REVELL 1:72 MESSERSCHMITT BF 110E-1

 

Reviewer: Hrvoje Šafhauzer (contact via SMAKR webmaster)
Kit Review submitted:  27 April 2009

Kit Details:

Aircraft History:

Developed as the "Kampfzerstoerer" (combat destroyer), a long range escort fighter intended for clearing a path for bomber streams through enemy defenses, Bf-110 C models were severely mauled during the Battle of Britain. Not for the first time in history, that proved multi-engined fighters were no match for the agile single seaters in maneuvering in close combat. Not that Bf-109 Es fared too much better when tied too close escorting slow bomber formations, but the Bf-110 gained a poor reputation. Some of this was due to incorrect training, not having the emphasis on slashing dive attacks using the devastating nose battery of 2 x 20 mm cannons and 4 x 7.9 MGs and evading maneuvering combat, while defensive tactics when jumped by single seat fighters were not developed properly too. When used as a defensive fighter against bombers, and in the Mediterranean and Eastern Front where enemies were denied radar warning systems, the Bf-110s proved useful. 

As C-4B fighter bombers proved successful in anti-shipping operations in the Channel, further development went in that direction. The E-1 variant appeared in 1941, with strengthened undercarriage for higher take off weights, more powerful 1175/1200hp DB 601 N engines, and underfuselage/underwing bomb racks for a total of 1200 kg bomb loads. Bomb racks were conformal, reducing the drag, but at the expense of limited range of the ordnance that could be used. For cockpit improvements, heating and ventilation, an air intake was placed between nose-mounted MGs, becoming the distinctive feature of this and later variants. Production continued in parallel with the earlier D variant. A three-seat formation leader subvariant, E-1/U2, with additional equipment also appeared. As usual several Rustsatzen (field conversion kits) were used, one of them, R4, substituting a 30 mm Mk101 cannon in ventral tray for bomb racks, and other one, R2, with ETC 1000 racks for two 1000 kg bombs. Used from the freezing ocean off Norway to the hot Libyan desert, E-1s were valuable in providing ground support, until further development concentrated mainly to night fighters due to the exigencies of time.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

The Kit:

When I saw this kit on the shelves of the only kit selling place here in Sarajevo I decided to buy it, instantly. Seeing the price and number of parts, I knew that it could not be a reboxing of an Italeri kit, these should be at least 80% higher priced, but I hoped for a Matchbox one.The idea was to backdate it if possible to represent the single Bf-110 C impressed briefly for VVKJ's (Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force) service during the fateful days of April 1941. After paying for it, and coming home, I opened it to realize its origin.

This kit has been released in 2008, molded in Poland, and venerable Monogram molds were used. Original Monogram kit and parts, and accuracy are described and shown elsewhere on the web, so I am not to repeat this except a fact that the parts are now in pale gray instead of dark green, and that there is no display stand any more. While there is very little flash, the age of the mold is shown by certain parts that were not so good or evenly molded. Also, some ejector pin marks are annoyingly placed on some parts, but these are raised at least – traits of 60s and 70s. As one can see, the bomb pylons are molded integrally with wing undersurface and their removal would entail some modeling skills. Canopy is thick, but transparent enough.

Instructions:

Instructions are typical Revell fare, comprising of 8 pages and providing parts diagram and 10 construction steps. Color codes are provided for Revell paints only, but this time only one color, RLM 65, required mixing – a rare feat for Revell.

Two marking options are provided, both of them in RLM 71/02/65 schemes, and an extensive decal sheet is having 77 numbered items, some of them doubled or quadrupled, with instrument panel dials and radio set detail provided too. First option is an E-1, coded 3U+BC, from Stab II. ZG 26 based at Suwalki, Russia, in June 1941, and flown by Group Commander, Hauptmann (Captain) Ralph von Rettberg. Besides yellow theatre rear fuselage band, rudders and wingtip undersurfaces are yellow and spinners are in stab foliage green color. Second one is E-1, coded 2N+EN, from 5./ZG 76 based at Stavanger, Norway, in November 1941, presumably for anti-shipping duties. Nose is adorned with Staffel distinctive sign – three wasps flying over the waves – and spinner tips are in Gruppe color fiery red, while individual letter is white bordered in black. I think that it should be in Staffel color, red bordered in white or at least bordered in red, but it is debatable. This particular Staffel was transferred to Eastern Front in 1942, according to the references.

Construction:

Since cockpit detail is nonexistent, comprising of a gunner, pilot and a pilot seat with molded in upper harness parts, I decided to scratchbuild some from thin styrene sheets from yogurt cups using Italeri's Bf-110 G-4 parts as patterns. Since the main wheel wells are not boxed in I copied the shape of Italeri parts also. I could easily copy them in plasticine and mold using melted styrene, but the styrene sheet was much faster solution. So the floor including the pilot side consoles, instrument panel, gunner seat back, central (absent) crew member seat, and rear cockpit bulkhead were fashioned in this manner. However, due to cockpit interior color and canopy thickness very little was expected to be recognized when completed, but that made me happier. Also the main landing gear retracting arms were made of stretched sprue, as well as the landing gear cover spreading bars. Since one main wheel is molded with hub having through axle hole, and other with blind hole, two discs with applicable diameter were punched and glued at the wheel hub exteriors. I decided not to correct sink hole and unevenness in one of the hub’s interior, RLM 66 would hide it nicely. Radiators are featureless inside, so I placed the fine mesh from my used blood glucose test strips over the each radiator entry port from inside. Complete model assembling process took hour or two daily, in the afternoons or evenings, whenever my other obligations allowed it.

For prepainting, Revell 45 light olive was used for RLM 02 covered areas of landing gear interiors and legs, blanking, oil coolers, and radiator interior and screens, as indicated by instructions, while Revell 9 anthracite was used for tires, and rubber shock absorbers. Instructions call for the cockpit interior to be in Revell 77 dust gray, and this paint being previously designated as basalt gray, it was obviously RLM 66 and I used Humbrol 92 iron gray instead for fuselage inside and scratchbuilt cockpit parts, and the wheel hubs. The pilot seat was also painted in Hu 92, with not-to-be-seen cushion in Revell 84 leather brown. Third crew member elliptic canvas seat was painted in Revell 45 with details picked out by pencil. Hydraulic details in landing gear bays blanking were made by pencils in various thickness, too, giving a 2-D effect. Spinner tips were painted in gloss Revell 34 Ferrari red, and blade roots in aluminum. Exhausts were painted in my usual mixture of Revell's 84 and 91 steel, and I did it for all four exhaust stacks. MG 17 machine gun barrels, MG 15 rear machine gun, and pitot probe tip were painted in Humbrol 53 gunmetal. Pilot and gunner were painted using Revell's 35 flesh for face, 84 for helmet and gloves, and 79 blue-gray for uniforms, and 9 for boots and goggles, all as indicated by the instructions.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

Construction started with assembling two upper wing parts to single lower one, where the wheel well blanking parts were positioned first. That was dictated by a need to make the port wing leading edge landing light out of clear sprue, so properly dried assembly was required. I used mostly Revell's Contacta glue from tube, and Contacta Professional liquid glue with needle applicator for small and less accessible joints. Some flash and ejector pin marks were removed/sanded as required during process. Gunner and pilot seat were glued to their positions in starboard fuselage to provide reference points to cockpit additions. Than I found out that Italeri's floor clone was too short for my purposes, and I cut it at a point behind the pilot seat and moved some 10 mm to rear. Everything was glued to the starboard fuselage, using the port one clamped for providing alignment. 

In the meantime I decided not to use Revell decals for the instrument panel and radio, but to use panel and dials that I developed based on Italeri's instructions several years ago and printed on a transparent sheet. So the instrument panel with sheet was glued to styrene sheet (painted Humbrol 92), and positioned in place. Port fuselage was glued, and left for 24 hours to dry. Although the radio direction finder loop antenna is too thick for this scale, I opted not to thin it nor replace it with something slimmer from spares bin. In the meantime I fashioned a reflector gunsight out of styrene cube and clear acetate, and using a round needle file I made a seat for landing light in port wing at an indicated position and glued a part of clear rod in there. Later I sanded it to shape, blending it with wing surfaces. After cleaning the fuselage seams I test fitted the MG bay cover, and slight sanding of fuselage was required. Also test fitting of two MG barrels shown that muzzles are too rear comparing to the drawings and photos, so I trimmed the limiting rib inside cover for about 1 mm, and glued them in position.

Before assembling the tail horizontal and verticals to fuselage, I had to remove the ejector pin marks from undersurface and inner surfaces, respectively, using fine wet & dry sand paper. Only slight sanding/filing was required for positioning horizontal tail in its seat, and fins and rudders were placed with no problems also. Nose upper cover with MG barrels was glued next, requiring only sanding of the seams later when dried. Pilot was placed in his seat, gunsight glued to instrument panel top, and radio set dials glued to pilot seat headrest back. Then a first of by screwing up of canopy started – I did not wait for glue at seat top to cure wanting to check position of the gunsight against a windscreen so part of it smeared canopy. I tried to clean it at once, and later to polish with fine sand paper but no avail. Strike 1! Canopy was glued in position together with rear firing MG 15, and everything left to cure.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

One of the advantages of the well-used molds is that some of the parts have additional material thickness. That is why the wings were mated to the fuselage tightly, requiring only some sanding of mating surfaces as dictated by test fitting. I liberally applied glue to edges of the ETC racks molded together with wing lower surfaces and liquid glue to the mating surfaces, and positioned the wing assembly. In doing so, some glue came to my left index finger, and I subsequently left nice fingerprint on canopy top just above pilot. Next day, when I noticed it I made some polishing, but … Strike 2!

Everything then followed easily, landing gear legs, retracting arms, wheel bay covers and spreader bars, mainwheels, aileron balances, and pitot probe all being glued in their respective positions. Just time consuming. And, in the end, from spares bin I sourced two antennae for placing under the rear fuselage as indicated by box artwork and drawings and photos from the references. These were somehow on the thick side, just in line with DF loop antenna. I carved a solid starboard engine air intake, positioning it in an engraved place beside the engine cover. And if one was to use all of the bombs supplied this would be the last time to fill the cavity in 500 kg bombs. Revell (Monogram) instructions lead you to place them with stabilizing fins in + position and that is impossible. Bomb fins shall be in X position, applicable for both underfuselage and underwing bombs. One can use any material for filling, at will, but I used scrap styrene from sprues melted in nitro thinner. Propeller spinner bases were positioned and made rotating my old "hot screwdriver" method, followed by gluing spinner fronts with propeller blades in positions, carefully to retain spinning. Since the exhaust stacks are pretty long, I left them to be attached after painting and decaling.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

Painting & Decaling:

I decided to do a plane from 5./ZG 76, "white E". I started with painting undersurfaces, fuselage sides, and fins and rudders with Humbrol 65 aircraft blue for RLM 65. While doing this I smeared the canopy with my fingertip, and instead of waiting to dry I washed it with thinner, blurring it further. Attempts to mend it by polishing failed, and I decided to leave it as it is not being willing to heat-smash a new from clear acetate. Strike 3 – I was out! This thing was never intended for any contest anyhow. Cannon ports were blackened by using permanent soft tip pen, and such green and red pens were used for wingtip formation lights. For the rest of it I took a course which was quite opposite to the suggested one, starting with Revell 40 black-green as RLM 70 for spinners and blades. Revell 39 dark green for RLM 71 areas followed, and finally Revell 45 was applied including canopy frames. Of course, at least 24 hours were left between painting major colors for proper drying. All paints were applied with wider brush, with fine pointed one used for canopy frames, RLM 02 and 71 blotches over the RLM 65, detailing and touch-ups, and with no masking at all – I am too lazy to do so in this scale. Clear gloss paint was not applied at all, something that I was to regret.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

For decaling, I started from the biggest decals – Luftwaffe markings and codes at all positions indicated. The decaling session lasted several days due to the myriad of them. Fin swastikas were sourced from decal dungeon, and these are the smallest that I had available, originating from an unknown source and requiring covering with Revell 02 matt clear for preventing breakage before being used. Revell decals are nice, thin and opaque, however these were very eager to part from backing paper fast when soaked in water but very reluctant to adhere to matt painted surfaces, no matter being painted by Humbrol or Revell paints. This was first time for me to happen with these newer Revell’s Italy printed decals, while something similar happened to me with ESCI decals in past. Must be the weaker adhesive on the decal backing in question. 

Decaling continued with wing decals, and when dried I covered all previously applied decals by Revell 02 for sealing them in position because handling the plane moved some of them. Also I did not wash decal adhesive residue from surfaces, noting that even the least amount of moisture or pressure would cause decal to leave position. Instructions are somewhat not clear about some decal positions, and to make things worse none of my references shown wing walkways in color drawings at all, so I had to make some guessing. Although instructions indicated dashed red wing walkways for this option, I used continuous red walkways intended for option one, saving surplus stenciling to beef up the Italeri's kit when making it in future. Decaling the fuselage completed this several days long session. When it came to applying the teeny-weeny port fuselage frame numbers, 17 of them, I called it a day – life is not long enough for this.

In the end, Revell 02 was used for sealing the last of the decals, with final touch-ups where required. I placed the exhaust stacks followed by all bombs, painted in Revell 40, in their respective positions. Finally, aerial wire made of stretched sprue was attached, completing the model.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

Conclusion:

I am not one to enter the raised-vs-engraved details dispute. Any solution is nice to me as long as it represents details nicely. This kit is affordable, and could be easily assembled by a beginner too. And if nothing else available soon, I would probably treat myself with another one and try to backdate it to a Bf-110 C. It is up to one to buy this kit or to modify some more elaborate one for having the E variant in collection.

Review courtesy of my valet, as usually.


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

References:


© Hrvoje Safhauzer 2009

 

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