New tool Airfix 1/72 BF109 G-6

[Jazzy Jase]

Picked one of these up at RIAT this morning and thought I would share some thoughts and photos with you. First, the photos. Sorry about the quality - I'm very tired, sunburned and can't be bothered to get out the blue background. Will post some better pics tomorrow.

I've never reviewed a kit before and I'm not the most articulate soul in the world so I will do my best to offer some thoughts on the kit.

Firstly, it was £5.69 and in the box you get the kit, instructions, a lovely colour glossy of the painting instructions and decals which look nice enough.

I can't comment on accuracy because I have no idea about 109's

The kit comes on three sprues and sadly, the first thing I noticed was lack of cockpit detail. There's a seat, a pilot and that's it.

The model seems nicely moulded, but there doesn't seem to be that much detail. Especially in the smaller parts, but it does look like it will go together well.

I think the kit is aimed at younger or inexperienced modellers, who will be able to build it into a very nice model. Personally I think I will wait for some photo-etched parts to detail the kit up.

Any questions? I will do my best to answer if I haven't gone to bed!

EDIT: I hope that didn't seem too negative, because it wasn't meant to be. I haven't built an Airfix kit in about 15 years, so I have no idea what their current quality is like, but it's certainly better than the kits I remember (and the Gladiator I bought last year and immediately threw to the back of the stash). Memory is a little hazy, but it kind of reminds me of the Matchbox kits, which I always remember to be a bit chunky, but always fun to build.

Edited July 18, 2009 by Jazzy Jase

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

I was going to pass on this kit, until I saw the box-art. Now I have to build a Finnish shark-mouth one, cos it looks fantastic!

[bexwh773]

I want one of them........ Oh yes. Ive already got a G10 in 48th & a K4 in 32nd, so a G6 in 72nd would be lovely

Bexy

[Jazzy Jase]

I was going to pass on this kit, until I saw the box-art. Now I have to build a Finnish shark-mouth one, cos it looks fantastic!

Tell me about it. I think I might build this kit as an in-flight sharkmouth, OOB and then buy another one to detail up later.

[AnonymousFO98]

not a big 109 fan but i like the Gustav

and the schemes- especially the Finnish look good

could we have a looksee at the decals please Jazzy?

err the pilot looks like he has a bone dome

Edited July 18, 2009 by walrus

[thx6667]

Farewell old childhood friend, for you the war is over...

1956 - 2009

[AnonymousA667]

1956 - 2009

Same age as me. Further comment is superfluous.

peebeep

[Heraldcoupe]

Farewell old childhood friend, for you the war is over...

1956 - 2009

I built it when I was a boy, and it was a well travelled tool back then. My son built one last year, it didn't look any better and it made me feel very old....

Cheers,

Bill.

[Jazzy Jase]

not a big 109 fan but i like the Gustav

and the schemes- especially the Finnish look good

could we have a looksee at the decals please Jazzy?

err the pilot looks like he has a bone dome

Decals and a one fast-jet pilot!

[bexwh773]

Stuff the driver, the kit & decals look good though

Bexy

[AnonymousFO98]

Thanks Jase

yeah not too bothered about the driver myself.

but, WHY?

and the decals are out of register Bex

am disappointed there is no cockpit detailing

hoe the hay

Edited July 18, 2009 by walrus

[GrahamS]

What is it about Airfix? Is it me or are they employing toolers (Chinese????) who have no idea of the subject they are working on?

I'm not an Airfix Nay-Sayer (I have 10 1/48th TSR2s!) but simple stuff like this is really annoying.

Graham

'Tis a nice box though (better than the TSR2 which had a wrong forward canopy - oh don't start me going again)

Edited July 18, 2009 by GrahamS

[Mike]

I suspect that pilot's supposed to be wearing a 1940s issue helmet, but someone's not tooled it too well. You can just see the little "earphone" bumps on the sides, but it does look a bit "fast jet", doesn't it? As to the seat, that looks a bit retro, but I guess if it's aimed at the younger modeller, they possibly won't mind?

Not my scale, but I'd still like to see it built up out of curiosity. I do like that new artwork though & box design - very fetching and a 1000% improvement on the awful B I(8) & PR.9 box art

[bexwh773]

and the decals are out of register Bex

hoe the hay

Missed that

Bexy

[John]

Thanks Jase

yeah not too bothered about the driver myself.

but, WHY?

and the decals are out of register Bex

am disappointed there is no cockpit detailing

hoe the hay

I can't see a registration problem on my monitor - which colour has shifted?

John

[Doug Rogers]

The black on the Balkankreuz looks a little out of sync with the white, and maybe the blue circles on the Finnish roundels look high compared to the white. But then the sharkmouth teeth look OK, and the Bat designs look sharp.

[Mike]

I can't see a registration problem on my monitor - which colour has shifted?

John

Looks like black from here, and it's visible in the 2-color balkenkreuz, where you can see white at the bottom of the vertical stroke & uneven white either side of the horizontal stroke of the cross. Bit poo really... Airfix decals strike again!

[Laurent]

That pilot really really looks like a jet pilot. Perhaps there are WWII pilots in the Hawk kits ?

and maybe the blue circles on the Finnish roundels look high compared to the white.

You are right. Blue isn't centered properly. Look at the hornets: part of the right side is out of the blue triangle. Only the red vs white colors aren't shifted.

Edited July 18, 2009 by Laurent

[Doug Rogers]

I don't want to criticize the kit really, from just seeing it on a monitor so I'm looking forward to seeing it made up into a finished model.

One of the good things about Airfix kits (generally speaking) is that they can look good made up with a bit of fettling.

[Jazzy Jase]

I don't want to criticize the kit really, from just seeing it on a monitor so I'm looking forward to seeing it made up into a finished model.

One of the good things about Airfix kits (generally speaking) is that they can look good made up with a bit of fettling.

As I said in my original post, I do think it will look good made up. Shame about the decals, though I imagine the younger/inexperienced target market probably won't care or even notice.

Anyone who's adding tons of PE or resin is likely to buy after-market decals anyway.

Edited July 18, 2009 by Jazzy Jase

[AnonymousFO98]

I understand those points, and agree to a certain extent

I don't meanto make a song and dance out of it, unless that gets me a mega record deal

but while my expectations have risen, I am not really in a position to be forking out on extras for what i want to be a relativley simple build.

So a little more attention and detail would have really been good and gone a long way for me

Would have liked to build the Finnish version OOB

the money to buy aftermarket decals could be spent on another kit to play with the mottling

edit: and I am certain you are right about the youngsters, Doug, they won't give a monkey's

Edited July 19, 2009 by walrus

[CPNGROATS]

So where is a proper Finnish blue swastika on a white circle..?? After market decals to the rescue..

Cheers,

ggc

[Master Zen]

The million-dollar question: is it better than the Academy or the Hase?

(Doesn't seem so...)

[Nigel Bunker]

Nice to see a decent choice of decals though. And don't forget this kit is designed to replace the old 109 which kids still bought. It has about the same amount of interior detail as the Spitfire I & V, which is what i suspect Airfix were aiming for.

[AnonymousFO98]

So where is a proper Finnish blue swastika on a white circle..?? After market decals to the rescue..

i assume that the Blue Swastika was replaced post-war by the Blue Circle Cement company sponsorship deal

or was it a little earlier when the Fins settled with the Soviets and wanted the Nazis out?

Have seen pics of WW2 types with the blue circle but they could be post-war?

the swastika could be a way to go but would they be correct with the sharkmouth please?