1:48 Bf 109K-4

The Kurfürst at the end of the line

The K-4 version closed the development of the Messerschmitt in the autumn of 1944. A Daimler-Benz engine of the highest series allowed a higher takeoff power, the cowling received symmetrical bulges and the tailwheel was lengthened and retracted. The main weapon was a thirty-millimeter cannon built between the cylinder banks and firing through the hollow propeller shaft, a detail on account of which the armament of this machine is handled differently on a model from that of its predecessors.

Why only muzzles, and why that is enough

The set offers two metal machine gun muzzles, not whole weapons, and there is a practical logic in that. The cannon fires through the center of the propeller spinner, so it does not appear on a model as a separate part at all, and the cowling machine guns are largely hidden under the engine fairing. Only a short section of them projects. Replacing the whole part would therefore mean cutting the cowling open with no benefit at all. Instead, the metal tip is fitted onto a shortened plastic stub, the joint disappears under the edge of the fairing and what stays visible is exactly what is visible on the real machine: two thin tubes with an open bore.

Box contents

• the cockpit frames, covered from both sides of the glass
• one sheet of insignia masks
• the end sections of the MG 131 machine guns in metal
• a dynamic pressure sensor in a metal version

There is no kit in the package; the set is intended as an accessory for a model bought separately. It is worth noting that on this late version the cockpit is often built closed, so the masking on the inside will not be visible on the finished piece, but it makes the work easier by keeping the frame sharp on both sides and by stopping the paint from bleeding.