I dusted my build of Falcon’s CRUDE 1/48 Bf 109G-12 two-seat trainer, and painted it. I replaced the rudder pedals, prop blades, main & tail wheels and fuselage rack with items from Hasegawa kits. I scratched some landing gear covers and I’ll make a pitot from tube and wire (the white metal item has a large parting line, and is not even round !) This was one of the crustiest kits I’ve ever seen. Heavy flash, huge gaps, poorly detailed parts, and bent white metal items nearly drove me to frustration. But I wanted this one on my shelf, so more work than usual was necessary. I had to attach the vac canopy before painting, and I chose to open the hatches first, rather than risk having the paint flake off if I tried to bend them open later. There’s almost as much Zap-A-Gap as there is plastic here !
Swanny - if you want a two-seat 109, this is the only game in town. They also produced a conversion to be used with a Fujimi kit. The kit scales nearly perfectly with a Hasegawa 109, and the shape looks good. The detail is just disappointing in a lot of areas. I got this from Squadron back in '98, for about $25 IIRC. Not worth the $45 price tag, in my opinion.
Dragonfire - the worst gaps were on the bottom of the wings. The whole wingtip is molded with the top wing, as are the ailerons. There’s also a lot of CA around the canopy.
therriman & fightnjoe - I don’t know about a beauty queen or a masterpiece, but I’m giving this kit my best shot. It’s actually enjoyable when you defeat the obstacles that the kit throws at you.
Rick - it’s kinda like a VERY rough diamond. I only hope it doesn’t turn out to be a rhinestone ! [(-D]
pingtang - patience is the key with any troublesome kit. I try to keep my temper, as it’s only pieces of plastic. (plus, my cardiologist might get upset if my blood pressure rises !)
saltydog - time to finish all the half-built kits in the stash that are worth building. There’s a few more waiting “in the wings,” so to speak. [(-D]
I just looked at the kit decals, and they’re pretty much toast. Luckily, the only item I really need is fine (aircraft nimber). I’m sure I have plenty of 109 stencils & insignia.
obiwan - when I put this next to a Hasegawa kit, they look very similar. The surface detailing and molding quality are MUCH better on the Hasegawa kit, but the overall shape is very close. I had to rescribe every line in this kit. They were rough, shallow, and sometimes they didn’t even align ! Just more work, and the work is what’s fun !
reggie - I enjoy the challenge of a rough kit, to a point. If I start having to change shapes and use sheet styrene, I won’t build it. I’m probably the worst one in the world when I cut sheet styrene !
ghettochild - it will be a nice diversion parked next to other 109s (and I like something a little different !)
