Reviewed by Geoff Coughlin
See our FINISHED NOW BUILD REVIEW
Our thanks to Airfix for supplying the review sample. 
Get this kit here now at www.airfix.com
Some other references that you’ll find useful…
It’s been a long time since we had a new-tool injection moulded Bf 110C in 1:72nd scale and now we have a brand new one, thanks to Airfix. This manufacturer is certainly on a roll at the moment and has caused quite a stir with their truly excellent Messerschmitt Bf 109E in 1:48th scale. As I write this I am deep into that build and you can follow it in your Build Now area and then see the finished review in Finished Now. Back to this release now and it is hard to remember that this kit is of course in the much smaller 1:72nd scale and the limitations on tooling possibilities that brings, so I am not intending to compare the two here. No, I will just give it to you straight as far as this kit goes and try and assess the pros and cons in an objective way – as is our primary aim here at SMN.
That box art again!
Well, if nothing else, you just can’t fault the new-style box art Airfix is using to sell their kits. Awesome this one and it shows an unfortunate Luftwaffe Bf 110C pilot trying to lose a swarm of Spitfires – really evocative and reminiscent of their early days and the 1970s then this sort of box art was the norm.
But what’s inside?
I was surprised by the weight of the box – 3 decent sized sprue trees plus one for the clear parts. One of the first things you notice is the panel lining – looks a bit heavy for the scale and much like the MiG-15 and even this manufacturer’s Spit in 1:48th scale – very different to their Bf-109 as I’ve said. That said, with the paint schemes chosen, or your own for this early Bf110, then they should be less conspicuous under paint and weathering.
Moving onto the overall shape and look, it certainly looks about right to me. I’ve offered up the kit parts to the plans in the excellent Aero Detail guide 21 of the Messerschmitt Bf110 and the kit parts look good by comparison.
The clear canopy is just that – clear but it is a shame that it comes as one piece and not split so that the front and rear portions could be posed open. This would add a lot to the finesse and look of the completed model. I guess it could be possible to cut the canopy using a razor saw but the plastic is quite thick and this would leave some thick edges to try and slim down. Not for the faint-hearted so this is one canopy that will stay intact when we build the kit.
Highlights…
There are some very nice touches that become clear when you take a closer look at the sprues.
- Guns – Nose-mounted MG 17 (7.92mm) machine guns – beautifully delicate and fine as is the rear-facing MG 15 (7.92mm)
- Main gear units – ultra thin and delicate scissor links and corrugated gaiters, not to mention bulged tyres that will help to simulate taking the weight of the aircraft on the finished model
- Wheel wells – some good detail in here – especially on the roof and general interior detail
- Propeller spinners – delicate and cleanly moulded
- Weapons and under wing options – inclusion of two 900 Ltr drop tanks, ETC 500 bomb rack, 2 X 300 Ltr drop tanks, pairs of 250kg or 500kg bombs
Less impressive…
- Panel line detail – this is too heavy for the scale – it’s finer on the 1:48 scale Bf109E
- Fins – rib detail looks exaggerated on rudders
- Canopy – one piece and difficult to pose open without surgery
- Painting guide – Black & White! Where’s the lovely colour guides we’re getting used to? Retrograde step this one!
Instructions and painting guide…
The instructions are clear enough and follow the usual exploded diagrams of the various sub assemblies. Build sequence is logical.
The retrograde step of not including a full colour glossy painting guide is a bad move – this was a real highlight when we built the MiG-15 and other 1:72 scale Airfix kits recently. For that criticism, at least the RLM colours are identified and that’s a real bonus enabling the modeller with less knowledge of the specific German colour coding to select matches from their preferred range of paints.
Decals…
Very nice quality although they do look very matt and so remember when you’ve applied them and they are dry, to spray a coat of gloss varnish over them and the surrounding paintwork to blend them in. When you then go to add your final varnish, the backing paper should be a lot less visible.
The choice of subjects is a little predictable – good old 6 Staffel, I/Zerstorergeschwader 76 featuring the shark mouth and the even more common hornet nose art of II/Schnellkampfgeschwader 210. The latter is from Operation “Barbarossa”, Eastern Front, 1941 and does have a tricky white dappled winter camo over the basic camouflage scheme. I might just be tempted with this one… watch this space…
Overall then…
Yes, a definite ‘Pass’ I think, no, probably a good pass to be honest. The bullet points above pretty much sum up what I think about this new-tool release from Airfix. And, that’s the point really, a far cry from their early attempts many years ago. It is a new tool and some of the detail has such finesse, it’s hard to see why this can’t be carried onto the main fuselage and wings by adding finer panel line detail. This latter point may put off some purists, but to me the overall positive highlights outweigh the few negatives I’ve identified and so I’d recommend this kit to anyone who likes the scale or German Luftwaffe aircraft from WWII.
Recommended
Geoff C.