Z-M Bf109G-14 “Old Man Blog”

[John1]

15 hours ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

YAY!!! Another 109!!!

And yet in this case it’s really not overkill.  The current offerings for the G-6/14 are the old Hasegawa kit and the new-ish Revell kit.   Neither are close to being acceptable out of the box.   
 

I think it’s a good thing and plan on getting one.  The sheer variety of weird paint schemes makes it well worth it.   And this is coming from a guy who after building the Revell Gustav, swore he’d never build another 109 again.  

[Pete Fleischmann]

16 minutes ago, John1 said:

And yet in this case it’s really not overkill.  The current offerings for the G-6/14 are the old Hasegawa kit and the new-ish Revell kit.   Neither are close to being acceptable out of the box.   
 

I think it’s a good thing and plan on getting one.  The sheer variety of weird paint schemes makes it well worth it.   And this is coming from a guy who after building the Revell Gustav, swore he’d never build another 109 again.  

Happy for the folks that are excited about this one. 

[Dpgsbody55]

Want.

[nmayhew]

I am pleased to see the kit and hope it is accurate - if it is it will be the best 109 in 1/32 by default 

 

my main beef with Z-M is not so much that their internal structures are not true replicas of their subjects (which they aren’t), but rather that a huge proportion of all that internal detail they provide is simply not visible because they don’t provide removable / posable access panels.

 

so you go through all the bs but can’t even have anything to show for your work

[adameliclem]

16 minutes ago, nmayhew said:

so you go through all the bs but can’t even have anything to show for your work

That’s...how a lot of people feel when they close up a fuselage. And yet, they endure.

 

Adam

[Radub]

9 hours ago, nmayhew said:

I am pleased to see the kit and hope it is accurate - if it is it will be the best 109 in 1/32 by default 

 

my main beef with Z-M is not so much that their internal structures are not true replicas of their subjects (which they aren’t), but rather that a huge proportion of all that internal detail they provide is simply not visible because they don’t provide removable / posable access panels.

 

so you go through all the bs but can’t even have anything to show for your work

The model was designed in such a way that it can be built with one side complete and one side without “skins” in order to show the skeleton. The interior (as well as the exterior) was designed as accurately as possible, using factory drawings and measurements of the real thing, of course all within the tooling limitations. The internal structure is not superfluous, it is still very visible from outside. For example the wing structure, apart from giving extra strength, also contains the wheel wells, radiators, the operating mechanism for the leading edge slats. If built carefully, the leading edge slats will be “operational/movable” and can be set in either position, which should please all “purists” who insist that they were always open/closed. 

The interior of the fuselage is very visible if the radio hatch is open and the model was designed in such a way that you do not need to glue the radio hatch, you can easily remove it to show the interior. 
The Zoukei Mura approach to models should be well-known by now. In a world of pop, they produce symphonies. It may not please everyone, but their models always sell out.
This is not “yet another 109” because there has never been a 109 like this before. 

Radu

Edited November 24, 2021 by Radub

[esarmstrong]

^^To Radu's post above I say amen.  I have been waiting for this kind of 109 to be released and ignoring the others.  Some like pop music; I like symphonies when it comes to the 109.  Very glad that someone like Zoukei Mura is out there producing these symphonic beauties.

 

[Pete Fleischmann]

12 hours ago, Radub said:

 

This is not “yet another 109” because there has never been a 109 like this before. 

Radu

All great  points Radu, but I gotta disagree on this one. Again; happy for everyone who is excited about this kit. As a modeler I can appreciate the novel approach that makes this 109 different from the plethora of other 109 kits..but for those of us who aren’t interested, it is..exactly…”yet another 109” .

 

cheers

Pete

[Out2gtcha]

15 minutes ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

All great  points Radu, but I gotta disagree on this one. Again; happy for everyone who is excited about this kit. As a modeler I can appreciate the novel approach that makes this 109 different from the plethora of other 109 kits..but for those of us who aren’t interested, it is..exactly…”yet another 109” .

 

 

 

I sort of have to agree, as I am no 109 SME at all. I don't even have one built, but have several in my stash. To some it seems like the end all be all of models, and in part that is what makes this hobby so great, you can devote your modeling to an eclectic variety or concentrate on a single aspect of it. I know I have done that in other areas so I can see how people get excited by a kit of a particular air frame they are passionate about. 

For me the 109 is not that at all, but again this is only opinion. I actually still like the 109 and definitely will be building one at some point, possibly even buying a ZM 109 as out of all the 109s, I like the late "G"s the best. Having built several ZM kits, they seem to be getting better and better with each release, so making my possibly one and only 109 a ZM example, seems more and more likely honestly. 

[Radub]

32 minutes ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

for those of us who aren’t interested, it is..exactly…”yet another 109” .

 

cheers

Pete

And that is perfectly OK. This model is not mandatory.  

Radu

[rigor]

With all the goodies it has I'll build it as a wreak 

[thierry laurent]

1 hour ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

All great  points Radu, but I gotta disagree on this one. Again; happy for everyone who is excited about this kit. As a modeler I can appreciate the novel approach that makes this 109 different from the plethora of other 109 kits..but for those of us who aren’t interested, it is..exactly…”yet another 109” .

 

cheers

Pete

Not really Pete. It is exactly the same if you just had the Hasegawa F-16 and considered the Tamiya one to be just another Viper! 

[chrish]

109’s….i’ve built 5 hasegawa’s 2 Dragons, 4 Trumpeters and 2 (newer release) Revell’s along with a matching number of (possibly from as large a variety of manufacturers) Spitfires but I’ll go off on a tangent in a second and build 1/144 airliners cars and…well ok that’s a lie, no cars…and ships but for me and my desire to splash color 109’s are a great canvas and, as well for me, a new release is gonna be purchase 

oh ya, I’ve also built (all 1/32) 2 B-17’s (2 more in the stash) 2 He-111’s and 4 Ju 88’s

So I guess I’m one of those guys who buys multiples of almost everything…I really should get some variety I guess.

[frothingillbellows]

I cant see the point of criticising the ZM 109 because is not like all the other 109’s. Why should ZM build a hollow shell kit that everyone else has already produced? They are offering some unique modelling interpretations to whoever wants them. ZM should be universally celebrated for expanding the boundaries of the hobby. 

Edited November 25, 2021 by frothingillbellows

[Jeff T]

It could be worse, it could be 1/35 scale!...