the wing, but can easily be replaced by cutting out the area and fitting some clear acrylic sheet of a suitable thickness, then sanding it to shape and polishing it back to clarity. A depression depicting the bulb can be drilled in the clear part before gluing to further enhance the look if you feel minded. Separate leading-edge slats, ailerons and flaps are supplied, with the latter fitting around the radiator bays under the wing, which have PE grilles front and rear. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the parts to ensure that both layers align correctly as per the real thing. The narrow-track landing gear consists of a single strut with moulded-in oleo scissor, a captive cover that glues against it, and the two-part tyre with separate hubs on each side. A choice of radial or smooth tread is offered with no decal options suggested for each, so check your references, or just make a random choice. The legs fit to scokets in the wheel bays, and horn balances are fitted to the ailerons, the antennae under the wing are added, and a small PE access panel is glued under the fuselage behind the wing trailing edge. Before fitting the canopy, the clear gunsight must be partially painted and fitted to the top of the instrument panel, and a pair of PE grab handles are attached to the inside of the windscreen, which should be partially painted RLM66 inside or outside before the exterior colours. The canopy opener also has PE parts added plus the pilot's head armour and an aerial on the rear, with a PE retaining wire included for posing the canopy open. A manual starter handle is also present in case you wanted to show your G-14 in a more candid pose on the ground. The prop is a single part and is sandwiched by the back plate and spinner before being inserted into the hole in the front of the fuselage. Two styles of additional fuel tank are supplied, one with a flat bottom edge for ground clearance, and the other with a smoother exterior. These fit on a rack that sits on the centreline for two of the markings options, a rudder trim actuator is fitted to three of the options, and a small twig antennae is fitted to all options with a tiny circular base, both of which are made of PE. Markings Decals are printed in Czechia and have good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The main markings are carried on the larger sheet, while the stencils are on the smaller one. Stencils are drawn on a separate page of the instructions to reduce repetition and clutter, and each marking option has a page all to itself to cut down on confusion and give the modeller good sized diagrams to follow. From the box you can build one of these five options: Bf 109G-14/U4, flown by Hptm. E. Hartmann, 4./ JG 52, Csór, Hungary, October 1944 Bf 109G-14/U4, W. Nr. 512382, flown by Lt. H. Schlick, 4./ JG 77, Schönwalde, Germany, November 1944 Bf 109G-14, W. Nr. 464380, flown by Magg. M. Bellagambi, CO of 5 Squadriglia, o2 Gruppo Caccia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, Osoppo, Italy, March 1945 Bf109G-14, flown by Oblt. R. Schlegel, CO of 10./ JG 4, Jüterbog – Damm, Germany, March 1945 Bf 109G-14, W. Nr. 464534, EJG 2, Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, May 1945 The masks (not pictured) cover the armoured glass in the pilot's head armour, the wheel hubs and of course the canopy, with the curved part having frame-hugging masks that need filling in the compound curved areas with scrap tape or liquid mask. These are a great time-saver and the fit of them is usually spot-on. Conclusion These are superb kits from Eduard, and they are priced well, considering the detail and markings options included. They don't bother with novelties such as magnets to hold cowlings in place, but if you should perchance want to show off your engine, you can get a superbly detailed resin one separately and those that don't want to show off their engines don't have to pay for parts they aren't going to use. The G is my personal favourite, so I'm more than happy to see another one from Eduard. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  20. Bf.109G-2 ProfiPACK 1:48 Eduard The G variant of the 109, colloquially known as the Gustav was one of the primary fighters available to the Luftwaffe during the closing years of WWII, and saw extensive active service, all the while being upgraded to combat the increasing Allied superiority in the air. Happily for the Allies, the supply of experienced pilots was fast running out, so as good as the upgrades were, they couldn't make an appreciable difference to the outcome. The G-2 differed from the initial G-1 insofar as it eschewed the pressurised cockpit, and it was sometimes fitted with different head armour for the pilot. The Kit The G-2 is the latest of Eduard's series of Gustavs, which seems to be expanding nicely, and that suits me as the G is aesthetically my favourite 109. The Profipak boxing contains extra goodies for the more advanced/adventurous/better off modeller, and makes a well-rounded package overall. Given the aforementioned differences between the sub-variants, there's not a huge amount of differences between the airframes. The cockpit is adorned with most of the coloured PE to upgrade the detail, and the first deviation from the earlier G-6 is the complete engine cowling moulded into the fuselage, with only the gun troughs added from the inside. Small PE hinges and flame damping panels are still added from PE, and the intake filter for the tropicalized variant has a pair of PE meshes that require bending to fit the cylindrical housing. It has a pair of small stays added from the PE set to stabilise it in the airflow, which is a nice touch. The flying surfaces are all mobilised and capable of being depicted deflected one way or t'other, and Eduard have now released a set of hyper-detailed flying surfaces (648310) for the G series, which we'll be reviewing shortly. The wingtip lights have been moulded into the wing parts, so a small mask has been included to help you cut a neat demarcation between the wing skin and the light, unless you are going to remove the styrene and replace it with clear? The radiators have PE mesh skins, as does the chin-mounted oil-cooler, the flaps consist of upper and lower elements just like the real aircraft, and there is a choice of tyres for your decal options. Another choice is offered for the clear windscreen part, with a common square profile canopy and fixed rear portion with the earlier larger aerial mast, which has the usual post and PE attachment for your choice of rigging material at the tail-end. There is a canopy stay wire included with the PE, which is a great addition that adds realism, and is common throughout the G-series Profipaks IIRC. With the prop added, it's just a case of choosing whether or not to add the additional armament in the shape of underslung cannons in gondola cowlings outboard of the landing gear bays. These are also available as Brassin replacements (reviewed here) if you are going for detail and perhaps wanting to leave open the access hatches to show off the cannon breeches. Supplied on yellow kabuki tape, a sheet of pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of hub masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Markings As is often the case with Profipak boxings, there are five decal options included on the larger decal sheet, and a set of stencils on the other sheet, which will allow you to build one of the following: Bf.109G-2/Trop 2./JG 77, Matmata, Tunisia, Early 1943. Bf.109G-2/R-6/Trop, W.Nr.13916, Fw. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Alakurtti, Finland Feb 1943. Bf.109G-2/R6, Lt. Walter Krupinski, 6./JG 52, Maykop, Soviet union, October 1942. Bf.109G-2/R6 W.Nr. 13949, Mjr. Hans Hahn, II./JG 54, Rjelbitzy, Soviet Union, Jan 1943. Bf.109G-2/R6, W.nr.13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy, 7./JG 77, Tanyet Harun, Egypt, Oct 1942. The stencils are shown on a separate placement guide on the back page of the booklet, and both sheets are printed in-house on their by-now familiar vibrant blue paper, with good colour density, register and sharpness. In use these decals settle down well with a little solution, and the carrier film is closely cropped and slightly glossy. As always, there are some removable Swastikas at the corner of the main sheet, and some two-part decals that can be made into a Swastika by the modeller in territories where that's a difficult subject. Conclusion A very nice rendition of the G-2,with suitably disparate schemes that should appeal to many out of the box. The surface detail on these kits is by now legendary, and the addition of the PE just improves on the basic kit, which is already excellent. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  21. Bf.109G/G-2/G-4 Upgrade Sets (for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Released to coincide with the new G-2 that we have just reviewed here, and to augment the existing upgrades for the whole (growing) range of Gustav variants in the range. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. The Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Upgrade Set (48913) Any kit can always be improved, and this set does just that, beginning where the PE in the Profipak set left off, including a radio compartment door & frame; wheel bay tunnel lining with bump-stops for the legs; chin exhaust door replacement; super-detailed, scale-thickness radiator flaps/landing flaps in two sections with scrap diagram showing the correct orientation; new gear bay doors in laminated brass; oleo-scissor links, tie-downs and brake hoses, and a retaining strap for the centreline fuel tank. Masks (EX544) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with the rear curved sections handled by two frame hugging masks for each pane. In addition you get a set of hub masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, plus masks for the head. Bf.109G Control Surfaces (648310) This useful set includes a highly detailed set of elevators, rudder, ailerons and their mass-balances to finish the job, plus a number of PE parts that are added to represent the trim tabs found on all these surfaces. Bf.109G-2 Wheels (648295) Straight replacements for the kit parts, these new resin wheels have separate outer star-shaped hubs, and a complete replacement for the tail wheel in a strong white resin. It also includes a sheet of kabuki masking tape with pre-cut tyre masks for the main and tail wheels, to allow you to paint the hubs with a neat demarcation line. Bf.109G Undercarriage Legs BRONZE (648309) These new metal legs are cast in bronze to a very high standard and positively glisten due to their highly polished finish. As a bonus you get a pair of wafer-thin resin landing gear bay covers that fit to the rear of the new legs. Bf.109G-2/-4 Radio Compartment (648257) Engineered to fit perfectly within the kit fuselage, the set consists of resin and brass parts, with the major sections being the interior ribbing that sits within the fuselage, which has a forward bulkhead insert that is festooned with equipment, and a palette sitting over a pair of bottles for what appears to be a battery. Everything is connected up with PE wires, and once closed up, the port side of the assembly that has a hole in it should line up with the radio hatch that is cut out. A liner to the aperture is provided, as is a replacement hatch cover, which could be placed nearby on a wing or the ground if you are planning a diorama. Full painting instructions are called out throughout the instructions in Gunze colours, with a key on the exterior of the booklet. Review sample courtesy of
  22. Bf.109G-6 Erla Weekend Edition 1:48 Eduard The Bf.109G series carried the Luftwaffe along with the supposed replacement the Fw.190 throughout the closing years of the war, despite being increasingly outclassed by the later marks of the Spitfire and the new airframes coming out of Allied factories. The Kit We have reviewed a couple of the new G series 109s from Eduard, such as the G-6 Early in Profipak format, which in this case shares the same plastic with this boxing, and eschews the fancy pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) and the multiple decal options for the plastic core and a more pocket-friendly price-tag. Inside the box are four sprues of mid-grey styrene, one of clear parts, a pair of decal sheets, and a glossy instruction booklet, which is a step up from the older Weekend Editions, as are the two decal options. Construction goes along the same lines as the previous boxings, and if you were expecting an Erla Haube high visibility canopy, you do get one but it's not appropriate for the two decal options provided. Why? Erla was the Erla Maschinenwerk who had a factory near Leipzig before it became a by-word for the new canopy style that gave the pilot a better situational awareness by removing many of the frames from the greenhouse canopy and replacing it with fewer curved panels. As with all the newly tooled Eduard 109s, the kit has beautiful surface detail, a full set of mobilised flying surfaces, including the automatic leading-edge slats, and a pair of dual-layer flaps that sit behind the radiator baths as per the real thing. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of these, to help you avoid a screw up. There is a choice of a couple of different small stencil decals within the cockpit, and an alternative windscreen parts depending on which decal option you choose. Markings Two markings options are included, as previously mentioned, so you have a choice of schemes for your Gustav, as follows: Hptm. Heinrich Ehrler, Stab III./HG 5, Alakurtti, Finland, June 1943 W.Nr.15909 Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn, Stab II./JG 52, Anapa, Soviet Union, Sept 1943 The decals are printed in-house, are in good register, sharp, have excellent colour density, and include both a decal for the instrument panel, plus four more for the seatbelts. They're a little two-dimensional compared to PE, but they're an awful lot better than no seatbelts at all. The smaller decal sheet contains all the stencils, with the last page of the instructions detailing their application away from the clutter of the national and squadron markings pages. Conclusion The weekend Edition's moniker may be a little optimistic for most modellers' timescales, but it's a great way of picking up one of Eduard's new 109s for a good price. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  23. Bf.109-G Balkenkreuz & Swastika Decal Sets 1:48 Eduard I can't be the only one that has damaged a decal whilst applying it, or been trying to cobble together a set of marking from spares only to find I can't quite find the correct ones. These two sets of decals from Eduard should help out, especially if you have treated yourself to their Bf.109G Overtrees from their website here. Available separately, these decals have been printed in-house one the same bright blue decal paper as they have been using for the majority of their kit decals of late, supplied in a ziplok or self-adhesive bag with a header card to keep them from damage, as well as adding some useful positioning tips in the shape of diagrams. Balkenkreuz (D48027-OBT1) This is the larger of the two sheets, with a choice of cross styles from the range that were applied to this type during its service in late WWII. Printed in black and white, registration, colour density and sharpness are good, with a glossy carrier film cut close around the printing. The crosses without colour in their centre have carrier film in the centre, so you will need to make sure you have a good glossy surface on which to lay them to prevent silvering later. You get eight of the most common type, four of three other types, and two of a more unusual black only inverse crosses, which totals twenty two in all. Swastikas (D48028-OBT1) The smaller sheet of the two contains two types of Swastika, one in black with a white drop-shadow, the other plain black, split eight and four respectively. Again, printing is in black and white, registration, colour density and sharpness are good, with a glossy carrier film cut close around the printing. There is a very slight mark on one of the black Swastikas on my sample, but as it can easily be cut loose with a sharp blade, it isn't worth worrying about. The Swastika is prohibited or at least frowned upon in some territories, so if you live in such an area, this set might possibly be unavailable. Review sample courtesy of
  24. After the G-2 variant (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234992901-148-messerschmitt-bf109g-2-by-hobbyboss-released/) next HobbyBoss Awfulschmitt "Gustav" kit is a 1/48th Bf.109G-6 - ref.81751 Release expected in late August 2016. Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=55&l=en No box art, just a picture for illustration. V.P.
  25. Bf.109G-6 Resin Update Sets (for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Eduard have worked hard to retool their Gustav series 109 kit, and they have also repatterned their aftermarket sets to fit the newly retooled kit, which is dimensionally different from the original. The sets arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. The larger set is supplied in a rectangular box with foam cushioning protecting the bags of parts, PE and instructions. Engine & Fuselage Gun Set (648250) This is the most involved and complex of the sets available, and also the largest, most comprehensive of them. It arrives in an oblong Brassin box, and contains four bags of resin parts, a sheet of PE parts, and a small decal sheet with yellow and white individual serial digits for the engine block. The instruction booklet is quite thick, which is a testament to the complexity of the set. Construction starts with the engine block and its ancillary parts, such as the reduction gear and oil tank that wraps around it, plus four PE lifting eyes, one on each corner. The small parts plug into corresponding sockets in the engine, and are almost a friction fit, with very fine tolerances. The engine bearers are added next, and the "blower" fitted to the port side, with PE mesh and a small resin hose. Two different gun compartments are supplied to fit over the bulkhead and magazines, depending on whether you are building a G-6 or G-6/U4 variant, both of which have slots for the ammo feeder chutes to the nose guns, and will require some lengths of wire to complete the fit, which differs between the two variants. A host of tiny PE hoses are added around the bulkhead, and then the engine can be attached via five points, and the rest of the hoses made up from wire of various diameters from your own stocks. Now for the fun part, where you remove the upper cowling and gun bay cover from the kit with your razor saw, following the guide diagrams very carefully to ensure you don't overdo it. If you're using the kit instrument panel and front bulkhead, you'll need to trim those down slightly too, again as indicated on the instructions. The fuselage can be mated around the cockpit before you install the engine parts, which is good, as everyone likes to get the fuselage closed up. A small resin insert goes within the recess left by the Beule humps, and you then build up the new cowling parts from the exquisitely detailed resin parts, plus the intake for the supercharger. A small PE part is used to disguise the plastic edge of the cowling near the prop, and the two resin cowlings are glued to the central brace in a gull-wing pose, after cutting out the flashed-over gun troughs. You can make a pair of support struts from 0.4mm wire to complete the job, and the gun bay fairing can be placed on a wing or nearby for a more candid appearance. A superbly detailed set, just make sure you have plenty of wire available of 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, and 0.6mm diameters. Wheels (648261) The narrow track of the 109 was well known as a danger during ground handling, and later on a set of wider diameter wheels were fitted with smaller hubs to help with this unwelcome characteristic. These early tyres are fitted with large diameter shallow hubs and thin radially recessed treaded tyres, with the raised manufacturer's data is faithfully reproduced, and the hub detail is superb. Propeller (648255) This is a simple set that is probably aimed partially at those using the engine set above, as it improves on the kit detail, and gives the builder the option of showing the prop without various parts as if it was in maintenance. The set consists of three individual props, a prop boss, drive shaft, spinner in resin, plus a PE ring to finish off the tip of the spinner after liberating it from the casting block. The interior of the spinner is detailed, and the hub is also superb. The props are aligned with the supplied resin jig, allowing you to insert one at a time and get the angle of the blade just right. Plastic backing plate H67 is still used behind the prop. Review sample courtesy of
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