This set comes from 1996 and covers eight aircraft of Gunther Freiherr von Maltzahn from the summer of 1940 until the summer of 1943. These are all Bf-109s and there are a ton of kits out there to cover these variants. You have Tamiya, Hobbycraft and Hasegawa as the main players and I'm sure most will pick what they have in their stash. If you want one brand to cover them all, then that would be either Hobbycraft or Hasegawa, depending on your pocketbook.

1. Bf-109E-1 with II./JG 53 in the summer of 1940. This is when the unit was without its 'ace of spades' marking and used a red nose band. RLM 71/02/65 camo with no mottling and yellow rudder.

2. Bf-109E-4 from Oct 1940. but this time the whole nose was yellow and the badge returned. Very light mottling and though the profile shows RLM 71/02/65, the commentary states RLM 74/75/76.

3. Bf-109F-2 from May 1941 in France. A more heavy mottling on the fuselage and a RLM 71/02/65 scheme, which I doubt. I think that perhaps the colors were RLM 74/75/76, but your choice on this.

4. Bf-109F-2 from Russian Front in 1941. same as above but with a black spinner and the upper nose oversprayed. Mottling has become heavier as well.

5. Bf-109F-4 from January 1942 while based in Sicily. Yellow lower nose and wing tips in this RLM 74/75/76 aircraft with lots of mottling.

6. Bf-109F-4 Trop from mid-1942 in what looks like Italian Light Sand and RLM 71 or 80. Lower nose is yellow and wing tip undersides, along with the fuselage band are white. Lower surface may have been RLM 78 or RLM 76.

7. Bf-109G-2 from spring of 1943 in Sicily. RLMY 78/79/80 with white fuselage band and wing tips. Lower cowling and tip of spinner in yellow.

8. Bf-109G-6 from July 1943. ROM 74/75/76 with white fuselage band and lower wing tips. Yellow lower cowling. Tight white spiral on the spinner.

So there you have it. Eight aircraft and what appears to be enough insignia to do them all.

February 2007

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