Airfix - Messerschmitt Bf109E - Airfix 1/72
Discussion
Neal H said:
Did it come with the swastika? It always annoys me that Airfix normally leave these out of German WW2 kits.
Most of the mainstream manufacturers don't supply swastikas - and haven't for decades. Some of the Eastern European manufacturers provide them in split form so they need to be joined together when placing them on the model.It's not a big deal to be honest as there are a number of specialist decal producers who provide special swastika sets. I have a number of these in my decal bank which I call on when doing a Luftwaffe model.
This is the Modeldecal 1/72 sheet. Versions in other scales are also available.
clive_candy said:
An engine in an Airfix 1/72 scale kit? I'm gobsmacked!
They pushed the boat out a bit with this little model. The engine could do with a bit of extra detail and, of course, the scale thickness of the engine cover is exaggerated - due to the small scale.However, the model does lend itself to a diorama with a few vehicles and some mechanics. I was tempted to dig this set out of the pile -
Thank you.
It was one of the earlier releases by Airfix after the Hornby takeover and is nicely executed.
There are some oddities. For instance, it is nice that they provide the option for lowered flaps. However, they didn't provide an option for the leading edge slats to be shown in the open position. At this time, 109s had spring loaded leading edge slats which were generally open when the aircraft was sitting on the ground. They only retracted when the aircraft achieved a certain airspeed and were pushed back into the wing by the airflow.
A similar system was used on the French light aeroplane, the Morane Saulnier MS880 Rallye family.
109
MS880
It was one of the earlier releases by Airfix after the Hornby takeover and is nicely executed.
There are some oddities. For instance, it is nice that they provide the option for lowered flaps. However, they didn't provide an option for the leading edge slats to be shown in the open position. At this time, 109s had spring loaded leading edge slats which were generally open when the aircraft was sitting on the ground. They only retracted when the aircraft achieved a certain airspeed and were pushed back into the wing by the airflow.
A similar system was used on the French light aeroplane, the Morane Saulnier MS880 Rallye family.
109
MS880
Eric Mc said:
Most of the mainstream manufacturers don't supply swastikas - and haven't for decades. Some of the Eastern European manufacturers provide them in split form so they need to be joined together when placing them on the model.
It's not a big deal to be honest as there are a number of specialist decal producers who provide special swastika sets. I have a number of these in my decal bank which I call on when doing a Luftwaffe model.
This is the Modeldecal 1/72 sheet. Versions in other scales are also available.
I think this is the decal set I have. Airfix didn’t provide a swastika in their 1/72 Me 262 kit and the tail just didn’t look right without one, though I wasn’t fully comfortable with adding it TBH.It's not a big deal to be honest as there are a number of specialist decal producers who provide special swastika sets. I have a number of these in my decal bank which I call on when doing a Luftwaffe model.
This is the Modeldecal 1/72 sheet. Versions in other scales are also available.
It's only reflecting history. And for me, the history of what I model is every bit as important as the model itself.
Also, pretending symbols of evil don't exist runs the risk of that very evil re-emerging.
I am more than willing to place swastikas on my Luftwaffe subjects. Any other option is refusing to acknowledge the history behind the subject.
Nice 262 by the way.
You will not find a swastika in an Airfix kit going back at least 50 years. FROG and Matchbox kept them for a while as did some of the Japanese manufacturers. By 1980 or so they were mostly omitted.
Also, pretending symbols of evil don't exist runs the risk of that very evil re-emerging.
I am more than willing to place swastikas on my Luftwaffe subjects. Any other option is refusing to acknowledge the history behind the subject.
Nice 262 by the way.
You will not find a swastika in an Airfix kit going back at least 50 years. FROG and Matchbox kept them for a while as did some of the Japanese manufacturers. By 1980 or so they were mostly omitted.
Eric Mc said:
109s had spring loaded leading edge slats which were generally open when the aircraft was sitting on the ground. They only retracted when the aircraft achieved a certain airspeed and were pushed back into the wing by the airflow.
Fun fact; the system was invented and patented by Handley Page who licensed it to Messerschmitt in trade for their combined skin and former fuselage construction patent (the construction technique was used on the Bf108 and subsequent aircraft IIRC). In some applications, retraction and locking can be achieved manually in addition to by inflight forces - the good olde Tiger Moth being an example.
Neal H said:
The Tamiya kits come with swastika's included.
I did say mostly 
Yesterday evening I opened the 2004 vintage PM Lippisch P13a and there are indeed full swastikas on the decal sheet provided. Not on the box art though.
Interestingly, the 2019 re-release of this kit still contains swastikas in the decals, but they are now of the split "two part" variety.
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