Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Here's a quick review of the 1/32nd scale kit of the Messerschmitt Bf109G-14 which, remember, costs less than £10 in the UK, and about $14 or so in the 'States!
Nice box art, followed by a pleasant surprise inside. Each part, or related groups of parts, are bagged separateley, and are ready to use, without being attched to sprues. The box has a stiff card separator, to prevent the parts moving around and getting damaged in transit, and the small, fragile parts are enclosed in a 'bubble', blown pastic capsule. Other manufacturers take note!
The instruction sheet is wonderfully clear and concise, whilst the decal sheets, covering three aircraft, plus all of the stencils, and spinner curls, are extremeley well printed, in register, and thin. Well up to, or in excess, of the standard of more 'up-market' kits.
The parts themselves are moulded in a mid-grey palstic, and exhibit fine detail and crisp finish, whilst the clear parts, including the 'Panzer Glass' head armour, are well produced and very clear.
This kit is obviously the same parts used in this company's ready assembled models and, as a reault, there are a number of large, round holes, designed to take the screws supplied. However, plastic plugs are supplied, and I don't see any problem filling and blending any gaps once these are in place. Fit of parts is excellent, and it is probable that the model would go together without glue, although, of course, the serious modeller will use the latter.
First inspection suggests that any of the aftermarket detailing sets would fit the cockpit, although there is a certain amount of moulded-in detail which, with careful painting, and a few additions, should look more than adequate. The cockpit consists of the floor pan and rear bulkhead, the seat pan, front bulkhead and instrument panel, and there are separate parts for the control column and trim wheels, both of which are nicely produced. There is also a clear part for the gunsight.
The leading edge slats are separate items, and simply fit into slots in the wing halves, the bottom wing being a strong, single piece. Clear wingtip nav lights are included as separate parts. The undercarriage, main wheels and tail wheel assemblies are well moulded and finely detailed, and the gear is designed to retract if required. The gun barrels, for the upper cowling and the underwing gondolas, are moulded separately, and there is also a nicely produced 'DF' ring and radio antenna, together with separate exhaust stacks and shields. The oil cooler cover is separate, as are the gun-breech blisters, and the top wing blisters over the gear wells.
A belly tank , bomb, and the faired rack are also included, and the pilot figure, with separate head,and separate arms in the 'HOTAS' position, is a work of art in it's own right, although I doubt I will be using the latter.
There are a few minor ommissions, such as lack of 'blanking' plates for the underwing rads, and the air scoop on the port cowling will need thinning from the inside. The small cowling intakes will also need drilling out, and aileron mass-balances will need to be scratch-built. None of these should cause a major headache. As I'm not wholly familiar with the G-14, I'm not sure about the shape of the outboard edges of the main gear wells, which are 'round' on the kit but, if they need altering, it will not be a huge task. I would appreciate it if one of our 'experten' could advise me on the shape of these wheel bays. I think I am right in saying that there is an extra panel line on the upper wing surface which, once I've checked my references, can very easily be rectified.
The decal sheets provide markings for 3 aircraft, from JG4, JG5, and III/KG(J)55 and, as mentioned already are of a very high standard. What appears to be ALL of the stencils are clearly printed and readable, including those for the belly tank. The separate decal and painting guides are clear, well printed, and detailed, with the RLM colours named, and cross-referenced with Model Master and Poly Scale paint numbers. It looks like Lucky's reference lists could be useful here!
Overall, this is a very nice kit, and stunning value for money. Yes, there are a few VERY minor things that will need to be done to equal the Hasegawa kits, but this kit is a third of the price, and, in its own right, should build into a very nice model.
I hope to post some shots of the build, as and when I can. Meanwhile, here's some pics of the bits and pieces.
Terry.
Nice box art, followed by a pleasant surprise inside. Each part, or related groups of parts, are bagged separateley, and are ready to use, without being attched to sprues. The box has a stiff card separator, to prevent the parts moving around and getting damaged in transit, and the small, fragile parts are enclosed in a 'bubble', blown pastic capsule. Other manufacturers take note!
The instruction sheet is wonderfully clear and concise, whilst the decal sheets, covering three aircraft, plus all of the stencils, and spinner curls, are extremeley well printed, in register, and thin. Well up to, or in excess, of the standard of more 'up-market' kits.
The parts themselves are moulded in a mid-grey palstic, and exhibit fine detail and crisp finish, whilst the clear parts, including the 'Panzer Glass' head armour, are well produced and very clear.
This kit is obviously the same parts used in this company's ready assembled models and, as a reault, there are a number of large, round holes, designed to take the screws supplied. However, plastic plugs are supplied, and I don't see any problem filling and blending any gaps once these are in place. Fit of parts is excellent, and it is probable that the model would go together without glue, although, of course, the serious modeller will use the latter.
First inspection suggests that any of the aftermarket detailing sets would fit the cockpit, although there is a certain amount of moulded-in detail which, with careful painting, and a few additions, should look more than adequate. The cockpit consists of the floor pan and rear bulkhead, the seat pan, front bulkhead and instrument panel, and there are separate parts for the control column and trim wheels, both of which are nicely produced. There is also a clear part for the gunsight.
The leading edge slats are separate items, and simply fit into slots in the wing halves, the bottom wing being a strong, single piece. Clear wingtip nav lights are included as separate parts. The undercarriage, main wheels and tail wheel assemblies are well moulded and finely detailed, and the gear is designed to retract if required. The gun barrels, for the upper cowling and the underwing gondolas, are moulded separately, and there is also a nicely produced 'DF' ring and radio antenna, together with separate exhaust stacks and shields. The oil cooler cover is separate, as are the gun-breech blisters, and the top wing blisters over the gear wells.
A belly tank , bomb, and the faired rack are also included, and the pilot figure, with separate head,and separate arms in the 'HOTAS' position, is a work of art in it's own right, although I doubt I will be using the latter.
There are a few minor ommissions, such as lack of 'blanking' plates for the underwing rads, and the air scoop on the port cowling will need thinning from the inside. The small cowling intakes will also need drilling out, and aileron mass-balances will need to be scratch-built. None of these should cause a major headache. As I'm not wholly familiar with the G-14, I'm not sure about the shape of the outboard edges of the main gear wells, which are 'round' on the kit but, if they need altering, it will not be a huge task. I would appreciate it if one of our 'experten' could advise me on the shape of these wheel bays. I think I am right in saying that there is an extra panel line on the upper wing surface which, once I've checked my references, can very easily be rectified.
The decal sheets provide markings for 3 aircraft, from JG4, JG5, and III/KG(J)55 and, as mentioned already are of a very high standard. What appears to be ALL of the stencils are clearly printed and readable, including those for the belly tank. The separate decal and painting guides are clear, well printed, and detailed, with the RLM colours named, and cross-referenced with Model Master and Poly Scale paint numbers. It looks like Lucky's reference lists could be useful here!
Overall, this is a very nice kit, and stunning value for money. Yes, there are a few VERY minor things that will need to be done to equal the Hasegawa kits, but this kit is a third of the price, and, in its own right, should build into a very nice model.
I hope to post some shots of the build, as and when I can. Meanwhile, here's some pics of the bits and pieces.
Terry.
