Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4
Weekend Edition

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Until Eduard's 1/48 scale Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 came aloing, we had the choice of the Mauve kit (based on the old Fujimi Bf 110 C), and Monogram's Bf 110 G-4 in 1/48 scale. Both kits were acceptable for their day, but the Mauve kit is long out of production, while the Monogram kit suffers from noticeably undersized engine nacelles and spinners.

Eduard released their 1/48 scale Bf 110 night-fighter variant - the Bf 110 G-4 - back in 2009. This is superior to its predecessors in every respect.

In the intervening years the kit has only been reissued a few times, most recently in 2021 as a bells -and-whistles ProfiPACK Edition.

Eduard is now offering the Bf 110 G-4 as a Weekend Edition, I think for the very first time.

Weekend Edition kits omit photo-etched parts and masks, but we are presented with four marking options and a lower price.

What's New

Eduard's 1/48 scale Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 provides three plastic sprues unique to this variant in addition to a number of generic Bf 110 parts.

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Thumbnail panels:

Sprue N contains the nose parts for the 30mm cannon, plus the large vertical flying surfaces with the big rudders and enlarged Flettner tabs. Fabric texture is subtle.

An ETC rack for the bottom of the fuselage is also attached to this sprue. The smaller rudders are still supplied in the box, although they are marked "not for use".

Sprue T is very busy, containing three styles of mid-production radar, the 30mm cannon and several parts for the flame dampers. The radar dipoles are supplied as one plastic part each. They are admirably thin yet retain the three-dimensional appearance of the original. Handle them with care though, especially when removing them from their sprues, as they are quite delicate.

Sprue V includes two new fuselage halves and the flame damper bodies. The fuselage has armour plate moulded to the section at the front and top of the cockpit. This is a clever touch, but it may not apply to all Bf 110 G-4s so check your references.

Pleasingly, two styles of flame damper are included - the late-war straight-through version and the more common kinked exhausts.

The clear sprue contains the revised rear canopy section with the side-opening navigator's hatch.

An alternate rear section is provided with holes for the night fighter's upward-firing Schrage Musik cannon.

Eduard has released a number of upgrades to the kit including photo-etched cockpit details, harness straps and canopy masks. These are reviewed elsewhere on HyperScale.

The Details...

The plastic parts for the kit are attached to eight sprues via fine connectors. Moulding quality is very good, even after all these years In fact, although it has nothing at all to do with the quality or buildability of the model, I much prefer this medium grey coloured plastic to the initial tan colour.

I could not find a single sink mark or ejector pin in any area that will be visible on the finished model.

Crisply recessed panel lines are partnered with suitably subtle rows of rivets. I like the treatment of the fabric control surfaces too, with rib tape detail being the most prominent feature - no massive sagging of fabric.

The fuselage is broken down into the main halves with a separate nose (upper and lower) plus an insert for the deck immediately aft of the cockpit.

The cockpit is well fitted out with a combination even withoutthe photo-etched parts. Layover decals are supplied for the instrument panel and consoles.

An optional instrument panel with raised bezels and switches is also included for modellers who prefer to paint.

The lower fuselage cannon are visible through the fuselage floor, and plenty of spare ammunition is provided.

The wings are moulded with the flaps and leading edge slats in the closed position. This may disappoint some modellers, but I did a quick check of several books and nearly half of the Bf 110s were parked with the slats and flaps up. If you really want to drop the flaps and/or slats, the kit engineering will make this task fairly straightforward with the bulges behind the nacelles moulded as part of the bottom of the kit flaps. Also, Quickboost now offers a separate set of leading edge slats for the Edaurd Bf 110 C/D/E releases that will fit this kit too.

Ailerons are provided as separate parts.

Wheel well detail is excellent

The shape of Bf 109 F/G and Bf 110 G spinners has proved elusive to manufacturers. Eduard has done a pretty good job with theirs, although the openings for the propeller blades appear to be too large and lack their characterisic teardrop profile, pinched in at the base.

Marking Options

Four marking options are offered.

Decals are well printed, with perfect register and colour saturation. They are the current style of Eduard decals that can have the top clear layer peeled off after application.

The specific subjects are as follows:

1. Oblt. Martin Becker, 2/NJG 6, Florennes, Belgium, May 1944

2. Wr.Nr. 110087, 4./NJG3, Kjevik, 1945

3. Oblt Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, CO of IV./NJG 1, SintTruiden, Belgium, April 1944

4. Hptm. Wilhelm Johnen, 7./NJG6, Neubiberg, 1945

All aircraft are presented in the typical night fighter finished of overall RLM 76 Light Blur with mottling in RLM 75 Grey Violet.

A new stencil decal sheet has also been included.

Even 15 years after its first release, Eduard's kit easily surpasses all previous Bf 110 G-4 kits in all scales.

This is a well detailed and accurate model of a historically important aircraft that will be suited to moderately experienced modellers.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2023 by Brett Green
Page Created 6 November, 2023
Last updated 6 November, 2023

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