The old adage Things get better with age may old true to a number of items but this is definitely not one of them. This kit started life way back in the old days! It was part of the Max Peerless line and was hitched to their 15CWT and released as kit 3508. Then, Italeri released the gun as a 6 lb. Gun M-1, kit 323. That version included a nice base with fence and ammunition and ammunition crates. Testors added their name to the box and titled it Anti-tank Gun M-1 and changed the kit number to 781. This latest incarnation by Zvezda is nothing new, neat, or improved. It is just the gun. It has suffered from time, as the kit has never had the molds touched up or maybe even redesigned. The parts are riddled with ejector pin sink holes and raised bumps, as well. Some are located on parts that the builder will damage trying to remove them. The most noticeable of these are located on the outside portions of the trailing arms and the outside faces of the gun shield.

The Messerschmitt Me-410 was a German heavy fighter used by the Luftwaffe during WWII. The Me-410B-2/U4 was used as a bomber-killer. It was armed with a 50 mm BK5 cannon and employed to combat heavy bombers. Though powerful, the BK5 cannon was found not practical in actual combat operations.

Meng has chosen to offer the Messerschmitt Me-410 as its first kit in 1/48 scale, and it is a welcome choice. The parts are molded in grey styrene, with no flash and exquisite surface detail. Also included is a small PE fret with a few details like seatbelts, radiator grille faces, and gun sight supports. Given the sprue breakdown and some indentation in the bottom wings (to open holes), it’s suggestive that there are plans to release different versions of the Me-410 in the future.

My first impression upon opening the box was that this is a quality kit. My impression after having built it, is that is it a very high quality kit that deserves to be treated with proper respect.

History

There was considerable industrial collaboration between Germany and Japan before and during World War II, and the fact that the Germans were able to send complete aircraft to Japan after Pearl Harbor was surprising, especially since they almost had to be sent by submarine. During 1941, the Japanese Army received 5 Bf-109E-7’s, and these were thoroughly tested by the Army, who did not select the type for production, but they did use the DB-601 engine in its Kawasaki Ki-61 “Hein” (Tony) fighter of 1942. These aircraft were delivered in standard Luftwaffe camouflage, were marked with standard Japanese Hinomarus, and lacked at least wing armament and pilot armor. From available photos, it is not possible to tell whether the aircraft retained their fuselage-mounted machine guns. However, the spinners were the type which equipped engine-mounted cannon-armed fighters, so the question of cowl machine guns is not possible to determine.

What’s Inside

You get 1 large fret and a 5-page instruction sheet. The instructions take you in order from the front of the aircraft to the back. Starting with the oil cooler intake, supercharger intake, bomb rack fittings and, if you use it, the flame dampener. Next up are the underwing radiators, and there is some minor surgery required. Be careful not to take too much off, but also make sure you take enough off or the pieces will not fit right (It really is a fine line and one that I crossed on one section). There are 5 pieces for the forward part and 3 for the rear and it is VERY delicate. Of the 8 folds I had to make, 6 of them broke off. I recommend that the screens be placed on before adding the flaps. Trust me, it will be easier.

History

This paperback provides specific information on 16 different Messerschmitt Bf-109F’s, mainly those operating on the Russian Front, including views from either side, a top view, and drawings of the undersurfaces of the wings. A short account describing the airplane, its pilot, and any other particulars that might be of interest to modelers is also provided, in both English and Polish.

Decals

There are two decal sheets providing markings for the aircraft in 1/32, 1/48, and 1/72 scales. These are produced by Cartograf and so are of the highest quality. The finish is glossy, so the use of some Dullcote is probably in order. In addition, these sheets have individual markings only, but no maintenance markings, crosses, or tail swastikas, so these will have to be obtained from other decal sheets. Fortunately, these types of decals are readily available from many sources, so you can use these sheets to do all 16 aircraft if you like.