Aircraft Edition Barry Numerick builds AMG’s new
1:72 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 A
T
he Messerschmitt Bf 109 has been a lifelong passion for me. I
have built 27 Bf 109s in 1:48 scale and 43 in 1:72. You will
never hear “What, another Me 109” from me!
Although the Messerschmitt Bf 109 has been one of, if not
THE, most popular modelling subject over the years, aficionados
of the early Jumo engine variants have not been well served. One
of the earliest attempts in 1:72 scale was made by Heller, and
although being somewhat undernourished in the nose, it was a
credible effort. Other manufacturers followed, including models
by AML, Sword, and Plasmodel and Avis. 1:48 scale builders
have had it somewhat better with a reasonable, but clunky kit from
Hobbycraft and an infinitely better offering by Classic Airframes
which is unfortunately now out of production. In 1:32 one must look
to conversion sets for existing Bf 109 E kits, notably by Alley Cat.
Students of the early 109 actually do not have a much easier
task than those who try to unravel the intricacies of the late war
G-10, G-14 and K-4 variants.
Recent evidence has suggested that there actually was a Bf 109 A
series. These apparently numbered about 22 airframes which were
produced at the Augsburg factory. Fourteen of these were sent to
fight in the Spanish Civil War and were coded 6 dot 3 to 6 dot 16.
I eagerly anticipated the arrival of the AMG Jumo engined 109
kits, which initially were announced in 1:48 scale. I first obtained
the kits a few years ago at Scale Modelworld in Telford and was
very impressed. The kit was sophisticated and completely up to the
quality of the best modern manufacturers. Shortly afterward, AMG
announced that the kits would be released in 1:72 scale, which is by
far my preferred scale. Now, along with the 109s from Tamiya (E)
and Fine Molds (F through K), the Avias from AZ and the Hispano
HA-1112 from Special Hobby, the entire 38 year operational history
of the 109 series could be replicated in 1:72 scale.In the Box
The kits finally arrived and I noticed some annoying deviations from
the 1:48 scale kit, but the parts on the sprue showed great promise.
There are three sprues containing 72 parts in a relatively soft
grey plastic. This would eventually be benefit; more of that later.
In addition there are two sheets of photo-etched parts and a sprue
of nicely clear canopy parts. The canopy pieces are separate,
allowing the modeler to display an open canopy. There are two
windscreens present, one the traditional part seen from the 109 B
through E-3 series, while the other is a more sloping windscreen
seen on the Bf 109 A and early B versions. Well done, AMG!
There are nice touches on the photo-etched sheets as well. One
is specific to the Bf 109 A and contains the unique landing gear
covers peculiar to that aircraft These landing gear covers consist of
two layered pieces that really look the part when assembled. An
add-on to the fret are four rectangular plus three oval and round
scribing templates. These can be used to scribe panels for specific
versions. Again, well done!
There is one resin piece as well; the underwing oil cooler. This
is thoughtfully supplied as a separate part, since its position varied
between the A and B versions.
The plastic parts are common to all four AMG releases.
Individual specific versions can be made using the following parts:
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Bf 109 C-3 variant, which had the MG/FF/A 20mm cannons
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control column
There is also a nice representation of the Jumo engine with
separate engine mounts, oil tank and various ancillary parts. The
flaps are also separate.
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