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The Messerschmitt
Bf 110 was a Luftwaffe workhorse, and was one of the few types that served in
one form or another for the entire duration of the second world war. Fighter,
escort fighter, fighter bomber, night fighter/intruder; the Bf 110 did it all,
with varying degrees of success.
During the latter
half of WWII, allied bomber formations were laying waste to the cities of the
Third Reich. Existing Luftwaffe aircraft types were modified to combat these
seemingly unstoppable formations. Cannon of various calibers, as well as
rockets, flares, and even bombs were fitted to destroy the B-17s and B24s.
| The Werfer
Granat 21 was one such weapon, a tube-launched rocket propelled grenade
which could be fired into the allied bomber formations outside of their
defensive range. These rockets, while not very accurate, did have the
effect of breaking up the bomber formations, so that the Luftwaffe
fighters could close in to deal with the stragglers with their cannon and
machine guns. When the long range escorting P-51 Mustangs began
accompanying the bombers in significant numbers, the twin engine Luftwaffe
bomber destroyers didn’t stand a chance, and suffered appalling losses. |
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This model is the
Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-2 from Revell-Monogram in 1/48 scale. This is a bomber
destroyer version of ZG 76 armed with four WGr.21 rockets, four MG 151 20mm
cannon, and a twin MG81 for defense.
| The kit was
built out of the box with some minor modifications. Seatbelts from the
Reheat range were added to the cockpit seats. Applique armor was added to
the nose section fashioned from .005” plastic card - templates for these
are provided in the kit instructions: A nice touch. |
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see larger image. |
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A bit of filler
is required along the fuselage join, as well as the tail plane to fuselage area.
Other than that, the fit is pretty good. I removed the under fuselage antenna,
and later replaced it with fine wire. The parts for mounting the wing fuel tanks
are a little fiddly, so I made a simple jig out of styrene sheet to line up the
mounting brackets. The muzzles of the gun barrels on the belly pod were bored
out with a twist drill.
| The cockpit was
painted Tamiya German Grey acrylic. Gunze acrylics were used for the
camouflage scheme of RLM 74 and 75 greys over 76 pale blue. The side of
the fuselage is mottled with these colours as well as a few spots of RLM
02 grey. The landing gear assemblies and gear bays are RLM 02. |
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| The entire model
was then given a gloss finish with Floquil Crystal Cote. Decals are kit
supplied, except for the swastika, which is from an Aeromaster sheet.
Unfortunately, the kit instructions are not clear as to the placement of
some of the data markings. The excellent MBI book on the Bf 110 helped
here. A semi gloss finish was achieved with several light coats of Floquil
Clear Flat enamel. Weathering was accomplished with ground pastel chalks
and washes of Raw Umber oil paint thinned with spirits. The exhaust
staining is lightly sprayed layers of Tamiya Flat Black, Earth, and Buff
acrylic. |
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on above image to see larger image. |
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(click on
the image below to load the full size photo)
Overall, this was
an enjoyable build. The model is also a great value (it cost about half of what
the Pro-Modeller Bf 110 G-4 goes for. They are basically the same kit, with a
few different parts and decals). The finished model captures the sinister look
of the Bf 110 Bomber Zerstörer.
Will
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