1:48 Bf-109D

Dora, the last Messerschmitt with a Jumo engine

The D version came about in the years of peace and carried an inverted Jumo 210 twelve-cylinder engine. It was the powerplant that set it apart from the later machines with the Daimler-Benz unit: the nose was slimmer and the output noticeably lower. The Dora reached line units in 1938, but development ran so fast that by September 1939 it already counted among the superseded types. Over Poland it was flown mainly by groups that were still waiting for deliveries of twin-engine heavy fighters. That same winter the Luftwaffe moved it to the night flights guarding the cities of the Ruhr, Switzerland bought ten, and the last examples ended their days with training units without ever seeing the fame of their successors.

How the set works

The parts are die-cut from self-adhesive film and follow the shape of the canopy frames. You stick them onto clean, degreased glazing, press the edges down with your fingers and spray straight over them. Once dry, the film peels off and the edge stays sharp, which at such a small scale decides the result more than anything else.

What is inside

According to the manufacturer, the package holds a pair of glazing masks, that is for the outside and the inside, and two parts for the national insignia. The crosses on the fuselage and the wings can therefore be sprayed in the same paint as the rest of the camouflage instead of applied as decals. The set is cut for a particular kit, so do not look in it for plastic parts or paints.

Who it is worth it for

Anyone who has so far been cutting strips of masking tape for the canopy framing and losing hours over it will appreciate it. The work shrinks to a few minutes and the result is the same every time.