Subject: Re: 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf.110G-4 Nacthjager - HLJ
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "David & Natasja Johnson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:19:37 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David & Natasja Johnson 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 3:28 AM
  Subject: 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf.110G-4 Nacthjager - HLJ

    Eduard

    1/48 Messerschmitt Bf.110G-4 Nacthjager

    Weekend Kit

    Product # 8404 (http://www.hlj.com/product/EDU08404) from HobbyLink Japan (www.hlj.com)

    Product Article by Dave Johnson on the June 2010

    The Messerschmitt Bf 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter (Zerstörer - German for Destroyer") during the Second World War. The Bf 110 served with success in the early campaigns. The Bf 110's lack of agility in the air was its primary weakness. This flaw was exposed during the Battle of Britian, when some Bf 110 equipped units were withdrawn from the battle after very heavy losses and redeployed as night fighters, a role to which the aircraft was well suited. The Bf 110 enjoyed a successful period following the Battle of Britain as an air superiority fighter and strike aircraft in other theatres. Later in the war, it was developed into a formidable night fighter, becoming the major night-fighting aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Most of the German night fighter aces flew the Bf 110 at some point during their combat careers, and the top night fighter ace of all time, Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, flew it exclusively, and claimed 121 victories in 164 combat missions.

    413 pale olive parts and 13 clear parts, comprise of this Bf110 G-4 version from Eduard in their Weekend Edition boxing. Some of these parts on the sprues are not require as they are for the earlier DB 601 engine versions, so it's a bit deceptive.

    Eduard's Weekend Edition kits are the basic reissues of their Profipak range. So with the Weekend kits you lose all the extra goodies that are supplied in the Profipak, like the Photo Etch, canopy masks, resin if there is some included and your knocked down to only one. yes one option of markings. Life is so hard sometimes! Looking at the kit you could afford to lose the Photo Etch with the detail Eduard has supplied straight out of the box. maybe you will miss the seat harnesses thou. The good thing is the price is a lot less than the Profipak, so if your on a budget, that's great news!

    There is only a couple of small changes from the earlier G-2 Kit that has been released. There is a new sprue that contains the FuG 202/220 Lichtenstein Radar, a new nose and the upward-firing Schräge Musik mounted 20mm cannons. Also there are flame-damping exhausts and rudders. 

    Fuselage detail is beautifully done with finely engraved panel lines and strikingly embossed rivets lines. Wing detail is also excellently done, the ailerons are molded separately but unfortunately with the elevators, rudders and flaps are molded in position. On the supplied sample of the nose part, I found  there were a couple of small sink marks that will require a small amount of filling.

    The transparent parts are crystal clear and Eduard have designed the canopies to molded so you can have the option of displaying the front and rear cockpits closed up, or open, and there are two different styles of rear canopy, one for the upward-firing Schräge Musik cannons and the other if its not. The only downside to it being a Weekend kit is the exclusion of the canopy masks, so you will have a small task masking up the glazing.

    The instructions are not like the glossy colour printed in the Profipak, these are printed in black and white A-5 sheets that are folded into a booklet form. So, another downgrade for the Weekend Edition.

    The decals are still printed to the high Eduard standard, crisp and in perfect register. So there are no short cuts there. The one marking option that is included is a Bf110-G4 Wr.Nr. 110087, 4./NJG3, Kjevik, Norway, 1945. 

    So if you can handle the cost cutting that Eduard has supplied in the form of the Weekend Edition kit without all the extra goodies that are in the Profipak. You should have a winner in this kit. The task building this kit could a bit difficult for a beginner modeler, so you should have a few builds under your belt before tackling this fantastic model of the famous Luftwaffe nightfighter.

    I would like to thank HobbyLink Japan (www.hlj.com) for providing this sample.

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