Messerschmitt Me410A-3 by Fine Molds

1/72 scale
Kit No. FP13
Cost: $34.00
Decals: Two versions – both for Luftwaffe long-range reconnaissance squadron 122 (FAG122)
Comments: Engraved panel lines, recessed rivet detail, well detailed cockpit

History

On the basis of the Messerschmitt Bf110’s early successes in France and Poland, German Air Ministry asked the manufacturer to design a successor — which became the Me 210. But the Me 210 was a handful on its very first test flight — essentially unstable (often a virtue in a fighter, but less so with a twin-engined machine) and prone to stalling and spinning. Despite these flaws, it was ordered into production and an astounding 200 were built before it was abandoned in favor of yet another production run of Bf110’s.

The Me 210 design would be rehabilitated with a re-designed, longer rear fuselage and longer leading edge slats on the wings to counter its tendency to stall. Fitted with more powerful engines (the Daimler-Benz 1850hp 603A inverted V-12), the new two-seat heavy fighter was designated the Messerschmitt Me 410 and called Hornisse (Hornet). The first Me 410’s reached front-line Luftwaffe units in January 1943, replacing Dornier Do 217’s and Junkers Ju 88’s. They were initially employed as nightfighter-bombers over Britain and later as bomber-destroyers in the Mediterranean Theatre. From the Spring of 1944 on, the Me 410 began to replace the Bf 110 in bomber-destroyer (Zerstorer) units in defense of the Reich; it also served as a nightfighter on the Eastern Front.

The Me 410A-1/U4 bomber-destroyer carried a 50mm gun slung beneath the fuselage that weighed 1,984 llbs (900 kg) and had a recoil effect of seven tons. Carrying 21 rounds, the effect of the weapon on enemy bombers would have been devastating while its effect on Me 410 crews was startling at best, and terrifying at its worst. Unfortunately for the Luftwaffe, the Me 0 was no more effective than the Bf 110 it replaced, but over 1100 were built before production halted in September 1944.

Reconnaissance Version
Taking advantage of the type’s relatively high speed (388mph) the Luftwaffe stripped out its armament and bomb-carrying capacity and outfitted it with cameras for the reconnaissance role. The subject of this kit, the Messerschmitt Me 410A-3, was a refinement of the first reconnaissance version, the A-2, with two cameras mounted forward in the nose bomb bay. The A-3 modification featured a larger bomb bay with transparent windows in the bomb bay doors. The cameras used were of three types: the Rb25/30, the Rb50/30 and the Rb75/30 (the first number indicated the camera’s focal length in centimeters, the second the film type; the Rb25/30 had a focal length of 25 cm and the film type was 30 x 30 cm). Two or sometimes three cameras could be mounted, and “Bireg” controllers were mounted in the cockpit which allowed adjustment of the shutter speed and displayed the number of shots remaining.

The cameras were primarily mounted in the bomb bay, or sometimes immediately to the rear of the cockpit, but official blueprints for the aircraft show proposed mounting positions in the rear of the fuselage, as well as the installation of armor plate around the FDSL-131 ammunition drum for the MG 131 13mm machine guns, and to the rear of the cockpit. Long-range reconnaissance squadron 122 (FAG122) flew Ju 88’s and Me 210’s until the Me 410 was delivered to them in the Spring of 1943.

Even though the Me 410 was the fastest twin-engine reconnaissance plane operated by the Luftwaffe at the time, it still fell victim to Allied fighters too often. After the D-Day landings in Normandy, the Me 10 faced a wall of Allied air superiority that it simply could not scale, and the role of top spy plane was passed on to the world’s first jet-powered bomber and reconnaissance platform, the Arado Ar 234B.

The Kit

Fine Molds’ Messerschmitt Me410A-3 is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 80 parts, including 7 clear plastic parts for the canopy and, as this is a reconnaissance version of the Me 410, the apertures for cameras on the ventral surface of the fuselage in the nose. The kit features engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail, as well as a remarkably detailed cockpit and cabin interior. Both offer raised detail for sidewall instrumentation and a rear bulkhead that appears to carry radio and other equipment. Decals are provided for the main and side instrument panels, but the main panel has sufficient raised detail that some modelers will want to paint and detail it using a dry brushing technique.

The underside of the cockpit floor features rich raised detail in the form of two MG151 cannon and two MG17 machine guns, molded onto its surface. Each engine nacelle consists of five parts which may require some seam hiding. The landing gear are nicely detailed but the tires are smooth, having no particular pattern of tread. There are separate parts for the two remotely controlled FDSL-131 turrets mounted on the side of the fuselage aft of the cockpit.

The instructions appear to offer a choice between parts for the reconnaissance version (at Step 8) depicted on the box art, and a Zerstorer version in Step 9, which includes an illustration of two large bombs to be cemented to the exposed gun platform beneath the cockpit — however, no such bombs are included in the kit. The canopy is very well done with crisp, clearly delineated framing. The instruction sheet includes a paint guide for each of the two versions of the reconnaissance plane for which decals are provided, but also includes a guide for stencil placement.

Markings

Decals are provided for an Me 410A-3, code F6+QK, from nightfighter squadron FAG122 bearing a camouflage scheme of Grey Green/Grey Violet with Black Green spinners over Light Blue undersides, with a mottled effect on the vertical tail and lower sides of the fuselage, and a white fuselage band just forward of the tail unit (a decal is provided for this band, but as the markings are likely to be somewhat yellowed – this kit was released in 1996 – modelers may have a better looking finished product if they paint the band on themselves). The second version of decals depicts a nearly identical machine, with the same paint scheme and code letters, the key differences being that the mottled effect appears higher up on the fuselage sides, and the spinners are half White and half Black Green, with a thin band of Light Gull Grey at their base. Colors are identified by their RLM numbers only.

Conclusion

This is a kit of relatively simple construction that nonetheless features remarkable detail. It is a must for anyone interested in German reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Highly recommended.

References

• A Handbook of Fighter Aircraft by Francis Crosby; Copyright 2003 Anness Publishing, Ltd.; London.
• Kit instructions