AlleyCat Messerschmitt Me-109G6 Upgrade Set 1:32, AlleyCat

[Shar2]

Messerschmitt Me-109G6

AlleyCat 1:32

Revell can be full of surprises and when they announced the new 1:32 Me-109G6 the usual clamour for information started. Fortunately for Revell, the kit was very well received, but as usual there were some areas that could have been done a little better. To help with making an more accurate model, AlleyCat have released this upgrade set of resin parts for it. Arriving in a sturdy cardboard box with just a simple sticker on the front describing what the set is for, the set replaces many of the kits problem parts and has been designed to improve other areas.

The set contains 37 parts, all in a medium grey resin, plus a small etched sheet providing a couple of scribing templates and two A4 sheets of instructions. The first takes the form of colour photos showing how the parts are assembled and where they go, the second is a sheet of well written instructions, clearly describing what needs to be done and how.

There is quite a bit of cleaning up to be done once the parts have been given a good wash in warm soapy water, as each part is on its own moulding block or surrounded by flash. This shouldn’t take too long as the parts and blocks have been well designed to allow for minimum contact. With the set parts sorted, some of the kits parts also need to be altered to allow the fitting of the resin bits. This is mainly around the engine cowling parts where small raised areas need to be removed for the replacement cannon bulges. The new carburetor intake will also need the three holes in the side cowling to be opened up and joined together to form a triangle for it to fit into. There is also a small scoop on the starboard side cowling that needs to be carefully removed to be replaced by a replacement scoop.

The set includes a completely new propeller, with new blades, spinner and back plate. The blades have been designed to be slotted into their respective mounting points, with mounting blocks fitted beforehand, and pinned from behind, which is quite unusual, but effective in getting the blades at the correct angle. Also included are new radiator housing, radiator flap, exhaust stubs and backing plates, cowling gun bulges, elevators, rudder, cockpit floor, pilots seat, joystick and rear bulkhead, cockpit air vents, drop tank pannier, and aerial mast.

The etched scribing templates are for correcting the small air vents below the cockpit, with clear instructions for the positioning.

Conclusion
Even though the new Revell kit looks great straight out of the box, there’s always room for improvement and set that not only corrects the slightly wrong areas but also gives much nicer detail definition to others. Very easy to use, even for the novice to resin it will certainly go a long way to help make a fantastic looking model. Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of