The spindly stance of the Bf-109 is always a pain on the real 109 and on models of it. They are fragile and susceptible to damage. This is especially an issue when there is no additional support around like the landing gear covers.

Eduard has an answer for that, brass landing gear. This little set is a gem and like a gem it is shiny. There are two brass landing gear legs in the blister package and two resin landing gear covers. The brass parts required very little clean up. The only part that actually needed to be cleaned up was on the mounting surface. The rest of it was beautifully cast without a mold line. The two resin landing gear doors are nice as well. The doors have detail on the inside of them as well, including the brake line. One thing about the brake line on the real thing is that it is in a circle. On this set, the loop is missing. It doesn’t detract from the set as most of it is hidden.

I elected to use my brass landing gear sans gear doors as is often seen during winter operations. This meant that I had to scratch build the loop to the tires. This was relatively easy.

Clean up is real simple. I just sanded slightly the top of the strut where it mates with the wing. There was a little pour stub there that slightly interfered with the mating surfaces. Then I used 5-minute epoxy to set everything in place. This is strong and slightly flexible. Then it was just a matter of priming and painting the strut and in my case adding the loop for the brake line. I elected not to use the doors because my model would not have them but they would fit perfectly fine.

With these brass landing gear struts, I can safely have my winter warrior and its spindly legs. Simple process, limited cleanup, superior results and the strength of brass, exactly what I was looking for. These are a great addition and perfect accessories. Another great product from Eduard for their Bf-109F series.

Highly recommended

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