AMODEL 1:72 BF-109Z ZWILLING

 

Reviewer: Brian Manning  (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  1 March 2003

Aircraft History:

Y'all would know what a Bf-109 is so I won't bore you with a run down on that.  The Bf 109Z is an experimental long range aircraft that was two Bf-109F fuselages joined together by a central main wing and tailplane section - much like the F-82 Twin Mustang, expect only the port airframe had a pilot, while the other was filled with fuel.

The Kit:

This kit is pretty hard to come by nowadays and is probably now classed as one of Amodels earlier forays into limited run injection molded plastic.  This shows as soon as you open up the box as the white plastic has a brown dirty look to it and the panel line engraving is pretty heavy.  You get the feeling that there Amodel have put together two Bf-109F kits and added some extra parts to join the two fuselages together through the rear stabiliser and main wing sections.  There is a fair amount of flash on the parts, particularly around the smaller parts and the mouldings have a brittle feel to them.

Instructions:

These come in the form of three A4 sized pages.  One is devoted to a brief history of the aircraft written in some form of Russian, another provides the assembly steps and the final page provides a three view diagram showing markings and decal placement.  Generic and RLM colour notes are quoted during construction and markings phases.

Construction:

Thankfully there is only one cockpit to worry about in this kit and you get some stuff for the spare box because of this and other areas during the project.  Parts provided for the cockpit are pretty rudimentary but the thick and not very clear canopy won’t allow too much to be seen later anyway.  A floor, seat, stick and instrument panel were glued into the port fuselage airframe with some test fitting needed first.

Parts had to be carefully removed from the sprue and subsequently cleaned and prepared for mating.  The fuselage halves for both airframes go together quite well but benefited from some after-care to remove the join lines and just generally clean up the airframes.  The propeller sub assembly is also best done beforehand so it can be trapped between the fuselage halves and be made moveable.  I thought the spinner was a bit oversized but it compared favourably to some photos.

The long single underwing piece was then attached, with some test fitting and trimming needed to fit before adding the upper wing halves.  The centre upper wing piece did not fit very well and needed a few millimetres trimmed either side in order to fit.  Filler was needed to plug up the gaps at all the joins here.  A similar story could be told for the tailplane which also connects the two airframes together, again requiring filler to plug up the gaps.

The undercarriage is pretty basic and the parts need cleaning as flash is all over them.  They have to be placed into the bays at a fairly prominent angle, and of course you need to do both airframes undercarriage at once so that the model will sit straight.  I could make a suggestion that you attach the outer undercarriage on both fuselages so they are level, then the inner ones to match.  This section required a fair bit of time and patience in lining up the undercarriage of both airframes.  The angle looks a little odd to me, but it was the only way the undercarriage would hold in place and be level.

Fitting the canopy was quite frustrating, and it required a bit of trimming and sanding to fit onto the port airframe.  The canopy is also a bit distorted and not quite correctly shaped, and really could be classed as a crude example of the Bf 109 distinctive canopy.  It is probably best replaced in hindsight.  

For external detail the kit provides fuselage aerial mast and wing pitot probe both for the port side.  A centreline slung bomb is provided as well as wing mounted machine gun fairings.  Each part needed very careful detaching from the sprue, a thorough clean up and their mating areas sanded to aid in the bonding to the aircraft.

Versions/Decals:

There is only one version which can be produced from the kit which is an RLM 71/74/76 in splinter camouflage upper surfaces and mottle on the fuselage and tail fin, and a blue 16 on the mid fuselage.  A very good array of stencilling is provided in the rather comprehensive looking decal sheet, which also includes swastikas.  The colour register is quite good with the decals appearing matt, but the carrier film was a bit on the excessive side.  However, even with the use of decal setting solution they were not very responsive, and wanted to curl given the first available opportunity.  They would also be a little prone to disintegrating if left in the water too long.  Thankfully the Bf 109 is not a kit that is hard to get decals for and it may well be better to go for some aftermarket replacement sets.

Accuracy:

I have very little info on the Bf 109Z so cannot really comment.  Information I do have indicates that it is two Bf 109F airframes, cut at the fuselage sides (depending which side the airframe would go on) merged together with a centreline wing and tailplane section, and a cockpit removed from the starboard airframe.  This kit thus captures the look of the Bf 109F quite well but the angle of the undercarriage doesn’t look right.

Conclusion:

I suspect that this kit is probably the only game in town when it comes to modelling the Bf 109Z so if you must have one then I will certainly give this kit its due recommendation for choice of subject and general result of the finished project, but replacing the decals and canopy would certainly make this kit even better. It should only really be tackled by the modeller who has put together a few kits because the general limited run nature, removal of flash and clean up of parts would make those of lesser skill frustrated with the exercise.

 

Note: the following related reviews links have not been updated since early 2000's - more kit reviews of this aircraft may now be on SMAKR, not reflected below.  Refer to the Index for other kits of this type. 

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