The best 1/32 Scale BF109?

A member here "Doogs" built a beautiful 1/32 Eduard 109-E7 Trop.  He has a link to his blog page in his signature, check it out.

 Thanks Reasoned, I'll take a look, anybody else have a favourite?

Hey Ian - saw your comment on my blog as I was about to head out to the bench - thanks for stopping by!

The Eduard 109 is a very solid effort, you certainly won't be sorry if you go that way, but it does have a few small issues. I think the cockpit's a bit spartan, even with PE. The upper cowl fit is atrocious (or was on mine), so consider building it opened up to show off the engine. Also, the landing gear is a bit fiddly to locate properly thanks to what seems like Eduard's aversion to providing solid and positive fit. Also...there is PE, but most of it consists of things like the instrument panel and radiator mesh. 

I haven't built it yet, but I have Cyber-Hobby's (Dragon) new 109E-4 in the stash and it is drop-dead gorgeous. Can't really offer any insight on how well it goes together, but detail-wise, and I think build-up wise, it has the edge on the Eduard. And the vast majority of the detail is injection molded. 

If I were to pick just one, personally I'd probably opt to try the Cyber-Hobby. That and it's cheaper than the Eduard too. But as yet they've only got the E-4.

Here's a quick comparison pic of the drop tanks included in each kit (Eduard is beige)

And here's the armament:

For a 109G, Hasegawa; for a 109K, RevellGermany, Hasegawa; 109E, there are lots of great choices to be had today- Eduard, Dragon, and Trumpeter are all new quality kits; 109F, Hasegawa.

1/32 Revell Bf 109G-4, about 38.00 bucks U.S....  My understanding is that it's a re-box of a Hasegawa kit.. Dunno for sure though, never built anything labeled Hasegawa... 

Doogs, thanks for that and the comparison photo's. I had heard that the Eduard kit was a bit fiddly, and had almost decided on the Trumpeter, but I think I am going to go with the Dragon! Cheers, Ian

Thanks for your replies up to now guys, has anybody built the Dragon kit?

OrfyWorfy

Thanks for your replies up to now guys, has anybody built the Dragon kit?

It literally just came out around the end of January...all I've seen so far are in-the-box reviews. 

After I finish my Mossie, I've got two more builds locked in (Sopwith Pup and a PBJ-1). After that, I may well tackle the Dragon E-4. Especially if I haven't seen any build logs of the thing emerge before then.

Can't wait to see it Doogs, I'll keep my eyes on your blog! Looking forward to seeing the Mossie, looks like you have a pretty disciplined routine going there!

Here's an excellent article comparing the various 32nd scale 109E's that have been released  to date.

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/WW2/raypeterson/me109pt1/me109pt1.php

I have to say I was surprised to see how well the old Matchbox kit stands up to it's more recent siblings.

Thanks for the excellent reference coogrfan.

Have to admit, I'm not a big fan of "accuracy" roundups. Every one of those 109Es looks like a 109E, and built up, no one's ever going to look at it and say "the rudder is 1mm too long". I'm much more interested in 1) the details and 2) how each kit builds up. Shoddy wheels or a spartan cockpit will stand out way more, IMO.

Looking forward to part 2 of that comparison, though!

Also, the same guy did an in-box review of the Cyber-Hobby 109, with tons of detail pics:

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/cyberhobby/dml109e/dml109e.php

FWIW, I'm currently on 109 kick, so this question is well-timed..  this is what i've found out in my rash pursuit of a full collection-

Eduard E-7, as Doogs said, has iffy fit and somewhat spartan interior.  Nice details.  I haven't gotten to the cowling yet...

Trumpeter F-4- I had some engine cowling issues, pose it opened up to show off the engine.  Great otherwise.  Vinyl tires!

Dragon E-4- great detail, great fit (so far, in the office) as is usual of current DML kits.  Lots of DML fiddly bits and the confusing instructions.  I've already tweezerpulted two IP knobs (recovered!).  Probably the best decals of the lot.

Hasegawa F-4 Trop- basic detail, absolutely the best fit that I've seen yet, only marking for Marseille's aircraft in Afrika. 

Of these four, I'd recommend either the DML or the Trumpy to start with and then follow up with the others.  Really, you can't go wrong with any listed and you have a wide choice of markings from the selections mentioned.

coogrfan

Here's an excellent article comparing the various 32nd scale 109E's that have been released  to date.

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/WW2/raypeterson/me109pt1/me109pt1.php

I have to say I was surprised to see how well the old Matchbox kit stands up to it's more recent siblings.

Thats a superb article coogrfan, thanks for posting that. The power of the internet!

DoogsATX

Have to admit, I'm not a big fan of "accuracy" roundups. Every one of those 109Es looks like a 109E, and built up, no one's ever going to look at it and say "the rudder is 1mm too long". I'm much more interested in 1) the details and 2) how each kit builds up. Shoddy wheels or a spartan cockpit will stand out way more, IMO.

Looking forward to part 2 of that comparison, though!

Also, the same guy did an in-box review of the Cyber-Hobby 109, with tons of detail pics:

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/cyberhobby/dml109e/dml109e.php

This guy certainly goes to town with the scope of his reviews, very detailed. Well, it looks like the Cyber Hobby kit it is. I'll get to ordering that right now and let you all know how it goes. Maybe I'll do a build review as I go along.

That will make it interesting and make sure I do a good job!

hasegawa 109F-4

In my not-so-humble opinion, the current CyberHobby E-4 and the Trumpeter F-4 and G-6 are vastly superior kits to the Hasegawa offerings...  they really are that good.

coogrfan

Here's an excellent article comparing the various 32nd scale 109E's that have been released  to date.

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/WW2/raypeterson/me109pt1/me109pt1.php

I have to say I was surprised to see how well the old Matchbox kit stands up to it's more recent siblings.

The second part of this article:

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/WW2/raypeterson/me109pt2/bf109ept2.php

Dre

In my not-so-humble opinion, the current CyberHobby E-4 and the Trumpeter F-4 and G-6 are vastly superior kits to the Hasegawa offerings...  they really are that good.

 

i love the hase F4 but i would agree with trumps kit. if you want open cowling to show off the engine then the trump is definitely the winner. 

i have trumps G-6 and it's cheaper then hase 32nd F-4.

I have revell of germany's Bf109K4 in my stash which is a hasegawa rebox (at half the price mind you). Excellent detail i must say. If you want to go for a top notch paintjob as opposed to pumping in aftermarket stuff you still might wanna consider this one

Richard

Pro-Modeler G-Trop looks good in the box. Picked one up a couple of years ago for under $20.

The Pro-Modeler kit is the Hasegawa kit reboxed. 

Hasegawa 1/32 scale kits do usually have good fit and the mold quality is usually excellent.  However, I think many of their recent kits are a step backwards in detail over both what is out there new and even their older kits.  For example, the old Fw-190 had the engine and optional parts to make several versions.  The level of detail is about what you'd expect from a decent 1/48 scale kit. 

Everyone else producing new 1/32 scale kits are producing much more detailed kits which this scale is ideal for.  Trumpeter kind of goes overboard with detail nobody is ever going to see and they have made some huge blunders in their research.  Tamiya is always outstanding, but there are a lot of other players too.  The newer Revell-Germany kits in 1/32 are excellent kits of subjects nobody else has ever done in injection molded.  Dragon and Eduard are pretty good too. 

A couple of months ago I learned about Zoukei-Mura.  They only have two kits out (a Shinden and a Ta-152H) with a Skyraider coming soon.  I got the Shinden and Ta-152 and they are staggeringly gorgeous kits. 

The advantage of Hasegawa kits is that they are among the cheapest of the newer 1/32 scale kits.  And they have done some things nobody else has done recently like P-40s (E and later) and the Japanese fighters.

The originator of this thread talked about getting the Big Ed set for his first effort.  I read a reviewer several years ago sum it up nicely.  He called it "gilding the lily".  There are some older kits like the Monogram B-17 that could benefit from a few aftermarket parts, but most of the newer kits are just fine without a lot of extra parts.  The exception being if you wanted to do a conversion of a kit into another mark, or the original kit maker got something very wrong which Trumpeter has done on several occasions.

Just my opinion of course.

Bill

My personal favorites are my old Matchbox and Revell, because they only cost me ten bucks each. All of the 1/32 kits have their good and bad points.  Also if you built any manufacture's kit and took it to a show and mislabeled  it, chances are no one would notice.  Me? I know it's not the right scale, but I'd give an eye denture for an old Aurora kit.  I loved that metallic maroon color.

OrfyWorfy

 

DoogsATX:

 

Have to admit, I'm not a big fan of "accuracy" roundups. Every one of those 109Es looks like a 109E, and built up, no one's ever going to look at it and say "the rudder is 1mm too long". I'm much more interested in 1) the details and 2) how each kit builds up. Shoddy wheels or a spartan cockpit will stand out way more, IMO.

Looking forward to part 2 of that comparison, though!

Also, the same guy did an in-box review of the Cyber-Hobby 109, with tons of detail pics:

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/cyberhobby/dml109e/dml109e.php

 

 

This guy certainly goes to town with the scope of his reviews, very detailed. Well, it looks like the Cyber Hobby kit it is. I'll get to ordering that right now and let you all know how it goes. Maybe I'll do a build review as I go along.

That will make it interesting and make sure I do a good job!

I just snagged the Cyber offering at Amazon for $38 and free shipping...a great bargain:

http://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Hobby-32-Messerschmitt-BF109E-4/dp/B004DTWJSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1307306660&sr=8-1

Trumpeter deceived everyone by claiming that an early G with some slight changes was an F-4.  Hasegawas F-4 actually is one.  A  comparison build in another magazine states that one is not really any better than the other.

I wish the manufacturers would realize the we all have our space limitations and instead of everyone designing 109s, 190s, Spits, and P51s, look for what hasn't been produced, like Pacific Coast has been doing.  When Zoukei Mura came out with their first release of an obscure Japanese fighter, I went wow.  I was now dreaming of my 32nd Nick and Dianas on my shelf.  I wish you could see the look on my face when I just found out their next release is yet another @#$%^&* Mustang.  What's next after that?  Another $%^&*(!@ BF109E4?  I don't care if they even have wires running to the wing lights.  I'm not going to buy one.  We can show those Manufacturers by not buying releases after a couple companies have released the same plane before them.

The market is glutted with Mustangs.  And I don't know how anyone is going to beat the Tamiya Mustang for features, ease of build, and accuracy.  About the only advantage other Mustangs might have is the price.

Everyone has the iconic aircraft because they sell.  Casual modellers only build the most famous of aircraft.

However, I do think the market is overloaded with some of these aircraft and would like to see some other aircraft modeled.

Bill