| KIT: | Sweet 1/144 Bf-109F-4 'Winter Version' |
| KIT #: | 13 |
| PRICE: | $11.00 on discount from a vendor. Your price may vary |
| DECALS: | Eight options |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: | Rebox |
| HISTORY |
Probably the finest version of the 109 from a pilot's standpoint was the F version. It had the power of the highest rated DB 601 around, a redesigned and more aerodynamic airframe and a good armament of a nose cannon and two 7.92mm machine guns. It was not yet bogged down by additional armor, systems, and wing mounted weapons, making it relatively easy to fling about the sky. Not quite on a par with the Spitfire as the 109 was never that maneuverable. Those of you who have played flight simulations can attest to that fact.
| THE KIT |
While
I wouldn't say that Sweet has put 1/144 on the map, they certainly have
provided the best quality kits of many aircraft types that I've seen in quite
some time. The types chosen so far have all be planes that have seen
widespread use and so we are blessed with a rather large variety of markings
to apply to these kits.
The kits are simple, yet well
engineered, though not fool-proof, as this fool has proved with the P-51B
builds of last week. The cockpit is quite basic, offerin
g
only a seat and options are minimal, consisting of the ability to mount a
centerline fuel tank, a plain or armored windscreen and the sand filter
supercharger intake.
The
real treat, besides the anime' box art, is the decal sheet. There are no fewer
than 8 options on this one, and being German, it will require some pretty fine
airbrush work for most of this stuff. Frankly, I'm sure that most will do what
they can with a paint brush, but the opportunity to produce some rather
complex schemes is there for you. I've had nothing but great experiences with
Sweet decals and know they will work superbly, though the white bits may be a
tad transparent. There are more than enough markings to be able to complete
both of the kits that come in the box.
| CONCLUSIONS |
The last 'weekend' build project I did was a screw together car kit that took about an hour because I went really slow. For me, these Sweet kits can easily be done in a week or less, depending on how slowly you work and how much fussing you do with the paint scheme. They are excellent kits in all respects and I can highly recommend them to those of you who don't mind working on a canvas that is less than 3 inches square.
Once again, thanks to me for this one.
If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has over 350,000 visitors a month, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.