Iliad Designs Messerschmitt Bf.110D/E (48016a) 1:48

[Mike]

Messerschmitt Bf.110D/E (48016a)

1:48 Iliad Designs

 

 

A German Heavy Fighter, Destroyer, or Zerstörer in native German, the Bf.110 was conceived before WWII in the mid-30s, but due to successive upgrades it limped on to the end of the war, despite being largely outclassed by wartime developments of the Allies, which sometimes resulted in heavy losses.  The initial A and B variants were underpowered and made do with stop-gap Junker Jumo engines while waiting for the DB601 power plants that had been promised but were late in arriving.  As heavy fighters from the Battle of Britain onwards, they would often require fighter cover of their own in the shape of Bf.109s or later Fw.190s to keep the superior Spitfires and Hurricanes from decimating their forces.  It wasn't until the C variant arrived that the promised new engines came on-stream, leading to an improvement in performance and a revision of the cowling and radiator enclosures to accommodate the different motors.  The D series were upgraded with the capability of carrying long-range fuel tanks that was useful in their service in Norway, sometimes using the so-called ‘dachshund's belly’ semi-conformal belly tank to extend its range further.

 

The E model was a fighter bomber (Zerstörer Jabo) that standardised the extended fuselage of the D, and was fitted with bomb racks that could take up to 1,200kg of bombs slung under the aircraft, and flew with a pair of upgraded Daimler Benz DB 601B engines.  It was also employed as a night fighter, for reconnaissance and with additional filters was sent to tropical combat zones with a camouflage scheme appropriate to the environs in which it was deployed.  It was replaced by the more capable F, and later the G versions that were used until the end of the war.

 

 

This new decal set from Iliad in Canada depicts a variety of airframes in service in various theatres, wearing different schemes and markings, printed on an A5(ish) sheet of decal paper.  There are five decal options included on the sheet with side, top and underside profiles printed on the instructions along with captions and arrowed areas that give additional details to help you make your model more accurate.  In case you haven’t yet got a kit in 1:48 to put these decals on, there are plenty of modern toolings from Eduard, Dragon/Cyber Hobby, Fujimi, and Revell to name a few.

 

 

The underwing decals are shown as partial or complete line-drawn profiles, which both saves space and paper, the colours for which can be found on the side profiles.  In addition to the profiles, there are also scrap drawings and arrowed text blocks to assist you with locating your decals and detailing your model so that it is more realistic as a result.

 

 

From the sheet you can decal any of the following:

 

• Bf.110E-2 of Obtl. Uellenbeck, II./NJG1, Spring, 1942
• Bf.110D-3 of 8./ZG26, North Africa, 1941
• Bf.110E-2 flown to Scotland by Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess in May 1941.  This was his personal aircraft
• Bf.110D of 2./ZG76, Summer, 1940
• Bf.110E-1 of Wolfgang Schenk, I./SKG210, Russia, Sept. 1941

 

The decals are printed on a pale blue paper in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.  There are some large areas of carrier film between some of the lettering by necessity, but due to the extremely thin nature of the film it should disappear, especially if you ensure a highly glossy surface before application.

 

Highly recommended.

 

To purchase this sheet directly, visit the site from the Iliad logo below, choose Decals, scroll down to the product code you need, and follow the instructions

 

Review sample courtesy of