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What 109 to buy


Stinger16

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Well I want to do a G-5 and have gone the Revell route because I got the base kit G-6 for a steal. However by the time I've added aftermarket to correct the kit issues it's not so much of a steal, sure most of it like the Brassin cockpit is not an essential upgrade I picked one up at the Eduard stand at SMW because it looks good and I've yet to have any fit issues like I do with Aires stuff, plus I was there to pick up other stuff too so thought why not? I've got a hold of the Amur nose correction set which I really like the look of, Barracuda Spinner, Eduard wheels, and Eduard bronze gear legs, to me, those are what's required, optional stuff was the Barracuda upper wing sections and as I'm building a G-5 armed with cannon gondolas I picked up a set of those from Barracuda also. All in all it's run me to about £70 for everything. Decals I can cobble together the markings from what's in my spares box plus the kit decals for stencils and crosses. To be honest, I'd have added much of the same stuff had I gone Hasegawa but the initial kit outlay would have been at least £30 for a Hasegawa one from HLJ and add shipping to that plus the lottery of customs charge or no customs charge if it sneaks through or gets caught the £15 I paid for the Revell kit won out. Whether any one builds better than the other I'm not too concerned about I have what I have and the way I build it'll look like a child built it regardless of what it cost or who made it.........

 

You bring up a good point with the landing gear, it really is a problem on the Revell kit.  I've done three Revell 109s and the one I did with the kit landing broke and collapsed while sitting on the shelf.  The Brassin landing are nice but they cost almost as much as the kit itself.  I'm going to look into some way of possibly reinforcing the kit landing gear with some metal rod.  Almost $20 a pop for the Eduard gear every build is just unsat.

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Yes wait for the Tamiya kit and pay 150€ + aftermarket stuff for a 109. Good deal.

 

Depends on where you live.  In Japan it will probably be a $60-$70 kit and Tamiya's 1/32 stuff really doesn't require any aftermarket other than seatbelts.  You're going to pay more than that for the Revell kit and all the corrections required if you want it to look right.

Edited by Mikester
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And just for fun, cost breakdown for getting the Revell 109 up to speed.  Most of you know that I'm a 109 enthusiast (nut?) so I'm basing this on making it accurate without going completely over the top.  Not intended to be a bash of the Revell kit, because I like them and have a bunch in my stash.

 

Revell 1/32 Bf 109G-6:  $25 (average retail)

BR32122 Bf 109G-6 Prop and Spinner: $10.95 (included due to silly design of kit spinner)
BR32154 Bf-109G-5 thru G-14 Cowl Gun Bulges: $7.75 (kit Beule too small)
BR32159 Bf 109G-6 Oil Cooler Fairing: $6.95 (kit cooler incorrect shape)
EDU632021 1:32 Eduard Brassin Bf 109G-6 Landing Gear: $20.49 (kit gear fiddly and too weak to support model)
Alley Cat Gun Deck Replacement: $7.90 (MG troughs too close together on kit, this set includes new Beule though)
 
That adds up to about $79.  If you're building a "Kannon Boot" throw in another $9.95 for gun gondolas from Roy.  Granted many people will build the kit OOB and be happy with it and that's great but for those of us looking something closer to the real thing it's really not that much of a bargain.
Edited by Mikester
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You bring up a good point with the landing gear, it really is a problem on the Revell kit.  I've done three Revell 109s and the one I did with the kit landing broke and collapsed while sitting on the shelf.  The Brassin landing are nice but they cost almost as much as the kit itself.  I'm going to look into some way of possibly reinforcing the kit landing gear with some metal rod.  Almost $20 a pop for the Eduard gear every build is just unsat.

 

I've built two (one done in september 2014, the other in july 2016), included one heavily modified as a G-12 (possibly heavier than the stock kit), and they are still on they OOB plastic legs, and they are displayed on a glass shelf. The Revell gear legs are a very strange engineering, but i dont think they are especially weak. 

Edited by Zero77
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I've built two (one done in september 2014, the other in july 2016), included one heavily modified as a G-12 (possibly heavier than the stock kit), and they are still on they OOB plastic legs, and they are displayed on a glass shelf. The Revell gear legs are a very strange engineering, but i dont think they are especially weak. 

 

Mine broke where the strut attaches to the lug that you insert into the wing, doesn't seem to be a lot of plastic at that point.  Could have just been me but seems to be something everyone complains about.

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Wait and buy a Tamiya kit  :whistle:

Yeah, thats what they were saying...10(?)years ago when Tamiya released the 1/32 F-16 kit and people asked about a 2 seater. "Wait for the Tamiya kit" they said,"its obvious they will release one soon, look at the parts breakdown" they said. "They" were wrong... :frantic:

Edited by eoyguy
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You bring up a good point with the landing gear, it really is a problem on the Revell kit.  I've done three Revell 109s and the one I did with the kit landing broke and collapsed while sitting on the shelf.  The Brassin landing are nice but they cost almost as much as the kit itself.  I'm going to look into some way of possibly reinforcing the kit landing gear with some metal rod.  Almost $20 a pop for the Eduard gear every build is just unsat.

 

 Yeah, the price was a factor in me getting them but reading how spindly the kit gear was got me decided to get some and I just bided my time and got some on sale for just a little over half price. Full retail I'd have thought harder about it. The fact I was in no hurry and was slowly building the stuff up for this project was a help too, infact the gear legs came before I got the kit. I'm pretty much there now, just need to find appropriate Luftwaffe style kill markings for the rudder of the scheme I want to do and some 'Udet' geschwader markings for the nose.

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ZM are doing the Fw 190 series, be nice if Tamiya didn't replicate them as with the Mustang.

 

 

Amen to that!! ... With Revell, Hasegawa ... and PCM kits still available around the place, one marque's super detailed kit will be suffice I think!

 

We have a reasonably accurate E ... Eduard (E1) ... plus Cyber Hobby's (E3 & 4)

Hasegawa's most recent iteration of the F2 & 4 are fairly good ... if not super detailed.

 

It's the G/K that no-one seems to be able to get right ... If Tamiya do a series of 109's in '32 - they might as well print their own currency.

 

Rog :)

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For the sake of your sanity, a Hase kit is the easy choice for the reasons others have given. Hasegawa's '109s are my choice because they are pure pleasure to build.

 

The flaws are minor, mostly. The dihedral is major but hardly noticeable. It would be nice if they included an engine, but if you like to build buttoned-up anyway, you'd just be paying extra for nothing.

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