Kit: Bf-109G-6 (Finnish Air Force)
Scale: 1/72
Kit Number: AP 107
Manufacturer: Hasegawa
Price: $15.00 retail
Media: Injected Plastic
Decals : Three schemes: one WWII in 74/75/76 with swastika roundels and two postwar, one in overall green with racing numbers and one in 74/75/76 with owl unit marking.
Accuracy: see review
Overall: see review
Comments: I have built a number of the older Hasegawa 109s and have generally been very pleased with the results. However, the older kit was reputed to have a few inaccuracies in form so a new mold kit was produced a couple of years ago and got rave reviews.
Since I am basically cheap, I awaited the reduction in price via Squadron Mail-Order to $9.00 before purchasing the kit and now that I have completed it, am very pleased with the results. Is it perfect? Not yet, as the one glitch I noticed is that the wheels as designed are vertical with the ground and any 109 `expert' knows that the wheels are canted out at the bottom. Not a big problem and easily fixed.
The kit went together relatively easily although I did need some putty around the underside where the wing attaches. This doesn't mean much as I have never built a kit that did not use some putty somewhere. There are a plethora of small pieces that can easily be lost including aileron balances and a delicate DF loop antenna. The kit includes the now common separate propeller blades, but does not have separate canopy pieces so you either have to cut the kit version or use aftermarket vacuform replacements.
I used this kit to try out True Detail's lovely resin interior. It is a real
beauty and the only problem is that in this scale, much of it is hidden in
the 109's small cockpit. I have become addicted to True Detail's resin and
brass bits as I find them to be accurate and easy to use. Best of all, they
are relatively inexpensive and you won't triple the cost of the kit with
their inclusion.
The kit itself was painted in the standard RLM 74/75/76 that was typical with Bf-109Gs during this time frame. I used Xtracolor paints and had no trouble with them at all. They are thin, cover well and gloss. When masking the upper wings, I left a larger area on the wings to show the place where the older swastika insignia had been. The canopy frame was painted black as it showed in several photos I have of these planes. In retrospective, I think it should have been RLM 66 instead.
In Scale's decals are a real treat compared to Hasegawa's normal fare. With some Hasegawa kits the decals have been as thick as masking tape, while with others they have disintegrated. By including known good aftermarket decals with the kit, this problem goes away. They are also very opaque and none of the underlying color bled through. The In Scale offerings went on well and reacted well to my normal potion of thinned Solvaset.
The completed kit looks just great in my display case next to some of its friends and adversaries. I plan on building several more and highly recommend this to any who like the 109.
Mar 2001 Update: Since initially writing this review many years ago, the kit has been traumatized by a move. The result was many broken bits including the landing gear. Finally getting around to fixing the kit, I decided to replace the old and very poor images that originally accompanied this review. I hope you find the improved photos to be a welcome addition.
