Dujin 1/72 Messerschmitt BFW M 31 DA 72154
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History
The BFW M 31 was designed in 1932 by Willy Messerschmitt to be an inexpensive
and robust trainer and sportplane in the same vein as the M 17, M 23,
and M 27. It was developed to use readily available German produced engines
and the sole M 31 (W.Nr 607) was initially fitted with the five-cylinder
BMW Xa radial engine, although the more powerful four-cylinder Hirth HM
60 was ultimately installed.
The wings and horizontal stabilizer were of wooden construction and
ply covered, while the fuselage was of metal tube construction with fabric
covering; the control surfaces and rudder were wooden with fabric covering.
The propellor was laminated wood of two types.
An unusual feature of this little trainer was the joystick in the forward
cockpit, which could be rendered inoperable by simply turning its grip.
Other notable features included a freely swivelling tailskid, a small
luggage compartment aft of the rear cockpit and large low pressure tires
for softer landings, especially when used in its trainer role.
Despite being exhibited at the 1932 Deutsche Luftsport Asstellung (German
Sport Aviation Exhibition) or DELA, the M 31 generated little interest
and the project was abandoned. The M 31 was registered D-2623 in 1933
after being fitted with the Hirth engine and in 1934 was acquired by the
RLM where it most likely was used in its intended role as a trainer.
The Kit:
 This
is not a 'shake the box and it builds itself' kit; heck, it doesn't even
come in a box! As with Dujin's other releases this kit comes sealed in
a plastic bag and will require a good bit of work to complete. That's
not to say that it is a bad kit, just a little rough. There are 17 parts
including two duplicate instrument panels, two pairs of vacuformed windscreens
and a length of copper strut material. Also included is a brief history
of the type in French and a set of 1/72 scale drawings and a single black
and white photo.
The fuselage comes in two halves and requires a fair amount of cleanup
before they will mate properly. Internal detail is nonexistant, with two
seats and two insturment panels being the only bits provided. A bulkhead
separating the front and rear cockpits is molded into the fuselage halves
but it will be easier to remove this in order to cleanup and detail the
fuselage sidewalls. Afterwards a new one can be made from plastic card,
but I suspect that what really separates the two cockpits is most likely
a tube framework rather than a full bulkhead.
The wings are given as a solid piece with the dihedral built in. The
trailing edge is a bit ragged but cleans up well enough, although my example
has some pinholes on the control surfaces which will be difficult to address
without damaging the petite detail. It might be best to scratch a set
of replacement ailerons in case of accident or if you wish to model the
control surfaces a bit offset.
 One
rather daunting area is the fuselage-to-wing joint, an airfoil shaped
opening in the lower fuselage. The fit here is OK, but as you can see,
the area where the wing leading edge and fuselage meet needs some major
attention. One thing missing which would help this somewhat is a wing
root fairing.
The tailplane is given as a single piece but will need to be separated
and butt jointed to the fuselage sides. The rudder is given as a separate
piece. A five-cylinder radial engine, prop and cowl are provided, as is
a tailskid and two wheels. No landing gear is given, instead a length
of copper strut material is provided. Take care at this point as the kit
drawings indicate two struts per landing gear assembly, while the photo
provided shows the correct three strut arrangment. Likewise care should
be taken when attaching the landing gear as no locating points are shown.
Colors and Markings:
Dujin's BFW M 31 builds into the unregistered BMW engined example,
not the later Hirth engined example, so the 'D-2623' registration shown
on the kit drawings is not applicable.
Dujin call for the M 31 to be painted in overall RLM 63 grey with a
white arrow from the engine cowling to midway down the fuselage sides,
but upon close examination of the three photos of this aircraft that I
have and comparing them to photos of the light blue BFW M 35 flown by
Willi St–r, it is possible that the M 31 was also painted light blue.
The wings and tailplanes may have been painted white, but it is difficult
to tell. As always, trust your own research, not mine.
Reference:
Three reference sources are listed;
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Die Deutsche Luftfahrt No. 17: Willy Messerschmitt (see Internet
Modeler, February 2005)
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Die Deutsche Luftfahrt No. 23 Sport Reiseflugzeuge,
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Deutsche Flugzeugkonstructeure by Walter Zueil.
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There is also an excellent photo of the M 31 in Bruno Lange's Das
Buch Der Deutschen Luftfahrttechnik.
Conclusion:
What can I say? It's a Dujin! . a pretty basic kit which will require
a good bit of work to build properly, but it is unlikely that we will
ever see another kit of the M 31; not for the faint of heart, but not
unbuildable either. In fact, the basic components of the kit do scale
out pretty well, with the length only six scale inches short and the wingspan
about a foot over.
Once completed this will be an unusual addition to any collection and
will look great sitting next to some of Willy's better known designs.
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