The Eduard Bf-109F kit is a beautiful feat of engineering and looks every bit the part of a Freidrich. But what if you want to add a little bit of detail? Something outside the norm? That is where the Brassin range comes in.

There were three different types of props that were used on the Bf-109F. The Early type of prop was the VDM 9-11207. This type of propeller was used on the Bf-109F-1 and F-2s. This set depicts this prop arrangement.

This particular offering is a realistically thin and proper shaped propeller blades. There are seven resin parts and two small photo etch pieces included in the set. They are packaged in a vacuform blister pack with Styrofoam pieces to protect the pieces during transit. The resin is light grey with no blemishes or bubbles anywhere.

Removal of the parts are easy enough from the pour blocks. The hardest part was the removal of the spinner pour block. This just took some careful removal and sanding. Certainly within the realm of most modelers. You get a spinner, back plate, three blades, prop shaft and an alignment tool. The photo etch pieces are designed for the end of the spinner.

The parts are simply removed. After cutting the alignment tool from its pour block, I used it to drill the center for the prop shaft. I had to drill the corresponding hole in my Brassin engine to get it to fit.

The detail on the inside of the spinner is beautiful and it would seem a shame to hide that kind of detail. The propeller hubs, the base of the blades, has a lot of nice detail so I wanted to be able to show that off as well so I elected to leave off the spinner but leave the propeller installed on the airframe. This meant hiding the detail of the oil cooler of the Brassin engine set but it couldn’t be helped.

I did notice that the propeller openings for the spinner are not the oblong teardrop shape. The backplate also lacks the balancing holes that are present on the real thing. These are easy to add by drilling the appropriate holes but you shouldn’t have to do that. They should have been cast in place.

A tip for assembling this set is to use a toothpick to place the tiny and fragile photo etch piece in the opening. I added the photo etch circle to the toothpick, then added some extra thin super glue to it and slid the toothpick in the hole in the spinner. Then using tweezers I slid the photo etch end in place. Perfectly centered, easy.

Adding the prop blades is simple enough. Slide it in and then set the pitch with the supplied tool. Add a drop of extra thin superglue to set everything in place.

I painted the back plate RLM 02 and the prop hub/pitch change mechanism with silver. The blades are easily done with Black Green. Weathering was done with Tamiya weathering powders.

If you use the kit end piece there is nothing else to do except add the prop to the kit. If you use the Brassin engine then you will need to drill a hole in the engine to let it fit.

Extra detail with minimal work. Realistically thin blades with accurate outline. The diorama possibilities are wide open when you use one of these sets. On the downside, the prop openings are not quite the correct shape and the balancing holes on the backplate are issues that shouldn’t have been missed. If you install the spinner then you don’t have to worry about the balancing holes. If you want to display your prop hub with the spinner removed then I suggest that you drill out the balancing holes.

Recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting Eduard at https://www.eduard.com or your local hobby shop or online retailer.