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Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 Hasegawa
Reviewed by Brett Green
The
Bf 109G-10 was the final variant to enter Luftwaffe service. It entered
production after the Bf 109K, and was intended to be a lower-cost supplement to
the thoroughbred “K” series. The Bf 109G-10 was a hybrid aircraft made up of
recycled airframe components. As a result there was a great deal of variation in
detail between different production batches of the Bf 109G-10. The
Bf 109G-10 saw wide service with the Luftwaffe, as well as Italian and Hungarian
Forces. Up to 6,000 Bf 109G-10s of all type were built between October 1944 and May 1945 compared to less than 2,000 Bf 109Ks..
The
parts breakdown of this kit will once again be familiar to anyone who has seen
Hasegawa’s other 1/48 scale Bf 109Gs and K. One
sprue is new in this kit, while one small sprue is shared with the recent 109K
(big wheels and wheel bulges). The clear parts have also been seen in the
“K” kit. The remaining parts are common to Hasegawa’s Bf 109G/14 releases.
The new sprue includes: ·
a new
fuselage ·
a
separate top cowl cover with presses-style machine gun troughs (common to K kit) ·
supercharger
intake ·
deep oil
cooler ·
new
tailwheel with long leg The
fuselage is typical of the G-10 series. There are no inserts on these all-new
parts. All hatches and panel lines are in the correct position. The tailwheel is
fixed and the tailwheel opening is depicted faired-over. The long legged
tailwheel is on the fuselage sprue, but the short tailwheel is also supplied.
This will be appropriate for some early variants of the G-10. The
rudder is the fabric-covered version with two external fixed tabs and the
squared-off bottom. The fabric effect is very subtle and convincing. The little
navigation light at the bottom corner of the rudder is very nicely faired in. The
cowl bulge is of the “Type 100” style with the curved “AS” fairing on
the port side. Check your references carefully to make sure your choice of
modelling subject shares these attributes. The round bulges at the lower forward
corners of the cowl (required to accommodate the Fo987 oil cooler) are also
present. These will have to be removed if you want to build an “AS” version,
but are entirely correct for a straight G-10. The
top cowl is the same style as the “K” release and shares its excellent
detail and deep gun troughs. The cowl has a tiny step where it meets the
fuselage halves. A little putty should blend this step. That
funny box shape is still moulded onto the panel behind the pilot's head. It is
too small to be a bulge for the MW50 tank and should be replaced if MW is
applicable to the model you are building. The
sprue common to the “K” kit includes the large mainwheels (660 x 160mm with
raised tread pattern) and large upper-wing wheel fairings. It is a bit of a
shame that Hasegawa did not include the small bulges and narrow wheels too.
Early G-10 aircraft commonly displayed these earlier features. The
cockpit is the same as the G-6/14 kits – a little basic but easily improved
using a choice from a swag of after-market accessories. The
venerable wing sprue originates from the Bf 109F releases of the early 1990's.
This means that some minor scribing and cutting is necessary to modify the wings
to the later standards. The instructions clearly mark the modifications
required. These generic wings feature separate slats and flaps. The big wheel
bulges are admirably thin. The locating holes in the wings have been
thoughtfully positioned so that they will not be visible when looking up into
the wheel wells. Surface detail is by way of crisply engraved panel lines. Ejector pin marks are, in the main, restricted to the unseen inside surface of parts. Watch out for the marks on the mainwheel hubs though. Markings are supplied for two aircraft
We
can only hope that Hasegawa rounds out their Bf 109 series with a final-version
Bf 109G-10 featuring the flat port-side fairing and wide, shallow oil cooler.
Nevertheless, this model reinforces Hasegawa’s position as Emperor of the
Augsburg Eagle in Plastic! I
have no doubt that this model will be as trouble free to build as its excellent
predecessors. Highly
recommended.
Review Copyright © 1999 by Brett
Green
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