Eduard 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf109F-2 Weekend Edition
By Jacob Russell
This is Eduard's Weekend Edition Messerschmitt Bf109F-2 kit. It consists of 202 parts on 5 sprues, one of which is clear. 93 parts are surplus to your F-2 build and they are destined for the spares box. A word about those surplus parts: the Bf109F-2 also served as a fighter-bomber and some of the parts come in handy if you want to build one. These parts include the SC 250 bomb, ETC 500/IXb bomb rack, 4 SC 50 bombs and ETC50/VIIIb rack. These are very useful items to have!
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The molding quality is up to Eduard's customary standards. There is no flash on any of the parts and only a couple of sink marks. The sprue attachment points are well located so the parts will be easy to remove from the sprues without damage. The surface detail on the wings and fuselage consists of well executed recessed panel lines and rivets where appropriate. The squared-off wheel wells applicable to many F-2s are included.
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The leading edge slats are molded as separate pieces so they can be depicted extended; this is correct for when the plane was at rest. The lower wing radiator faces and flaps are individual pieces and they look great. The landing gear and gear doors are well done and all you need to add is a pair of brake lines. I appreciate that Eduard molded the wheels and tires and separate pieces. They will be easier to paint and will look great with an oil wash, detail painting and some dry brushing.
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The cockpit is a complex multi-piece assembly. It will look impressive with an oil wash and dry brushed raised detail. Take your time here and you will be pleased with your efforts. Your hard work here will be easy to see because the canopy is molded in sections so you can pose it open to show off that cockpit. Eduard molded the fuel return line in clear plastic. This is correct and it looks good.
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You have your choice of 2 colorful decal options:
"Yellow 8", W. Nr. 5530, Fw. Heinz Jahner, 9./JG 2, Ligescourt, France, June 1941. This plane was painted in the Mid-War Luftwaffe colors of RLM 74/75 Greys over RLM 76 Light Blue. The fuselage had a heavy mottle of 74 and 75 and the underside color wrapped over the wing leading edge in a wavy pattern. The nose and rudder were RLM 04 Yellow, the spinner was RLM 70 Dark Green and the exhaust panels were Black.
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"White 10", 7./JG 54, Soviet Union Summer 1941. This plane was also painted RLM 74/75 over RLM 76. The fuselage demarcation line was high up the fuselage spine and there was no mottling. The lower wing tips and the narrow fuselage band were RLM 04 Yellow. The rudder was solid RLM 75 with large mottles of 74. The spinner was divided into segments. The front was half white/half black and the rest was RLM 70.
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You get 2 decal sheets. One is devoted to the airframe stencils and the other includes the aircraft markings and the national insignia. The sheets are well printed with bright colors and excellent registration. The instructions are up to Eduard's usual standards.
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They include a parts map, color profiles and a stencil application guide. The illustrations are excellent, the build sequence is logical and easy to follow, and color call outs are for GSI Creos (Gunze) acrylic and lacquer paints. This is a first class presentation. Well done, Eduard!
Conclusion
I am a fan of the Messerschmitt Bf109 in general and the Bf109F in particular. Eduard's Bf109F-2 kit is well done. It's accurate and well detailed right out of the box. If you're not satisfied with what you find in the box you can up the detail level with Eduard's Brassin resin and photo-etch sets. I recommend this kit and I would like to thank Eduard for the review sample.
References
Messerschmitt Bf109F, Volume One, Monograph Number 31, by Marek J. Murawski, Kagero Publications, 2007
Messerschmitt Bf109F, Volume Two, Monograph Number 35, by Marek J. Murawski, Kagero Publications, 2008
The Messerschmitt Bf109, A Comprehensive Guide For The Modeller, Part 2: 'F' to 'K' Variants, Modeller's Datafile 10, by Lynn Ritger, SAM Publications, 2007