Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale
Messerschmitt Bf 109

by Phil Hale

Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 A  is available online from Squadron

Here I am again doing more than one Classic Airframes kit at a time. I have built most of the recent Classic Airframes releases and I must say that each new kit seems to be better and better. The early Bf 109 kit is without doubt the best so far.

I know that Jules from Classic Airframes put a lot of effort into this kit, and it paid off in spades. The detail in the cockpit is excellent as is the scribing. The modeler is provided with different two cowlings, beautiful resin wheels, two seats, three propellers and a nice photo-etch sheet complete with seat belts. I won’t go into this further as Kevin and Brett both covered this area well.

I encountered similar challenges to those that Brett discussed. I would suggest grinding down the inside of the upper wing quite a bit. There is plenty of room to do this, as the wings are fairly thick. It would be better the do this than to weaken the top the gear well. This will also give you some wiggle room when gluing the upper wing to the lower. Take care in positioning the wheel wells as this can cause problems trying to align the landing gear later.

I would also suggest thinning the backside of the cockpit sidewall inserts. This will help when positioning the seat in the cockpit floor.

My cowlings fit well but I did have to fair them in with a little filler and re-scribe the lost lines.

The photo-etched radiator screen needs to be trimmed a little for a good fit inside the radiator scoop.

I was able to clean up the resin “wooden prop” and it looks great.

The overall fit of the kit was exceptional. It would rival that of the major Japanese companies. Even the fit of the canopy was great. I have built many 109’s in my modeling career and the canopy has been a problem area on some but not here.

I chose the V4 prototype and “red 10” for color schemes.

I know that there are those that will disagree with my choice of RLM 63 for the color on the V4 but I had no photos showing this aircraft. Classic provides the modeler the option to paint it this color. I think it is very striking with the red band on the tail. I also realize that there are two variations of RLM 63. I chose the gray color instead of the grayish-green RLM 63. I won’t get into that debate because this is the beauty of this hobby. I can build mine one way and you can build yours another. I really enjoy seeing the different interpretations of the same subject.

I chose ModelMaster RLM 63 for the prototype and that on Red 10 the RLM 70 is Tamiya, RLM 71 Gunze and the RLM 65 is ModelMaster.

“Red 10” was painted in the standard splinter scheme of 70/71/65. The red band and red 10 add color to another wise drab scheme.

The decals are of the quality that we’ve come to expect from Classic Airframes. It took a little setting solution to get the tail band to lay down well.

I can truthfully say that I absolutely enjoyed building these models and can’t wait to get into another one. I have learned to appreciate the sleek lines of the early “Jumo” 109’s.

I would like to express my thanks to Jules for his dedication to our hobby and for always raising the bar on “limited run” kits.

Also, hats off to Kevin Martin, Lynn Ritger, and Brett Green for the wonderful work on their 109’s. They were an inspiration to me.

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Model and Images Copyright © 2006 by Phil Hale
Page Created 03 February, 2006
Last Updated 21 February, 2007

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