1:24 Bf 109G-6

The Gustav and the two edges of one frame

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 in the G-6 version became the most numerous form of the whole family. Its recognition feature is the bulges on the engine cowling, which had to give way to the bulkier breeches of the large-caliber MG 131 machine guns that replaced the older small-caliber weapons. Machines with this designation flew from the spring of 1943 on practically every front, from the Kuban to the defense of the Reich.

The package contains masking sheets for the glazing of the cockpit, for the outer as well as the inner surface, then three sets of national insignia and metal barrels of machined metal to go with them.

The thickness of the glazing itself is something nobody thinks about until a modeler reaches for a large format. In 1:24 the molding of the canopy has a wall roughly a millimeter and a half thick, while a masking film is barely a tenth. The outer and the inner outline of the frame therefore do not lie above one another but miss each other by the width of the glass. When both masks are laid down carelessly, the result is a frame that doubles when seen from the side. That is exactly why the set handles both sides separately.

It therefore pays to split the procedure up. The inner film has to be in place before the canopy is fitted to the fuselage, and best right after the clear part is polished. The outer mask comes in turn only with the camouflage spraying. The whole build of the cockpit lies between the two, so keep an eye on the first film in case it lifts in that time.

• Double masking of the glazing, outside and inside.
• Three sets of insignia for three color options.
• Machined gun muzzles instead of plastic.

The package contains neither a model nor paints.