Bf.110 Nachtjager (Weekend Edition) - 1:48 Eduard

[Mike]

Bf.110 Nachtjager (Weekend Edition)

1:48 Eduard

The Bf.110 was the winner of the contest to provide a heavy fighter, or Zerstorer to the German War Machine, and first flew in 1936. Although it served throughout the war, often alongside its intended replacements, it suffered from heavy losses once the initial phase of the war was over, due to its lack of manoeuvrability compared to the newer single-engined types. It was therefore re-tasked to jobs where this was less of an issue (where possible), and this F-model Nachtjager (Night-Fighter) was just such a task. It was the first dedicated night-fighter model, and was re-designed with a three-man crew to include a radar operator in the central seat. Night-friendly exhaust dampers were installed, as were FuG 220 radar "antlers" on the nose as well as the improved DB605F engines and armour fitted to all F-models. The armament of the 110 was heavy which made it ideal for Night-Fighter duties, consisting of four MG17s in the upper nose, and a further two MG151/20 20mm cannons under the nose. An MG15 or MG81 was mounted in the aft of the cockpit on a e flexible mount for the gunner, able to fire to the sides and rear defensively or offensively as the need arose.

As well as being operated by the Luftwaffe, they were also operated in small numbers by Hungary, Romania and Croatia, with a few being operated by Russia after capture.

The Kit

Eduard's Weekend Editions are aimed at the more budget conscious or novice modeller and have none of the resin or Photo-Etch (PE) parts that are included in their Profipack editions. They also usually have only one choice of decals, and the painting guide is in black and white, rather than the lavish colour in the more expensive boxes. The plastic is exactly that of the Profipack editions though, so what you get is of the highest quality.

When initially released the newly tooled 110 was welcomed with open arms, and this feeling still lingers, although some early builders had issues with the fit of the nose and engine nacelles. This aspect has been addressed in numerous build articles online and in print though, and it is simply a matter of careful dry-fitting and fettling before proceeding to gluing the parts together.

Inside the simple white, yellow and blue box are nine sprues of olive styrene bagged in pairs in Eduard's typical re-sealable bags. There are two sprues of clear parts in their own ziplok bags, and after mentioning the lack of PE, there is a small PE fret for the radar antennae, which was quite a surprise, but must make practical sense when building the antlers. A medium sized decal sheet is also included and of course the black and white instruction booklet mentioned above.

If you have read one of our Eduard 110 reviews the following build process will be broadly familiar, but if not read on. The first steps detail the building of the cockpit, with the gunner and radar operator's seats back-to-back in the middle. The detail is excellent, and a PE mesh seat is supplied for the gunner, while the radar man's is supplied in plastic with a wicker-effect moulded in. The radar operator's position can't have been a comfortable one, as he's sat with the forward firing 20mm cannon ammunition cans under his feet, with his instruments sandwiched together on a panel against the back of the pilot's seat. This is nicely rendered with individual boxes that slot into the bulkhead that also includes some lightening holes for good measure. The rest of the cockpit consists of some nicely done instrument panels for the pilot, which have corresponding decals on the sheet, plus lots of additional ammo cans for the cannons and flexible mounted MG on the rear. A pair of sidewall inserts complete the "bathtub", which is then locked in place between the two fuselage halves, with a cross-brace and extra instruments added behind the pilot's seat. The nose is then built up from a central tray onto which the four MGs and their mounting rests are placed, and ammo feeds from the unseen underside are added. A small bulkhead below the front of the tray containing various pressurised bottles, is added to the tray, and the whole lot is dropped into the lower part of the nose. The upper half is built up from the cowling itself, a long box-section that runs from front to back, and two ribs that run transversely. This is of course all hidden if you elect to close up the nose, which would be sensible if you want to show off the FuG antennae to their best.

The wings are supplied in halves and to these are added the engine nacelles, which are also supplied in halves, split top to bottom. Two bulkheads decorate the gear leg bays, while a basic oil-cooler unit installs inside the lower nacelle before they are installed on the wing by sliding them on from the front. Once in place the bay sidewalls are added, with some deep ribbing detail moulded in, although this means that the final painting of the gear bay is a little complicated unless you do a dry fit first to see where everything goes. Moving outboard, the wide-flat radiator housings fit into their recesses, with styrene radiator faces added before doing so. This is of course mirrored on the opposing wing, and both wings are attached to the fuselage by long thick tabs that slide into corresponding slots in the fuselage. The H-tail is supplied in single-thickness halves, with the elevators moulded in, as are the rudders at each end. The ailerons are both moulded separately however, so can be pitched at a jaunty angle to give a more candid appearance, but don't forget aileron differential and to offset the stick to the correct side, or the purists will have you!

Happily the landing gear can be fixed in the nacelles later, as can the tail-wheel (of which there are two choices). They are simple, and fix to the raised V-shaped part that you install before you close up the nacelles. A separate oleo-scissor and retraction jack are installed to keep everything in place, with plenty of scrap diagrams to ensure that you get all the parts in the correct places. The wheels have a radial tread, and are supplied in halves with their hubs moulded in. Detail is good, so as long as you can hide the circumferential seam line well, they should look the part. The bay doors have nice rivet and rib detail moulded in, and have three hinge-points each, which should help when gluing them in place, and the interlinking struts should make sure you put them at the right angle.

The fiddly bits are left until the end, which is a sure sign that the instructions have been designed by a modeller. Aerials, horn-balances on the ailerons, the complex exhaust flame dampers and the pitot probe are all installed in the last stages, along with the props and the cockpit glazing. I'm more a fan of installing the glazing before painting, so it looks more integrated with the fuselage, but that's just my preference, but either way you're in for a fair bit of masking. The canopy is necessarily complex to admit the three crew and permit the gunner to operate once airborne. The rear section folds up and the top panel slides back (forward as the aircraft flies) over the outside of the canopy, and this is replicated on the rear of the canopy. Some careful gluing (I'd suggest GS-Hypo Cement) will be needed to retain the clarity of the parts, and even more careful masking of the parts. The mid-section of the canopy is split into a top section that folds up and back, while the two side panels fold down, and the front windscreen has an additional armoured panel to protect the pilot in frontal attacks, which would probably be best applied using Klear to reduce the chances of bubbles between the panels and remove fogging from the equation.

The final fiddly bit are the four antennae that sit in front of the nose cone. A central styrene part attaches to the nose via a small peg, and the two C-shaped bars project forwards. Each "prong" needs the last few millimetres removing (shown in a scrap diagram), and the fine PE H-aerials are bent into shape and then glued flat to the end of the prongs. Those last few millimetres are then added back in front of the PE part to depict the continuation of the pole. Do this four times and the build is complete – you'll need your steadiest hands, so no drinking the night before!

The decals depict a single aircraft in the service of the Romanian Air Force, which is painted light grey with a darker grey mottle (RLM 76/75), a yellow fuselage stripe, spinner tops and wingtips (which are hard to see in black & white drawings). A separate page is printed containing all of the stencil markings to save cluttering up the main decal placement page, which is a good feature of most Eduard kits these days, and one to be lauded.

The decals are printed in the Czech Republic, and are up to Eduard's usual standards. Colour density is good, registration is spot on and the carrier film is thin. My example had a slightly streaky yellow in the Romanian crosses, but if placed so that it is vertical anyone that spots it will probably think it is part of the weathering. The Nazi Swastika is supplied both as halves and complete for the tail if you want to go for complete realism and your local laws permit. The aircraft in question is as follows:

• Bf.110F-4 W.Nr. 5084 flown by Lt Ion Simion/Constantin Octavian, Escadrila 51 Vanatoare (12.NJG 6), Otopeni Airfield, June 1944.
  

Conclusion

Eduard's Bf.110 raised the bar in 1:48 when it reached the market a couple of years ago, and the plastic is still just as fresh as it was then. The modular design of the sprues will leave you with a lot of spare parts, including a pair of fuselage halves, and always check you have the right ones because there are a number of very similar looking parts on the various sprues that could lead you up a blind alley if you aren't diligent. I have a thing for German night-fighters, so this kit is right up my alley, and the choice of a less usual Romanian bird is a good one, and gives the aircraft a little individualism.

Eduard have clearly taken steps to assist with the previously mentioned issues that early builders encountered, and this should make it easier to build for even the relative novice, although the PE FuG 220 aerials will need to be approached with care, and super-glue will be needed to attach the parts.

Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Tim T]

Nice review Mike. It is worth pointing out that if you don't like the black and white instructions, there are usually colour version available from the Eduard website.

[RaidZero]

Great review!

I am a bit surprised that Eduard included a swastika on the decal sheet, because as far as I know no Romanian aircraft had one. The box is correct in showing the plane without it. But taking into account that most other manufacturers are not supplying one even when the plane had it, I guess it compensates

[Steven Eisenman]

The color call-out and markings are not correct.

 

The aircraft was over-all 76.  It was applied over 74/75, giving an uneven appearance on the top-side.

 

The Michael cross is incorrect, as it is the pointed "M", rather than blunt tip.  Owl Decals makes a correct Michael cross.

 

That was the only Bf 110 in Rumanian markings.  However, the swastika was lightly over-sprayed and could be seen. All others in Rumanian service carried full German markings, including the swastika.

 

It is unknown, although presumed, that it carried radar antenna.

 

http://eshop.owl-czech.eu/index.php?co=detail&pom_admin=ano&id=550

 

http://eshop.owl-czech.eu/obrazky/velky_1357147621-1:48-bf-110-f-4.jpg

Edited January 15, 2013 by Steven Eisenman