Amodel 1/72 Bf-109X

Similar to "Bf 109 V-21" the "Bf 109 X" was an experimental plane, built to test the installation of the "BMW 801" twin radial engine. This experimental plane used a modified "Bf 109 F" airframe and was coded "D-ITXP". For the installation of the big engine some changes were necessary. The canopy and the cross section of the fuselage were increased, the wingspan was reduced from 9,92 m to 9,33 m. Also the wing tips were angular, like those of "Bf 109 E".

On September, 2´nd 1940, this plane lifted off for the first flight. Until end of 1941 some more test flights were made. The test pilots found that the aircraft behaved much better in a dive than with the standard Daimler-Benz engine. But the BMW engine had some problems and had trouble with the oiling system. It also wasn't much of an improvement over the standard 109F.

After the Focke-Wulf "Fw 190" entered duty with the "BMW 801 A" engine the project "Bf 109 X" was cancelled. The plane was destroyed in early 1942.  I was only able to find one image of this aircraft and it was without any markings at all.   

From what I have found, this is the second Bf-109X kitted. The other is by RS Models and from the look of  it, they got the fuselage wrong as their box art has a standard 109 cockpit canopy (a reader has since pointed out that the RS kit is very much like this one, just the RS box art is screwed up). This kit looks very much like the photo above. The aircraft has the large FW-190 style engine and cowling with the 360 vision canopy that you see in the image. Since this is a prototype, there are no weapons, no drop tanks or bombs or anything else to clutter the smooth lines.

The kit has a nicely detailed cockpit with sidewalls, instrument panel, seat and control stick. I'd recommend test fitting everything and not closing the fuselage until you are sure the canopy fits. I have found in the past that one has to thin down quite a few kits parts to get all to fit as it should.

Instructions are well done and provide color information. There is a small decal sheet that contains civil codes and a swastika in several parts. Were this an earlier plane, one might expect it to have a red tail band, but without the photo evidence, I'd leave it off, as colorful as it might be. The aircraft was in overall unpainted metal as one can see from the photo. I'm not sure if the fabric surfaces were in another color or not, though one could argue from the image that the ailerons, rudder (and perhaps the elevators) and upper cowling may well have been in RLM 02.  

Those of us who MUST have every 109 variant in our collection will want to add this one. The whiffers will like it as they can do their magic on it in terms of camo and markings. It also makes for an interesting addition to a prototype collection. Because it is Amodel, it will take modeling skills to build it so it isn't for the tyro, though could be a good introduction into the more difficult short run type of kit.

You can get this and many other interesting kits and accessories at www.greatmodels. com

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