I've said it multiple times, I'm not sure what ever kept me from getting this kit when it first was released. Again a far improvement from their original. The details are very well done and the engineering is well laid out. I quite enjoyed the simple, but detailed engine. Should one decide to pose the cover off, it lends itself to a nice piece, or for the more adventurous, a starting point for more details.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was the canopy, and decals.
The canopy frames were to thin to allow me to properly mask the windows. And the plastic was quite thin, a few times I thought I was going to break it. I cut several short pieces and masked the inside frame filling the rest with Humbol Maskol.
There is only 1 decal option, and I found it to be an interesting one historically, but also a bit bland. The last time Airfix released their old tooled 109, it came with a great looking option with a bright yellow nose. Thankfully I had this decal set and decided upon building this kit that was going to be the option, to paint and build up.
A busy and well detailed Cockpit. The canopy is clear
enough to still appreciate the interior details, or be
posed opened.
Landing flaps have the option of being posed down.
Not too much filler required on this build.
I temporarily glued the cowling and spinner, with
Micro Scale Krystal Klear, to more easily paint the
RLM 04 Yellow.
Window pieces fit in place perfectly.
The long haul of masking.
Filled in with Humbrol Maskol.
I rebuilt the Antenna, filing it out of a piece of
White metal. The original, snapped almost instantly
of being cut from the sprue, despite my best care
to prevent this.
Mr Hobby C113, Rlm 04, A brilliant color.
I began painting the Light Blue, Tamyia XF-23. And
progressively painted lighter shades to create
darker lines around the panel lines.
Tamiya recommended RLM 02 (XF-22 + XF-49)
Masking Splinter camouflage is quite a fun moment.
Painted on Tamiya mix RLM 71
(XF-62 + XF-49)
Masking removed, very satisfied with end result.
Masked and painted the interior of the gear bays.
Brown wash added to tire accents.
The long haul of the many tiny stencils.
Tamiya Panel Line Accent color -- Black
All cleaned up, and nicely highlighted.
I decided to try a new product, I'd found. Vallejo
Matt Varnish, simply paint it on the model.
Very interesting product, however it dries much too
quickly, and therefore left unfortunate brush strokes.
I later covered the entire model with a Tamiya Flat
coat, to help rid the brush strokes and provide a better
uniform cover.
The very satisfying process of removing the window
maskings. Came out very clean with only a tiny bit
of clean up work.
In the end Airfix has produced a very competint kit. However it does have a few short sightings, mainly the quite small. Airfix styrene is amazingly soft and brittle. This becomes a bother when you get to the smaller parts. Like the antenna snapping in two, beyond the ability to repair it properly.
Because the 109 is a small aircraft, it will have small parts, but they are difficult to remove, and for any beginner I can quickly see these being easily damaged.
And as much as I enjoyed this kit, and as much as it pains me to say this. Next time I need a 109 E, I think I'm going to head over for the Tamiya kit. It will cost a bit more, but the engineering is superior. As will be the plastic quality. I especially like their use of poly caps to keep the spinner assembly connected to the model.
That being said, for the price that I paid and the excellent engineering involved in the design, this kit is worth all it's price. It's a nice model of the 109, including it's distinctive characteristics. Would be nice if we also got a E-3 variant in the near future.
I'm really pleased with how this kit turned out. I really had a fun time building a great looking 109. Especially compared to their old tooled version. I really like the idea of building another one, with the canopy opened and a crew working on the engine. All in all a very rewarding build from Airfix, I only wish I had built earlier.
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