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AN
EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW ON
Scratchbuilders Messerschmitt Bf 109B/C full resin kit Review by Saso Knez Photos by Forrest Cox comments by Forrest Cox, Daniel LoRusso and Charles Metz |
| It is nice to be a Messerschmitt fan this autumn.
When Hasegawa announced they will be coming out with the new Me 109G6
injection kit the air actually started to smell a lot like Christmas...and
it just doesn't end.
Just here on LSP we have the privilege to show you the first few photos of the latest Scratchbuilders full resin kit. The Bf-109B/C needs no introduction. The Bertha and the Caesar were the symbols of the newly born Luftwaffe. Showpieces at parades they proved their worth in combat with nimble Soviet built fighters over Spain and caused devastating losses to the first unescorted RAF bomber raids over the North Sea. The fighter tactics fundamentals were worked out with the early Messerschmitts under the command of Moelders, Schumacher, Lutzow and other greats. The Bertha and Caesar are not just important types of a well known fighter, they are actually more symbols of growth. Aces, tactics and Luftwaffe grew-up on the type. So Scratchbuilders recognized this importance and they decided that a full resin kit of this fighter would be in order. Since a image is worth a thousand words I will stop talking and guide you through the images: |
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| This is the art on the box in which the kit arrives. The aircraft is wearing a typical Spanish livery which almost always had elaborate and big art works painted on the fuselage. |
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| When you open the box you get thus. The plethora of resin parts is supplemented by a Waldron PE set for the instrument panel and the white metal undercarriage. |
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These are the big parts that make out the basic fuselage parts. You can see that no warp and no major cleanup chore is present. You also get the gearbox of the DB engine. I am not exactly sure if it will be visible or it is just a base to mount the air-screw assembly. The engine facade is installed to mount the propeller but is also visable through the slots across the top of the nose and the bottom. |
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| The main fuselage part. You can see the resin is well cast and that the panel lines are recessed. |
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| Moving on to the cockpit. All the basic parts are provided and they are correct for the B/C version. The Spitfire style stick looks great but the sidewalls need some detailing. The builder will also have to fabricate the seatbelts. |
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This is the three part wing. Looks great the ailerons are dropped, and this is also great. The wheelbay is like on the Hasegawa Bf-109E4 kit. In fact they're a lot better: the Hasegawa kit's wheelbays are only about 1/16" deep, whereas the Scratchbuilders kit's wheelbays extend all the way to the upper surface of the wing, with vertical walls all around. Therefore, the Hasegawa wheelbays must be removed and replaced from scratch (or by Lone Star Models' resin wheelbays), whereas the Scratchbuilders wheelbays will look fine if one adds half-cylindrical "roofs" over the channels for the gear legs, adds a few strips of Evergreen strip to the "roofs" of the main bays, and uses a Dremel tool to subtlely wrinkle to the vertical walls of the main bays to represent the real aircraft's zippered leather "boots." |
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These are the tailplanes. You can actually see some sleight texturing on the fabric covered parts. The tailplane struts are in white metal. The only complaint is that there are no visible locating pins on the horizontal tailplanes. So you will have to use a jig when positioning them. I recommend that a modeler uses epoxy glue with this part since it will allow you to move the tailplane around a bit if not completely satisfied with the fit. Forrest corrected me on this one when he said: The vertical stabilizer has a 1/16" hole that goes all the way through the vertical stabilizer. Each horizontal stabilizer has a 1/16" hole in the inside edge. A 1/16" styrene dowl is supplied in the kit to assist in location and provide additional support. The lower section of the horizontal stabilizers have a locating hole drilled in them to assist in positioning the support struts. |
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| The thing that makes the C and B different. You are provided with two props. The left one is the wooden and the right the variable pitch metal used on the Caesar. The shapes and the airfoils look dead-on. |
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| Landing gear. The white metal looks nice. I don't think that the tyres are bulged or flattened. The wheelwell and it's landing gear components remind me very much of those in the Hasegawa kit. |
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| These
parts finish off the kit. The white metal counterbalances, antenna and
pitot tube look very nice. Then you have two resin bulges for which I
think they are oil coolers for under the wing.
The big piece of resin is the casting block for the exhaust stubs. Removal is almost as difficult as the fabrication on new items from aluminum tubing. Your choice. |
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| The
decals include spanish cocards, tactical numbers and some well known emblems
like the Hunter of Bernburg badge, Berlin Olympics badge and the crying
penguin with the umbrella badge. You also get a seperate sheet with stencils.
This is the standard stencills sheet as you get with the Me-410. It should
meet your needs with room to spare.
This also rounds out the image essay. The price is $105 which seems perfectly OK considering the prices of full resin kits-go ahead and place your order! |
| As
said these are exclusive preview images for LSP readers so the kit is
not available yet. Some copies are already cast and Mr. Cox said that
the kit will be available for order as soon as he gets the information
about the kit on Scratchbuilders web-site.
Judging from the photos the kit is at least as good as their Me-410 so they are really doing great work. Without a doubt in my mind I recommend the kit to everyone. I think that it might even be a very good introduction to resin kits. While we are unsure of the price at this moment I know the kit will be worth the money. Thanks again to
Mr. Forrest Cox for the images supplied. Now it is your turn to show
Forrest it was worth the effort! |
| © Saso Knez |
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