Kit Ref: A05120A
Price: £16.99 GBP (Feb 2014)
Reviewed by Geoff Coughlin
Our thanks to Airfix for supplying our review sample – get this kit here now www.airfix.com
Check out SMN’s full build review of the first release of this new-tool Airfix Bf-109E in Finished Now
Want to know more about the Bf-109 – check out this video…
Third release of the excellent Airfix 2010 tooling
I have written a detailed review of the original Airfix Bf 109E-3, E-4 kit and the second release (E-1, E-3, E-7) and they were published in SMN’s Here Now area a little while back. The fact is that this new release – this time in Bf 109E-4/E-1 configuration adds further to what has gone before, with the addition of new decals and markings appropriate to the E-4 and E-1.
The sprues are the same as for the earlier releases, so it seems pointless providing new text here. So, I have included my original review suitably doctored to include the new decals on this occasion. I really enjoyed the build – it was so much better than I had expected and quality of the tooling subtle and high quality. I see little reason to change my original opinion at the time which was to go and buy this kit if you haven’t – it is one of the best this manufacturer has ever produced!
Ok, so what’s in the box?
A box remarkably full of grey sprue, appearing rather more in total than I remember putting together for my Tamiya and Hasegawa Bf-109s some years ago, so it’s looking promising! Two large grey sprues house all the main parts with the usual separate clear sprue tree containing clear parts.
The plastic has a better feel to it than in some past releases, less powdery, quite smooth and on the softer side of hard. Having built the Harrier GR-7 (see your Finished Now area), this plastic is very similar and is easy to trim, sand and work with. Panel line detail is recessed and in 1:48 scale looks pretty good to me, better in this scale looking more realistic than the slightly heavy engraved detail on some 1:72 kits. Getting better all the time!
