Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 by Eduard

1/48 scale
Kit No. 82165
Retail: $45.00
Decals: Five versions, all Luftwaffe
Comments: Detailed cockpit, engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail, photo etch details and paint masks, separately mounted flaps, ailerons and tail surfaces

History

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is arguably the most recognizable fighter plane in history, and certainly the most numerous, with 36,000 examples produced from the time of its pre-war introduction in 1937 (seeing its first combat with the Condor Legion supporting Franco’s fascists in the Spanish Civil War) to the cessation of the initial production run in 1945. Despite the fact that it was approaching obsolescence by 1942, it was continually modified until late in the war.

The Bf 109G series was developed following Hitler’s invasion of Russia in June 1941. As Operation Barbarossa unfolded, the Bf 109F began rolling off Messerschmitt’s assembly line. While the “Franz” was widely considered the pinnacle of the Bf 109 design, there was initially no planned successor to the series, and this became especially problematic with the appearance of aircraft like the Soviet Lavochkin La-5, a radial engined fighter with impressive performance, during the summer of 1942.

From the Summer of 1941, Messerschmitt’s design team on its own initiative began to seeks ways to improve performance of the 109F. The continuing pressure of the air war and the need to steadily increase performance forced them to sacrifice handling and maneuverability in order to increase maximum speed. The G was designed about the more powerful Daimler Benz DB 605 engine, capable of 1475 hp, compared to the 1350 hp of the DB 601E powerplant in the 109 F.

This did not alter the engine dimensions but the DB 605 was heavier than its predecessor, which required structural strengthening of the nose section. This in turn increased weight and wing loading, which required strengthening of the landing gear, which again increased weight.

The result was a faster but less maneuverable fighter, leaving many Luftwaffe pilots with the feeling that the G was the first version of the 109 to take a step backward in terms of performance. They considered the F a better aircraft with superior handling, with one disgruntled pilot reportedly stating that the G “flies like a pig.” But the RLM felt that, given the war conditions, the resulting loss of handling was a fair trade off for the G’s increase in power and speed. It is interesting to note that, in the face of evidence that the 109 was losing its edge in terms of combat effectiveness, no decision was ever made to discontinue production and focus on other, more modern fighters such as the Focke Wulf Fw 190, Heinkel’s He 280 or even Messerschmitt’s own Me 262.

Visually, the key difference in the G was in the panel lines forward of the cockpit, with the lower oblique glass panel of the F being removed. While the G-1 was pressurized, the G-2 saw the pressurization equipment deleted, largely to save weight, but also because when the G-2 entered service in the Spring of 1942, the most active fronts were North Africa and the Eastern Front, and air combat in these theatres generally occurred at low to moderate altitudes. The G-2 retained the 20mm cannon firing through the propeller hub of the F, as well as the two nose-mounted 7.92 machine guns. Two additional 20mm cannon were provided in gondolas which could be fitted beneath the wings in the field.

The G had a GM 1 nitrous oxide power boost system. Although it weighed over 400 lbs., it had a tremendous effect on performance, not only allowing the G to operate above the rated altitude for the DB 605, but also enabling it to literally leave a pursuing Spitfire Mk. V standing still. This advantage was offset by a quirk of the DB 605, which was plagued by low oil pressure, a problem that was never satisfactorily resolved. Another challenge that had a succesful resolution was the horseshoe shaped oil tank mounted in the nose, which had a tendency to leak when it overheated, seeping oil onto the hot engine and causing flash fires in flight. Two small cooling scoops were added on either side of the nose, to cool the oil tank and resolve the problem.

The G series was designed from the outset to accept a series of field modifications, including under wing gondolas for either 30mm or 20mm cannon, an R-7 radio direction finding loop, a 300-liter drop tank, or racks allowing the plane to carry four SC 50 bombs or a single SC 250 bomb. The G became the workhorse of the Luftwaffe’s day fighter units, with over 10,000 produced in ten variants, more than any other version, and remained in front-line service throughout the war.

The Kit

Eduard’s Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 is injection molded in dark grey plastic and consists of 201 parts, including 14 clear parts offering a choice of canopies, windscreens and armored glass — although some canopy options such as the Erla canopy are inappropriate for the G-2, as that canopy only appeared on later versions such as the G-10. The kit has a richly detailed cockpit with an abundance of photo etch parts, internal fuselage sidewall detail, and painstakingly molded raised detail on the cockpit floor and instrument panel, rounded out by an impressive control yoke.

The kit features a choice of engine exhausts as well as a part for a separately mounted air scoop and an optional second part for a tropical filter, a holdover from the F2-z/Trop version. All control surfaces — ailerons, flaps, leading edge slats, elevators and rudder — are separately mounted. There are parts for the relatively shallow walls of the wheel wells, which had to fit within the slender dimensions of the 109’s wing. The oil cooler assembly beneath the cowling includes PE detail parts. Extras are provided in that there are also four different sets of landing gear tires, two with radial and two with smooth tread.

Parts are also provided for two under wing gondolas housing 20mm cannon, one of the field modifications for which the G series was specifically designed. A drop tank is also included. This kit clearly is meant to cover other variants, for it includes the distinctive bulges over the nose section that distinguished the G-6.

Markings

Decals are provided for five versions of the G-2. The first is for White 3, a tropical version belonging to JG 77, flown by UnterOffizier Horst Schlick, based at Bir-el-Abd, Egypt, November 1942. This aircraft bears a camouflage scheme of RLM 70 Dark Green and RLM 79 Sand Brown over RLM 78 Light Blue, with yellow cowling (under surface only), white wingtips and a white spinner. Schlick served with JG77 from 1942 to 1945 and scored 32 victories.

The second version is for Yellow 10, a machine based in Alakurti, Finland, February 1943, and was flown by Feldwebel Hans Dobrich of JG 5. The plane bears a scheme of white over RLM 76 Light Blue, a color than in reality registered to most eyes as Pale Grey. It has a yellow cowling (under surface only), yellow wingtips and a black and white spinner. Dobrich scored 65 victories during the war, was shot down three times, and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.

The third version is for Yellow 5, flown by Leutnant Walter Krupinski of JG 52 based at Maykop in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, 1942. This aircraft bears a splinter camouflage scheme of RLM 74 and RLM 75, with RLM 76 under surfaces, a yellow cowling (under surface only), yellow wingtips with a yellow band on the rear fuselage, and a black and white spinner. Krupinski socred 177 victories during the War and was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

The fourth version is a machine of JG 54 flown by Major Hans Hahn and based at Rjelbitzy in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, January 1943. This aircraft has an scheme of White over RLM 76 and bears the image of a green heart directly beneath the cockpit on both sides of the fuselage. It also bears a thick yellow band beneath the German cross on the fuselage, and has a yellow cowling (under surface only), yellow wingtips with a black and white spinner. Hahn was an ace with 108 victories who had been awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, and was shot down in February 1943 and taken prisoner. He spent the remainder of the war in captivity and was not released by the Soviets until 1950.

The fifth version, White 1, a G-2 of JG77 based at Tanyet Harun in Egypt , October 1942, was flown by Hauptmann Wolf-Dieter Huy, an ace with 22 victories who was awarded the Knight’s Cross. The plane bears a camouflage scheme of RLM 71 and RLM 75 over RLM 76, and has a yellow cowling (under surface only), white wingtips with a white spinner.

Conclusion

This kit of the G-2, a mid-war version of the Bf 109 that features breathtaking detail, looks like a real gem. Highly recommended.

Reference

Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action: Part 2; Copyright 1983 Squadron Signal Publications, Inc., Carrollton, Texas.