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There is one undisputed “Ace of Aces” who stands head and shoulders above all other combat pilots, and his name is Erich Hartmann. “Bubi” Hartmann achieved each of his 352 confirmed aerial victories flying different variants of the fabled Messerschmitt Bf109. It is fitting, then, that Eagle Editions have released this extremely well-researched decal set offering markings for four of Hartmann’s Gustavs to coincide with the newly released Hasegawa Bf109G-6. Briefly,
one of the four aircraft on this sheet may be built straight from the
Hasegawa kit with little modification (this being “Gelbe 1”, W.Nr.
20499 which features the “standard” framed hood).
If the builder chooses to do this aircraft, he or she may leave the
two small teardrop-shaped umbrella holders on the kit and mount the D/F
loop to the fuselage, then cut off the loop itself (only the base was
present…a not uncommon occurrence).
Two of the other options, “Gelbe 1”, W.Nr. 166221 and “Weiße
1”, W.Nr. unknown, will require a bit more modification to the stock
Hasegawa kit. First, they
both sport the later model “Erla Haube” which I am told may be
obtained from Falcon in New Zealand.
Second, both feature the relocated battery tray directly over the
fuel tank pickup assembly, which necessitated the addition of a “box”
built into the access panel directly behind the pilot’s head.
This feature is easily constructed from either scrap resin or
plastic. One last detail to note is that both of these aircraft also
feature the D/F loop base, but the antenna itself is not present. To sum up, this sheet represents an outstanding value given the historical accuracy and research information provided with it, and I heartily recommend it to anyone building the new Hasegawa 1/32 Bf109G.
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