You probably know more about 109s than you care to, however, the most prolifically built versions were the G series in general and the G-6 in particular. Even after their general usefulness was over due to a mishap of some sort, thousands of them were upgraded to near 109K standard as the Bf-109G-10. Sadly, there are very few 109s left around for us to look over and touch. Guess that is what happens when you are the loser. Not so for the winners as there are Mustangs galore still around as well as a respectable number of Spitfires and other Allied warbirds.

Those of us who have been in this hobby for a while will immediately recognize the Hobbycraft kit when the box is opened. That is not necessarily a bad thing, either. The Hobbycraft kit was not too bad and can be made into a very nice model. It has been eclipsed somewhat by the crisper detailing of the Hasegawa 109G, but yet, it holds up well and is less expensive, though not by as much from Academy as it was from Hobbycraft. Blame the importer/distributor for the price hike.

Academy's kit is well detailed with a full cockpit and sidewall detailing. There is also some wheel well detail and a number of optional bits. This kit is the only place I've seen the bomb rack for 4 50Kg bombs. You also get the under wing 21 CM rockets as well as the 20mm cannon pods. There are also two different styles of wheels, but you won't be using the spoked ones on the G-6. You probably will be using the drop tank, though you might want to consider a jabo version with the larger bomb. The careful builder can use this kit to make several different variants and subtypes other than what is strictly shown in the instructions. It would be equally easy to do a G-2, G-4 or G-5 from this box.

Other neat options are different varieties of head armor as well as an adf loop antenna, sand filter and umbrella if you want to do a /trop version. The canopy can be displayed open to show off the interior.

Probably the biggest improvement is in the decals. Hobbycraft decals were not bad, but not as good as they could have been at times. This sheet is very comprehensive and gives markings for two aircraft. One is the box art plane of Eric Hartmann of 9./JG 52 in Russia circa 1943. The other is  Emil Klade's  plane from early 1944 in Greece. Both are in RLM 74/75/76 though each has specific theater markings. Typical of 'international' kits, there are no swastikas so you'll have to glean those from the spares box.  The instructions are quite good and easy to follow with all the colors given in RLM numbers where appropriate.

I've built several Hobbycraft/Academy 109s and can tell you that they do build into very nice models. You may wish to use an aftermarket interior with a bit more detail than what is provided by the kit. But if not, you'll be quite pleased with the lack of hassle that this one will provide.

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