In Box Review of Fujimi 1/48th Scale German Messerschmitt Bf-110C
Kit no. 5A26-900
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
My kit has a copyright date of 1975.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
My kit has a copyright date of 1975.
HISTORY:
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known non-officially as the Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter (Zerstörer—German for "Destroyer") and fighter-bomber (Jagdbomber or Jabo) developed in Nazi Germany in the 1930's and used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110. It was armed with two MG FF 20 mm cannon, four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, and one 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun or twin-barrel MG 81Z for defense.
Development work on an improved type to replace the Bf 110, the Messerschmitt Me 210 began before the war started, but its teething troubles from its aerodynamics resulted in the Bf 110 soldiering on until the end of the war in various roles, alongside its replacements, the Me 210 and the significantly improved Me 410 Hornisse.
The Bf 110 served with considerable initial success in the early campaigns, the Polish, Norwegian and Battle of France. The primary weakness of the Bf 110 was its lack of agility in the air, although this could be mitigated with the correct tactics.
This weakness was exploited when flying as close escort to German bombers during the Battle of Britain. When British bombers began targeting German territory with nightly raids, some Bf 110-equipped units were withdrawn and redeployed as night fighters, a role to which the aircraft was well suited.
After the Battle of Britain the Bf 110 enjoyed a successful period as an air superiority fighter and strike aircraft in other theaters, and defended Germany from strategic air attack by day against the USAAF's 8th Air Force, until a major change in American fighter tactics rendered them increasingly vulnerable to developing American air supremacy over the Reich as 1944 began.
During the Balkans Campaign, North African Campaign and on the Eastern Front, it rendered valuable ground support to the German Army as a potent fighter-bomber. Later in the war, it was developed into a formidable radar-equipped night fighter, becoming the major night-fighting aircraft of the Luftwaffe.
Most of the German night fighter aces flew the Bf 110 at some point during their combat careers, and the top night fighter ace of all time, Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, flew it exclusively and claimed 121 victories in 164 combat missions.
Bf 110 C First major production series, DB 601 engines. Bf 110 C-0 Ten pre-production aircraft. Bf 110 C-1 Zerstörer, DB 601 B-1 engines. Bf 110.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Heavy fighter, Ground-attack aircraft, Fighter-bomber/Night fighter
Manufacturer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, Messerschmitt
Designer: Willy Messerschmitt
First flight: 12 May 1936
Introduction to service: 1937
Retired: 1945 (Luftwaffe)
Primary users: Luftwaffe, Hungarian Air Force, Italian Regia Aeronautica, Romanian Air Force
Number built: 6,170
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known non-officially as the Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter (Zerstörer—German for "Destroyer") and fighter-bomber (Jagdbomber or Jabo) developed in Nazi Germany in the 1930's and used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110. It was armed with two MG FF 20 mm cannon, four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, and one 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun or twin-barrel MG 81Z for defense.
Development work on an improved type to replace the Bf 110, the Messerschmitt Me 210 began before the war started, but its teething troubles from its aerodynamics resulted in the Bf 110 soldiering on until the end of the war in various roles, alongside its replacements, the Me 210 and the significantly improved Me 410 Hornisse.
The Bf 110 served with considerable initial success in the early campaigns, the Polish, Norwegian and Battle of France. The primary weakness of the Bf 110 was its lack of agility in the air, although this could be mitigated with the correct tactics.
This weakness was exploited when flying as close escort to German bombers during the Battle of Britain. When British bombers began targeting German territory with nightly raids, some Bf 110-equipped units were withdrawn and redeployed as night fighters, a role to which the aircraft was well suited.
After the Battle of Britain the Bf 110 enjoyed a successful period as an air superiority fighter and strike aircraft in other theaters, and defended Germany from strategic air attack by day against the USAAF's 8th Air Force, until a major change in American fighter tactics rendered them increasingly vulnerable to developing American air supremacy over the Reich as 1944 began.
During the Balkans Campaign, North African Campaign and on the Eastern Front, it rendered valuable ground support to the German Army as a potent fighter-bomber. Later in the war, it was developed into a formidable radar-equipped night fighter, becoming the major night-fighting aircraft of the Luftwaffe.
Most of the German night fighter aces flew the Bf 110 at some point during their combat careers, and the top night fighter ace of all time, Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, flew it exclusively and claimed 121 victories in 164 combat missions.
Bf 110 C First major production series, DB 601 engines. Bf 110 C-0 Ten pre-production aircraft. Bf 110 C-1 Zerstörer, DB 601 B-1 engines. Bf 110.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Heavy fighter, Ground-attack aircraft, Fighter-bomber/Night fighter
Manufacturer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, Messerschmitt
Designer: Willy Messerschmitt
First flight: 12 May 1936
Introduction to service: 1937
Retired: 1945 (Luftwaffe)
Primary users: Luftwaffe, Hungarian Air Force, Italian Regia Aeronautica, Romanian Air Force
Number built: 6,170
THE KIT:
Fujimi is based in Shizuoka City, Japan.
The kit comes in a blousy shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is 4" too long.
The box are shows 4 Bf-110's flying against a yellow and orange sky. The Bf-110C in the foreground is in a pattern of dark-green mottle over light-green with a light-blue undercarriage. It has dark-green cowling noses and a splinter pattern above the wings of the 2 greens. It has a wasp's head on the nose and a fuselage code in black of GN + IN, with a yellow fuselage band before the code.
The 3 Bf-110's in the background are too far away to make out any codes or markings.
One side panel of the box has a color side profile of the box art subject and a repeat of the box art with some text.
Fujimi is based in Shizuoka City, Japan.
The kit comes in a blousy shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is 4" too long.
The box are shows 4 Bf-110's flying against a yellow and orange sky. The Bf-110C in the foreground is in a pattern of dark-green mottle over light-green with a light-blue undercarriage. It has dark-green cowling noses and a splinter pattern above the wings of the 2 greens. It has a wasp's head on the nose and a fuselage code in black of GN + IN, with a yellow fuselage band before the code.
The 3 Bf-110's in the background are too far away to make out any codes or markings.
One side panel of the box has a color side profile of the box art subject and a repeat of the box art with some text.
The other side panel has 3 color box arts of other 1/48th scale aircraft kits that Fujimi marketed: kit no. 13, a Fw-190A-6, kit no. 14, a Fw-190D-9 and kit no. 22, a Me-109G/K, followed by a small repeat of this kits box art.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 5 medium-gray trees, a clear tree and the decal sheet in 3 sealed clear cello bags and 2 instruction sheets.
The first instruction sheet consists of a single-sheet, printed on both sides in 20" x 9 1/2" form, folded 3 times along its 20" to fit the box. It is all in Japanese.
The face side of this large sheet begins with a black and white photo of the model made up in the box art scheme, next to the history of the Bf-110 in Japanese, over four 4-views for painting and marking instructions and the parts trees illustrations.
This kit contains 5 medium-gray trees, a clear tree and the decal sheet in 3 sealed clear cello bags and 2 instruction sheets.
The first instruction sheet consists of a single-sheet, printed on both sides in 20" x 9 1/2" form, folded 3 times along its 20" to fit the box. It is all in Japanese.
The face side of this large sheet begins with a black and white photo of the model made up in the box art scheme, next to the history of the Bf-110 in Japanese, over four 4-views for painting and marking instructions and the parts trees illustrations.
Trees are not alphabetized, but do have part number tabs next to the parts on the trees.
The reverse side of this sheet has 5 assembly steps on it, all in Japanese.
The 1st medium-gray tree holds: the fuselage, rudders, elevators, cowlings (11 parts)
The reverse side of this sheet has 5 assembly steps on it, all in Japanese.
The 1st medium-gray tree holds: the fuselage, rudders, elevators, cowlings (11 parts)
The 2nd and 3rd medium-gray trees hold: the wings upper and lower halves (2 parts per tree)
The 4th medium-gray tree holds: the propeller, main wheels, bombs, cockpit floor, belly gun blister, crew figures, antenna, machine guns etc. (36 parts)
The 5th medium-gray tree holds: the other propeller, landing-gear legs, exhaust stacks, nose cone, seats, dashboard etc. (44 parts)
The clear tree holds the cockpit windows (7 parts)
The 2nd instructions sheet is printed in color on one side on slick-coated paper. It is 6 3/4" x 10" format and in a stapled-shut clear cello bag with the decal sheet.
It has a 3-view of the box art subject and a Bf-110 in the same color scheme with fuselage code black LN + red k outlined in yellow back R. It has a logo on the nose of a black dachshund dog chewing on a Russian fighter on the sides of the nose.
Next are four 3-views. The only English with them is the version type they are and unit designations.
1. A Bf-110C-4/B with the 5th/ZG1. Is blank except for German crosses and the swastika on the rudder. It may be all white?
2. A Bf-110C-4 in the box art scheme (already described above). It is with the 1st/ZG26.
3. A Bf-110C-7 with the 7th/JG5, 1940, with a mottle of 2 greens above a light-blue undercarriage. Fuselage code is black UB + YG.
4. A unknown version with no group offered. in overall dark green over a light-blue undercarriage. The fuselage code is black LN + red K outlined in yellow and black R. It has a black dachshund chewing on a Soviet fighter on the the sides of the nose.
It has a 3-view of the box art subject and a Bf-110 in the same color scheme with fuselage code black LN + red k outlined in yellow back R. It has a logo on the nose of a black dachshund dog chewing on a Russian fighter on the sides of the nose.
Next are four 3-views. The only English with them is the version type they are and unit designations.
1. A Bf-110C-4/B with the 5th/ZG1. Is blank except for German crosses and the swastika on the rudder. It may be all white?
2. A Bf-110C-4 in the box art scheme (already described above). It is with the 1st/ZG26.
3. A Bf-110C-7 with the 7th/JG5, 1940, with a mottle of 2 greens above a light-blue undercarriage. Fuselage code is black UB + YG.
4. A unknown version with no group offered. in overall dark green over a light-blue undercarriage. The fuselage code is black LN + red K outlined in yellow and black R. It has a black dachshund chewing on a Soviet fighter on the the sides of the nose.
The decal sheet for the above versions complete the kit.
Nice raised detail.
Highly recommended.