Eduard 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf 108 In Foreign Service
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History
Introduced in 1935, the four seat Bf 108B was derived from the two seat
Bf 108A. It was powered by a 240 hp Argus V-8 engine, which was mounted
in the inverted position. Modifications were made to the airframe, including
replacement of the tail skid with a tail wheel. The success of the aircraft
attracted the attention of the Luftwaffe, which put it into service in
the liaison and communications role. This design was further modified
into the WW2 single seat Bf 109 fighter..
The Kit
 I
remember from about 10 years ago building Eduard WWI kits and wondering
exactly where this company with it's "scratch-built in kit form"
subjects was headed. Now, upon opening up this kit, I can tell Tamiya
and Hasegawa that they need to stand aside and make room for Eduard. They
have definitely risen to the top of their trade, and this kit matches
anything the best companies are producing these days.
The molding on this kit is, in one word, beautiful. All panel lines
and rivet details are engraved. Everything looks good as far as the scale
goes, although the engraving may be just a tad deep. It shouldn't be noticeable
after the kit is assembled and painted though.
 A
complete interior is provided. There are two versions; one for the original
four seater, and the other being a military three seater with extra fuel
tanks in the cabin. Pre-painted PE seatbelts are provided, as well as
other PE details to add to the interior. The instrument panel has three
options. A solid plastic panel that requires everything to be painted,
a plastic one with holes for silk-screened instrument faces, and a two
piece pre-painted PE panel and instrument faces. It's a good thing all
this detail is provided, as the canopy is extremely well done, and should
allow a great view of the cockpit when the kit is completed.
 The
Argus engine is also provided. Each cylinder is molded separately, as
well as exhaust pipes, pushrods, engine mounts, and gear case. Although
there are no opening panels on the kit, the addition of the engine should
encourage modifications to show off the engine detail. What I assume to
be an oil cooler is also included, complete with PE intake and "exhaust"
covers.
The only thing that seems to lack details are the wheel wells. There
isn't really much detail provided, but maybe it was this way on the original
aircraft. PE brake lines are included for the main landing struts. Also
included is an adhesive backed masking template for both the wheels and
canopy.
 The
instruction sheet is laid out nicely, and should be easy to follow. A
separate painting guide is provided, showing all aircraft versions in
color, rather than black and white.
The decal sheet is very well done, and includes markings for six different
versions of the 108 in foreign service. This is really a nice change of
pace, as some of these markings are for what I would call countries that
are not in the modeling "mainstream". These include aircraft
used by Japan, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
Conclusion
  This
should prove to be a popular kit. Historically, any collection of Bf 109
versions should have it as the fore father of the breed, or so to speak.
It should also be popular to those who build models of private aircraft
from the '30s. This kit is highly recommended. If you haven't considered
building an Eduard kit before, you certainly can't go wrong with choosing
this one to start with..
Thanks to Eduard for the review
sample.
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