REVELL 1:48 MESSERSCHMITT BF-109G-10
Reviewer: Paul Dawson (through braithy@bigpond.com) - kit built November 1998
This is yet another option in the long list of Bf109 (and variants) kits that one can purchase in this scale. Those diehard fans of this infamous German fighter, looking to fill their cabinet with as many different variants as possible, will be happy to know that this kit is very decent.
The Bf109 kit consists of only 36 parts in middle grey plastic plus four clear (three-piece canopy and gunsight) - raised panel lines and a reasonable amount of detail. This is also a kit from Revell's older tooling that has not been updated to current standard, but in spite of this, it is still a nice kit and only really lacks in the cockpit detail department - there's basically no sidewall detail although the floor, seat and instrument panel look nicely done. Luckily one can now purchase the MDC cockpit detail set for the 1/48th Bf109G6/14 which is also suitable for this model, and that pack consists of 12 resin parts including pedals, stick, floor, sidewalls, firewall, instrument panel, pedals and more. This certainly sparked up the cockpit somewhat and is recommended to depict a better and more accurate reproduction of this machine.
NB: It is worthwhile to point out that another modeller who has seen this review claims that the panel lines are engraved on his model with the kit in his hands at the time. I spoke to Paul about this and he still maintains that his example was (and is - as he checked) raised. It could be that the kit has been reissued in the meantime so I will leave that judgement up to you to decide. Be aware that this aspect of the review is conflicting. (Braithy)
Fit of all the major components was very good and only a minor amount of filling and sanding was called upon - most notably around the wing-fuselage joints and tailplane. The engine cowling needed a bit of work to enhance it's accuracy, and this is best done according to excellent and detailed reference material. One may wish to open up the cooling scoops on eitherside of the cowling for better effect and add in the piano hinge linking the opening panels in front of the cockpit area. The spinner is also very well molded although one needs to carefully dry fit test the whole propellor shaft to ensure that no gaps are left between nose and spinner. On my example I found it difficult to achieve this without sacrificing the movement of the propellor.
The canopy section is nicely done although the latches need to be added in to accurately depict an open cockpit. The mold of the main canopy section is - for once - accurately shaped. Likewise the undercarriage is also very well done and allows one to almost construct it without reference to the instructions. The wheels and struts are molded in such a way that it's virtually impossible to mix up the port and starboard assemblies. Again, the fit of these components were very good although you need to be patient when attaching the main doors (they seem slightly out of shape).
Two examples are reproduced by the kit including a JG.1 in overall Hellgrau RLM76 finish and a JG.27 example in two-tone dark green camouflage upper sides with lightly mottled grey fin and undersides, plus a yellow nose and black spinner. I chose the latter version and painted it up nicely. Problems were encountered with the decals supplied in the kit, they were off register and were not very good. It's suggested to replace these completely with an aftermarket source, as I did, and fortunately Propagatem and Microscale produce some suitable alternatives (and no doubt other sources as well) although it was a little difficult finding a set to replicate my JG.27 choice.
Overall this is an excellent kit, only let down by its decal sheet, and I would highly recommend it to all modelling skills interested in this particular subject. I'd also recommend purchasing the cockpit detail set and aftermarket decals.
Related Reviews: Hasagawa 1/48 Bf109G-6 : Italeri 1/72 Mistel
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