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It's funny, I'm not really a "109 guy" but suddenly
I find I have more than a dozen of various scales in
my hangar. I write this off to two things: I'm a
sucker for sales, and I'm a sucker for a model with
a good pilot history.
Enter this Carousel 1 109E, which I picked up at
the end of 2006 in a big online clearance sale for
$40. I've always thought C1 models were a bit
over-priced for what you get, but at this price this
model is a fair deal. I really like the paint scheme,
and the model is well put together -- the fit and
finish are excellent and there were no production
blemishes to be found.
The model comes with a display base that's about
12x12-inches and has a faux grass sticker on the
surface. I don't care for this base, and I'd much
rather have an in-flight display stand, particularly
as the model comes with raised-gear display parts
(huh?). Apparently C1's thought was that we'd
hang them from the ceiling or something -- not! (In
my hangar at least.)
It also comes with an optional external fuel tank,
which attaches securely via magnets. The pilot
figure is also optional, and the hinged canopy
opens and closes. This latter feature is great,
though it does come with a slight trade-off of a
small visible gap when in the closed position. The
gear is also attached magnetically, and it should be
noted that the down gear use "plugs" more or less
to fit in the gear wells, which may not look realistic
but it is effective -- the gear has the proper cant
and the models sits nice and firm on its "feet".
The swazis on the stab come as optional decals,
which I don't like at all -- but at least C1 gives you
the decals. They are traditional water-slide decals
and are relatively easy to affix, but come on!
These are historical models, the real deals had
these markings, so just put 'em on there! (Newer
C1 releases, such as the Yellow 10 Dora, come
with the swazis applied.)
I'm also not a big fan of the rubber parts --
virtually all the small detail parts (guns, antenna,
pitots, etc., on C1 models are rubber). This may
reduce shipping breakage and breakage removing
and packing the models for display. However, the
parts simply look better and have more detail
when they are metal or plastic. The lack of moving
parts is also a bummer in this scale and MSRP
($70).
Still, this is a sharp-looking 109 in 1:48 that really
stands out in a crowd of 109s.
Recommended!
I find I have more than a dozen of various scales in
my hangar. I write this off to two things: I'm a
sucker for sales, and I'm a sucker for a model with
a good pilot history.
Enter this Carousel 1 109E, which I picked up at
the end of 2006 in a big online clearance sale for
$40. I've always thought C1 models were a bit
over-priced for what you get, but at this price this
model is a fair deal. I really like the paint scheme,
and the model is well put together -- the fit and
finish are excellent and there were no production
blemishes to be found.
The model comes with a display base that's about
12x12-inches and has a faux grass sticker on the
surface. I don't care for this base, and I'd much
rather have an in-flight display stand, particularly
as the model comes with raised-gear display parts
(huh?). Apparently C1's thought was that we'd
hang them from the ceiling or something -- not! (In
my hangar at least.)
It also comes with an optional external fuel tank,
which attaches securely via magnets. The pilot
figure is also optional, and the hinged canopy
opens and closes. This latter feature is great,
though it does come with a slight trade-off of a
small visible gap when in the closed position. The
gear is also attached magnetically, and it should be
noted that the down gear use "plugs" more or less
to fit in the gear wells, which may not look realistic
but it is effective -- the gear has the proper cant
and the models sits nice and firm on its "feet".
The swazis on the stab come as optional decals,
which I don't like at all -- but at least C1 gives you
the decals. They are traditional water-slide decals
and are relatively easy to affix, but come on!
These are historical models, the real deals had
these markings, so just put 'em on there! (Newer
C1 releases, such as the Yellow 10 Dora, come
with the swazis applied.)
I'm also not a big fan of the rubber parts --
virtually all the small detail parts (guns, antenna,
pitots, etc., on C1 models are rubber). This may
reduce shipping breakage and breakage removing
and packing the models for display. However, the
parts simply look better and have more detail
when they are metal or plastic. The lack of moving
parts is also a bummer in this scale and MSRP
($70).
Still, this is a sharp-looking 109 in 1:48 that really
stands out in a crowd of 109s.
Recommended!
Carousel 1, 1:48
| Bf 109E Luftwaffe 8./JG 27, "Black 8" Werner Schroer, Libya, 1941 |
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