Dragon 1/32 Bf-110D-3

The twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf110 heavy fighter served the Luftwaffe throughout WWII, despite pilots bemoaning its lack of agility in the air. Particularly at the start of the war it contributed greatly to the advance of ground forces, and later on it found a niche as a successful night fighter. The Bf110D Langstrecken Zerstörer was a “long-range destroyer”. These heavy fighters or fighter bombers were based on the C series, and many were stationed in Norway in order to conduct attacks on Great Britain. Within the Bf110D family, the D-3 had a lengthened tail to enable carriage of a rescue dinghy in case the aircraft went down over water. This long-range aircraft could carry two wing-mounted 300-liter fuel tanks or 900-litre drop tanks. It could also carry a pair of 500kg ETC500 bombs on an under-belly rack.

This is the fourth different version of the big Bf-110 done by Dragon and it is very much like the previous ones aside from a few new bits to properly do the long range variant. This includes the extended tail section and wing mounted fuel tanks. Dragon has done their homework on this one as there are areas in the instructions indicating items to be filled and holes to be opened to properly portray this variant.

As with others in this series, the detail level is superb with a complete cockpit that includes photo etch belts and complete engine detail so that one can model the kit with the engine cowling removed. The full list of features is actually quite long as you would expect, so I will leave it to the Dragon PR folks to provide that information.

 - Newly tooled wing-mounted fuel tank for Bf110
- Option of extended end tip is newly tooled
- New larger-diameter tail wheel for Bf110D
- Highly detailed twin-engine heavy fighter-bomber w/accurate 1/32 scale appearance
- Length of fuselage 377mm, wingspan 506mm
- Three different depths of panel lines exhibit astonishing level of minute detail
- Detailed Bf110D fuselage w/sharp detail
- Fuselage possesses metal-skinned detail
- Detailed inspection covers with rivets
- Rudder represents the real one
- Wings represent laminar-flow airfoil shape
- Carefully reproduced oval-shaped tailfin specific to Bf-110
- Detailed wind gauges on underside of wing
- Engine cowling cover can be assembled open/closed
- Detailed slide-molded engine cowling cover has maximum detail
- Propeller blades with curved cross-section and true-to-scale thickness
- Moveable propeller blades
- Propellers can rotate
- Transparent cockpit canopy made from separate parts
- Option of displaying canopy side windows open/closed
- Cockpit canopy with realistic detail
- Cockpit canopy antenna finely detailed
- Cockpit canopy can be positioned open/closed
- Intricate MG ammo included double-drums for MG15 and round-drums for MG FF
- Realistically detailed gun barrels are slide molded with hollow ends
- Rear pilot's MG15 w/windproof cover for antiaircraft and rear defense
- Realistically reproduced DB601 engine has intricate detail
- DB601 engine represented by multiple parts
- Instrument panel authentically detailed
- Detailed under-wing air intakes and vents
- Air filter has fine detail
- Pilot's seatbelt upgraded by photo-etched parts
- Landing-gear compartment w/interior detail and struts delicately rendered
- Full cockpit interior details: pilot's seat, instrument panel, radio and MG ammo included
- Antenna devices located on underside of fuselage-loop antenna, antenna array and antenna mast
- Includes finely detailed mounting ladder
- Realistic radiator vents included
- Landing gear can be assembled in taxiing or folded position
- Strengthened landing gear realistically portrayed
- Tires have realistic tread detail
- Two ETC500 bombs and pylons precisely reproduced under the fuselage
- Two drum-fed MG FF cannons under the fuselage
- Four MG 17 weapons for interior of upper nose

Instructions are quite complete with well done drawings and color information provided by both Gunze and Model Master references. The markings provided are for two planes each from two units. 9./ZG 26 has two options, one being the box art plane that can be modeled with or without the white wing undersides. The other has only the white fuselage band without the yellow engine cowlings. Camo for these two is standard RLM 74/75/76 with mottling. The ZG.76 options are a yellow nose , engine cowlings, underside wing tips and rudder version from Greece in 1941. The other is a rather quickly over-painted 'Iraqi' aircraft with a white nose. Like the previous entry it wears a shark mouth but unlike the previous aircraft is painted in RLM 79 over RLM 76.

In all this one will make for a very detailed and quite large model. Thanks to all the bits it will not be a quick build, but will look superb when it is done.