A-Model 1/72 Messerschmitt Bf109V31
By Jacob Russell
The Plane
The Messerschmitt Bf109V31 (werknummer 5642) was one of four Bf109F aircraft which participated in the development program of the proposed Me 309 series. The plane was modified to utilize the Me 309's ventral radiator and inward-retracting landing gear. The Me 309 series, despite innovations such as tricycle landing gear and a pressurized cockpit was not successful and the project was ultimately abandoned in mid 1943.
The Model
The kit is packaged in A-Model's standard thin cardboard box with computer-generated artwork on the box top. The kit is composed of 57 parts on 4 sprues. The mold is based on the Fine Molds Bf109F series tool but lacks an equivalent level of finesse. There is a reasonable level of cockpit detail, but the fuselage panel lines are faint and incomplete. The seat has a curious ridge on the back portion and I was suspicious about its accuracy. But I found a photograph of a Bf109F seat with this ridge on page 44 of the book Bf109F by Janusz Ledwoch so the kit seat is accurate. The two-part engine cover can be posed open although these parts are not scale thickness and lack the prominent interior ribs. If you want to model the covers open you'll have to vacuform them in thin styrene and detail their interiors for accuracy in appearance.
The engine itself will look quite good with some careful detail painting and dry brushing. The wheels and landing gear are pretty good. The kit's smallest parts-mass balances, pitot tube, control stick, etc.-will be VERY difficult to remove from the sprues without damage due to both their thick attachment points and the relative fineness of these parts. Measure twice, cut once, as carpenters say! You may have to raid your spares box if you ruin one of these tiny parts. The clear parts are the weakest point of the kit and they will definitely require a dip in Future floor wax for best results. Or you can use the kit parts as masters to vacuform replacements.
The decal sheet is well printed and in register, but not in the same league as AeroMaster or Eagle Strike. A complete set of stencils is included but the smallest of these are illegible. The sheet also includes an instrument panel decal which is great because the plastic panel would be very difficult to paint! The carrier sheet is matte, and A-Model decals are prone to shattering upon dipping in water. I would advise coating the entire sheet with a clear gloss coat for best results. The single decal option is painted in RLM 74/75/76 with white wingtips. The color profile on the kit instructions lacks any fuselage mottle, but according to photographs in Messerschmitt Me 109 Part 3, by Robert Michulec, the plane should have the standard RLM 02/70/74 mottle of the official August 15th, 1941 camouflage pattern. The plans also depict the spinner as 2/3rd white and 1/3rd black but in the photos it looks like it is painted in RLM 70 rather than black. The tailwheel also appears to have a whitewall and the lower nose could be natural metal.
The instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow with 7 logical steps. The color callouts are for Humbrol enamels.
Accuracy
The fuselage length, wing span, and tailplanes are an exact match to the 1/72nd scale plans in the book Messerschmitt Me 109 Part 3, by Robert Michulec, published by AJ Press. Dimensional accuracy is one thing. Another thing entirely is whether or not the kit parts appear to be accurate. The A-Model kit passes this test with flying colors: it looks like the Bf109V31.
Conclusion
This is a limited-run kit with good detail. You will need to take your time removing the parts from the sprues, and spend some time with clean-up and test fitting. The end result will be an accurate model of a fairly obscure variant of the Bf109. I would like to thank Scale Model Kits for providing the review sample, and Jim Schubert for proofreading this article.
References
Messerschmitt "0-Nine" Gallery, by Thomas H.Hitchcock, Monogram Aviation Publications, 1973.
Monogram Close-Up No.9, by Thomas H.Hitchcock, Monogram Aviation Publications, 1990.
Messerschmitt Me 109 Part 3, by Robert Michulec, AJ Press, 2000.
Bf109F, by Janusz Ledwoch, Wydawnictwo Militaria, 1997.
