Review of Fujimi 1/48 Bf109G-14/AS

This review will be mostly about the accuracy and details of the kit. I have never built this kit or any other Fujimi kit for that matter. I have had a few people now ask me about building a 109G-6/AS. I too have wanted to do one for sometime. Well I can tell you right now this is kit you want.

Fujimi kit #48003 listed as Messerschlitt bf109G-14/AS. I got this off of ebay for 18 US dollars. I must say I am very impressed by the amount of additional parts, detail, and the dry fit of most of the major componets. This kit gives you everything you need to build a late G-6, G-5/AS, G-6/AS, G-14, G-14/AS, or a mitt reg built AS powered G-10. There are parts, scribed lines and even a correct right side cockpit wall for the K-4. but due to the lack of any D engine details you could not hope to get an accurate K-4 from this kit. What I was expecting was something like a hobbycraft/academy kit. To my suprise it seems to be more along the lines of a hasegawa kit. The fujimi will be more difficult to build, but seems to be the only choice for a good AS powered G.

Sprue’s and parts

As you can see fuel filler and hatches for both G and K are present.

Note the extra cockpit side wall.

Some oft he parts are off becasue a buddy and me were giving it a look over during dinner. As you can see fujimi gives you a ton of options here.

full set of underwing Rustsaze heavy fighter stores.

Extended-range fighter 300 liter drop tank.

12087 (605A) and 12159 (605AS) props.

660X160 and 660X190 wheels and matching buldges.

605A and 605AS superchanger intakes.

fo 870 and fo 987 oil coolers.

long and short tabed tails.

standered and tall (late) wooden rudder.

standered and extended tail wheel.

This kit is a 109 fan’s dream when it comes to giving you every option you could think of. A 109 nut could do alot with this kit. On the other hand if you don’t know 109’s that well, this could really confuse the life out of you. The problem is you have to fill alot of surface details, there’s some tricky construction steps and vauge instructions. Couple this with the amount of options and add on’s and I would say this kit is more for experienced 109 nuts than your occasional 109 builder. A modeler could easily build up a frankinstein 109 and not even know it.

Now on to some cool details.

Check out the two cowling’s here. The first cowling is actually very close to the correct G-6/14AS agglomerations cowling which also get lumped in with “the asymmetrical cowling”. It has an accurate buldged shape, scribed lines, hatches are for the most part in the correct locations. Even the gun reliefs look correct. It also would not be hard to modify this to the refined cuff rivited style cowling (again generally lumped under the same “asymmetrical cowling” name) seen on many G-10’s and all K-4’s.

What fujimi has actually given you here if you know what to add and delete is a accturate G5,6,14 AS with no need to cut up 2 or 3 kits and rescribe half the model. By adding AM cockpit detail along with a few scratchbuilt extras and you could easily have a highly accurate and unusual 109AS. This kit has alot of potential for a good modeler.

Due to the kits large variety of details and add on’s I did not go into the exact breakdown on how to build a G-6/AS here. This would require a list like I did for the guy converting that G-10 to a K-4. If you have an interest in building a G-6/AS or G-14/AS from this kit and feel you need help I’ll go ahead a basically make an accurate instruction sheet for such. I don’t know how many of you actually would be interested in such a thing and require help. So instead of possibably wasting my time I though I’d do it this way. You must be strong with the dark side of the force to attempt this.[}:)]

Stan,

Now I am drooling over this one! I see what you mean about that kit, quality looks good from here. Not quite Hasegawa, but a lot better than the others! Thinking about some options one could do with this kit, like that hot rod late 109 captured and sitting in front of those US Army barrakcs (I forget the version now!). Thanks for the review Stan, I am gonna have to get my grubby lil’ mitts on one now! [:D]

Great review Stan! All you grasshoppers heed the Zen master! [bow]

I guess us 1/72 guys will just keep hoping that FineMolds gets around to the AS series one of these days… [sigh]

I have one of these kits. It is missing panel lines on the fuselage.

Does your kit suffer the same ?

LMAO!!!
Excellent, Stan - thanks very much for the fine review…after reading your posts, I’m beginning to better understand just how much I do NOT know about the Bf 109 variants…and I think I might just have to go out and get one of these Fujimi kits…I’ve been building Fujimi kits for years and have found them to be of excellent quality - just have a look at their “Enthusiast Model” range in 1/24 cars…absolutely outstanding.
You’re scary, mate…obsessed completely…but don’t for a moment believe that I think that’s a bad thing - because when I read more of your posts, I get a better understanding of how constant change was applied to the amazing design that was the 109 - and I learn.
Yes, it seems I can be taught. My wife says that’s a good thing.

Cheers, mate.

I have learned so much about how wrong I was on so many details of models especially the 109’s and other German WW II stuff. Thanks for putting together info like this![tup]

[#ditto] I’m almost afraid to build a late war 109, there’s so much I don’t know. I for one would love to know what it takes to make the different versions accurately. Greg’s RAF 109 thread was informative, but I’d love more. [:)]

thank you VERY much for such an informative post and review, instant bookmark!

Nice review Stan !

I wish hasegawa would do such nice job [:)]/ The correct details are there, I know after my build few months ago [:)], however I see a bit lower quality injection mold. The panel lines are a bit too wide and shallow, not like hasegawa. Is it true or its just my imagination ??

Thanks guys, glad many of you found it worth while. I would say this kit blows away the hobby craft offering, but not quite up to hasegawa’s standereds in a few areas. the molding in general is not as crisp and this is most noticable in smaller parts like the gear doors DF loop and such. The panel lines are very fine and shallow. On the flip side pieces like the wheels, radiators, and tail have as good or better look to them then some of the hasegawa offerings. In a few respects I would say this kit does have it’s advantages over the hasegawa kit. The slots are far better looking and have the actuator detail already on them. In fact the wing of the fujimi kit is the best I have seen. All the panel lines are persent and the wheel well detail is better then the hasegawa OOB. This says alot because I build almost exclusively hasegawa 109’s, they are IMO the best out there. Overall the hasegawa kit is slightly better and far far easier to build. This kit will have it’s fit problems, But with a little elbow greese can be just as good me’s thinks.

If this kit had better crisper detail in the smaller parts like the exhaust, cockpit detail, antannas, and guns, the fujimi kit would meet or exceed the hasegawa kit in every area except ease of construction. Surface detail is a trade off. Both have there pros and cons.

Someone asked if it was missing panels lines on the fuselage. I gave my example the once over and they are all there. Like I said I was impressed with the way this kit stacked up against the cream of the crop.

I must make a retraction. After looking through the destructions I found a small pics labeled optional. I had trouble finding the parts on my sprue tree as they had fallen off and were in the bag. fujimi did give the the lower oil sump blister for the D powered option. After giving the kit a second look over you could get a K-4 out of this if you really wanted too.

Leemitheltree, I know I ain’t right[:D]. My friends call me the luftwaffe encyclopedia which makes me a geek among geeks[sigh]. what can I say.

Thanks for reading. It seems at lest a few of you are interested in knowing more. If I get the time I’ll post the differences between the Late G’s in a way modelers could use it to there benfit. I have gone through some of my books and will post the titles of the better ones for those who want some good reference for themselves. I was building new shelves and had many of them pack away or out of reach. This will most likely be a weekend post sometime latter due to time needed.

Excellent, Stan! Thanks for the detailed explanation. I’ve been looking for exactly this for some time now. Sounds like just what I need for a 109 G-6AS!

Stan,

You must be reading my mind! I have a relatively small reference library, but would like to get more books covering late war Luftwaffe machines. Honestly, I sometimes look through online shops for potential titles but the sheer volume of available resources is mind-boggling. I would really like to see what you would recommend, especially for late war '109s, '190s, and '262s. [:D]