I got 2 academy 1/48 bf109G kits the G-6 and G-14. I usually go for the hasegawa stuff due to detail and ease of adding more detail, but a 50% off sale and the fact that they come with wing armement and actually produce a OOB foreign service or desert 109 with no mods made me pick them up.
Review
the kits are actually pretty nice and do build an accurate 109 as far as shape and outline go. they also provide you with optional wing cannons, stove pipes, and a umbrella for desert service 109’s. They do have recessed panel lines and fair amount of surface detail in most areas. The academy kits are also between 7 and 12 dollors less expensive then the hasegawa 109’s. Fit seems to be ok from the dry test I have done so far. If you are looking for a easy to build OOB 109 and total accuracy is not important to you this is the kit for you. Unlike hasegawa who has many small sub assembly parts to deal with academy has opted to just keep them as things like slants, radiators and such molded on. On the con side this also makes for an less real looking 109 when viewed upclose and by people who know the aircraft, not to mention inaccurate when in the ground.
I usually do not do in progress builds becasue I tend to build pretty slow, but here it goes.
here are shots of the wing as they came .problem is onthe ground the slants should be extended due to lack of air pressure pushing them in, and the rad doors should be some degree open to allow cooling after engine shut down heat soak. the rad tail itself is only fair. this will be replaced with photo etch and scratchbuilt parts.
here you can see the slats have been cut away as well as one of the rad doors/flaps.
here is a closer view with some rivit detail added to major panels. the interior gear doors are waiting for canvas and other details to be added.
here we come to the real short comings of this kit. the chin rad is molded to the fuselage and not only is the rear door not a seperate piece, it’s not even scribed on. I will be removing this adding the door, door actuator, rad detail, and center brace to this.
I have the interior and exterior photo etch for this kit. it will provide me with some of the detail I need. the rest will be scratchbuilt. I have not yet started on the cockpit or gear doors. I’ll finish the radiators first and post more when i have made progress.