Messerschmitt Bf 110 Stencils

Eduard, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

HyperScale is proudly sponsored by Squadron.com

Eduard’s excellent 1/72 Bf 110 E kit has now been released in a Weekend Edition as well as a standard Profipack boxing, with the former significantly cheaper but without the Profipack’s photo-etched details, canopy masks and multiple marking options. 

As Mark Davies’ review of the Weekend Edition shows, even without these extras it is still a very good kit that is superior to any of the other 1/72 Bf 110 kits currently available.

For some time, however, Eduard has marketed dedicated photo-etched detailing sets for modelers who have purchased Weekend Edition kits and then decided they want to add more detail.  Eduard is now following a similar path in relation to airframe stencils, which are no longer included on most Weekend Edition decal sheets but are available separately for those modelers who want them.

This sheet of 1/72 Bf 110 E stencils falls into this category, providing not one but four complete sets of stencils.  These include the fuselage station numbers (1 to 18), which while unlikely to be highly visible on your finished model will add a nice touch of authenticity to anyone who examines it closely (and of course you’ll know they are there!).  Similarly tiny, and welcome, are the instrument clusters for the sides of the engine nacelles. 

The sheet has been produced by Eduard and is of high quality.  Printing and registration is very sharp, to the extent that the text of the stencils is clearly legible under magnification.  Carrier film has been kept to a minimum, which will help to minimise silvering.  It’s probably just as well that Eduard provides multiple sets of each decal because many of them are very, very small, with some likely to become casualties during application; the fuselage station numbers look especially vulnerable. 

The instruction sheet includes port and starboard fuselage, overhead and inboard nacelle views, which combine to provide a very clear placement guide.

Conclusion

While the instructions note that these stencils have been “designed exclusively” for Eduard’s Bf 110 E kit, they could also be used on the Airfix or any other 1/72 Bf 110 E kit of your choice.  And – provided you are careful – the set includes enough stencils for several models, at least, so you have no excuse to only build one!

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the review sample

Review Copyright © 2013 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 17 June, 2013
Last updated 18 June, 2013

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