I fell in love with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 when I saw the movie Battle of Britain as a kid. I have probably built every version of the 109 that every model manufacturer has made — maybe even more than the 30 thousand real aircraft built. Just kidding!
The Tamiya 1/48 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 plastic model kit is an absolute gem. Tamiya offers options for five different versions, including two schemes for a Finnish air force fighter operating in June and July 1944. I chose to model Hermann Graf’s 109, which is shown on the box top. The instructions list the variants, A through E, and you’ll have to pay close attention throughout the build to make sure you are using the correct parts for your plane. It can get a little confusing, but Tamiya lays it out quite well.
The the instructions have you start by adding all of the small details to the fuselage halves. After cementing the fuselage halves together, you proceed to work on the cockpit. Separate rudder pedals, stick, floor, seat, and trim wheels are provided. A pilot figure is also included, if you choose to use it. Decal seat belts finish off the interior tub, which you insert and cement through the bottom of the fuselage.
Out front, Tamiya did a wonderful job of replicating the Daimler-Benz DB605 V12 engine. First you glue the engine block has together, then assemble the exhaust stacks on each bank of cylinders. Magnets allow you to display the model with the cowls open or closed, which is a very cool option.
The vertical and horizontal stabilizers fit without requiring any glue. Separate wheel wells, oil coolers, and control surfaces detail the wings. You can choose to pose the oil cooler flaps open or closed; I chose open. You also have the option of positioning the flaps extended or retracted. The kit also includes separate leading-edge slats to model them either extended or retracted. The assembly fits positively and flush to the belly of the fuselage with seams running along panel lines.
The landing gear parts were all nicely molded and required hardly any cleanup. The main landing gear struts attached firmly to the lower wing, and the large locators are hidden by a separate panel.
You can arm your Messerschmitt with 21cm rocket tubes and MG 151/20 cannon gondolas, depending on the version you’re building. I left the rocket tubes off because they were hated by the pilots and ruin the aesthetic of the 109.
The clear parts for the canopy came out of the box crystal clear. While assembling the front canopy you’ll also put together the instrument panel. Decals decorate the instruments and settled over the molded details without any problems.
The upper section of the engine includes the machine guns and engine mounts. The kit provides open and closed engine cowlings, but since I wanted to display the model with the cowlings open, even with the clever magnet system to allow easy changing, I didn’t finish the closed parts.
The decals are impeccably printed. I did have trouble settling the red tulip decal on the front of the engine cowling. It just took a little finesse with some Micro Sol decal setting solution, and it flattened down nicely.
Many people will say, “Oh, great. Another Bf 109 kit.” But after building the new Tamiya 1/28 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Late), I really don’t think you need another one. Tamiya outdid itself with this kit. The fit, the engineering, and the detail was absolutely exquisite.
