Messerschmitt Bf 109 G
radio equipment

RES-IM, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

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RES-IM Resin Improvement is a Czech company that produces a small range of resin aftermarket items, mainly for 1/72 jets and gliders.  Mark Davies recently reviewed several of these items here
 
http://www.hyperscale.com/2012/reviews/accessories/resim7201reviewmd_1.htm
 
http://www.hyperscale.com/2012/reviews/accessories/resim7203reviewmd_1.htm
 
and found them to be accurate, well cast and overall of very high quality.
 
In addition to these 1/72 sets, RES-IM has a single 1/48 item in its catalogue – a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G radio set.  This is a simple set made up of three resin pieces, a photo-etched fret and a small instruction sheet. 
 
The resin pieces consist of what appears to be an FuG 16 Z series radio (which I understand is accurate for Bf 109 G-3 and later versions), a bulkhead on which to mount the radio, and a starboard fuselage insert which will look great through the open radio hatch.  The pieces are well cast – particularly the insert that contains some very fine detail – and I could find no air bubbles or other flaws.  My only complaint is that the insert, which is quite delicate, was attached to a very stout casting block, which took considerable effort to remove without damaging the piece.  I should probably invest in a motor tool instead of persisting with razor saws!

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The etched fret contains only three pieces, two of which are glued together to represent the radio access hatch door.  The other is attached to the inside of the port fuselage after the original plastic door has been carefully removed, to represent the fittings to which the door is attached. 
 
The instruction sheet is quite basic, containing numbered illustrations of the set parts followed by six black and white illustrations of how the set should be installed.  This is all very straightforward and should be hard to get wrong, but I would still recommend checking your references as you go to ensure that you’ve got everything in its right place.
 
RES-IM recommends the set for use in Hasegawa’s Bf 109 G series.  I tested the insert in the starboard fuselage of my Hasegawa G-10 kit, and the fit was perfect.  I also tested it in the Monogram G-10 fuselage, and again the fit was excellent.  In the accompanying photographs, the Hasegawa kit is the darker coloured plastic, while the Monogram kit is the lighter plastic.

RES-IM’s Bf 109 G radio equipment is a great little set, with welcome applicability beyond its target kit.  With careful assembly and painting, the set should give an impression of super-detailing well beyond the amount of effort required to install it.  Hopefully RES-IM will be adding some further sets to its 1/48 catalogue in the near future!
 
Highly recommended.

Thanks to Resin Improvement for the review samples.

Review Text Copyright © 2012 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 4 July, 2012
Last updated 4 July, 2012

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