What do you think of the Messerschmitt Bf109F Starter Kit? Will you be picking one up? Do you think Airfix should have included the instrument panel and control column in this and the P-51D kits, or that this is an acceptable simplification? Let me know in the comments below!
My 12yo son has just started making models, so I've decided it's a great time to re-start making them as well after the best part of 20 years away from the hobby. I've unearthed a small stash of kits I bought but never got around to building back then, the boy promptly half-inched most of them. I don't fancy botching a decent 1/48th Tamiya kit on my first foray back into the hobby so I've gone for this kit (thanks to your video) as my first attempt. Be interesting to see how bad I've got.
@@MannsModelMoments I'll try and put all those youtube videos of people smacking into walls/lamp-posts/themselves while riding bikes out of my mind then!🤣 But seriously, I'll be fine. There's a few more How To videos out these days than when I started for the first time in the late '80s. (Wish kits were still those prices though!)
I think maybe the dash could have been part of the fuselage mold like some from the past and why not have a control stick as it is a learner project and the rear wheel is just as fiddly for a new modeller. What with all the interior detail and even wheel wells a control stick would be good for realism. If the modeller is your or lack confidence they don't have to use the part. A very neat and precise review. I enjoyed it. Although a modeller for many years it's nice to do a simpler kit now and again. Starter or not it's a very clean kit. Great review :-)
Nice review and channel. A lovely little kit. As a recently retired "oldie" who's wanting to get back into modeling i found this went together exceptionally well and looks good once finished. Just about to start their Spitfire Mk Vc.
A nice review of a very nice kit, I wish that there were kits of this standard in the sixties, when I started building model kits, however I'm still here and still building so I take your point on over simplification. Every kit I built was a challenge but I got there, maybe it was the instructions, locate and cement etc. Thanks for the review, I may make this kit with my grandchildren.
@MannsModelMoments tempted to get this (ww2 not really my bag but tempted).....you could fabricate the control stick with the end of a cocktail stick or match stuck trimmed to fit.....granted its not a great solution but better than nothing.
Those silhouette stands are a really nice touch. I built the Spitfire Vc starter and it was the first time in 50 years I've used a stand provided, just because it looked pretty stylish.
I seem to remember Airfix producing a Bf 109F long before their G variant. Maybe in the late 50's or early 1960's. Mind you, at my age, memories become uncertain and fleeting things!
Unbelievable that it's taken Airfix this long to produce a Friedrich in 1/72! I recently built the Zvezda snap-fit 109F which is a little gem in my opinion. Would be interesting to see how they compare.
Maybe for my son when he's a little older. Having said that, we're jointly building the AVRO Shackleton I was given. Jacob does glue, and I do the painting. He's only seven, so his solo wings are a couple of years away. 😊❤😊
You sound like a great dad. It's a young boy's rite of passage to build an Airfix kit (using excess glue and accompanying finger prints). When I was your son's age if I saved up for long enough I could afford the cheapest of kits, but I never had the money to afford the paint so ended up with the bare plastic model and the decals, but what pure bliss it brought me.
@@muchasgracias6976 I remember those paint free childhood days very well. I was in my late teens before I could afford paint. Thanks for the parenting compliment. It's appreciated. 😊❤️😊
Airfix did an Bf 109F in the late 50's, from the Airfix Tribute Forum, "Messerschmitt Me 109F ( kit 1384)" this was retooled into a "G" before the new tool 1965 Pattern No.85 Bf 109G was released.
Nice easy build, spares boxes scoured for a suitable instrument decal and control column. Simple paint scheme, although I'll confess to not troubling the provided paints or cement. Looking forward to the P-51 in due course
still hoping and praying that one day Airfix makes new toolings for the Brewster Buffalo, seems NOBODY is doing a good one in 1/72 these days, of course there is Airfix' "vintage classics" one but I'm not the biggest fan of that series due to so many fitting issues also great vid as always! (thinking of getting this kit if my local shop eventually gets them in stock! would be my first 109 as well I think)
To be fair, they probably thought people would use the pilot figure and control sticks tend to get in the way when shoving him in. Without a pilot, you definitely need a stick and instrument panel. Think the intake should have been less fiddly (they are on all 109s and there has to be a more positive way to fit them together) but looks like a good starter kit. Might get one just to compare it with the Zvezda and Eduard kits I've built before
Alex, great review, nice build quality but I can’t get away from the feeling Airfix have just simplified/cut back, too much on the part count with the details missing that you have pointed out.
@@ian-t3u no, but so what? If they were included, they can't sell in Germany. If you really want them, you can buy sheets to make it accurate - one has dozens of different sizes and styles for all your missing tail marking needs for less than the price of one starter kit....
Hmmm, if was a kid I'd be quite disappointed my pocket money couldn't buy a kit with a basic detailed cockpit and pilot. A least it comes with some coloured mud and a decent *humbrol paint brush*.. which are really good btw.
Honest question, apart from paint, glue brush, what seperates a starter set from an experienced builder set? What would you consider a BF109 kit for an experienced builder in this scale?
Well, Airfix have engineered this kit specifically to make it easy to build - so low part count, less "fiddly bits" (control column and instrument panel) plus the flight stand to make it easy to display. For an experienced builder there are a vast amount of 109s to choose from, depending on exactly what you're looking for, from model (E, F, G or K, for example) to build experience (easier, like Tamiya, or more challenging, like Italeri or Heller).
it's not - but as I talked about in my "stop painting by Numbers" video, colour (including luminance) is relative. As I always showcase unboxings and builds against a white background, the contrast between them is high. When I'm taking the final photos I'm often using a different ISO and aperture for the stills, and I'm shooting against a dark gradient background - which in this case the 109 appears lighter. Lots of optical illusions exploit this property.
My biggest gripe with this ( like so many ww2 German plane and Afrika Korps kits) is the censorship. Just do a Tamiya etc Airfix and split the markings, not making it contentious. If you want this historically accurate youve got to spend on aftermarket decals.
It's not censorship - it's a choice by Airfix....no one is stopping you getting after- market decals which will last dozens of kits and add almost nothing to the overall cost. Airfix need to think about international markets, and yes, they could split the symbol, but many other manufacturers don't supply them,so I hardly think it's a big deal - especially for a starter kit.
What on earth are you talking about? I'm making the model, not a newcomer...just because it's a starter kit doesn't mean an experienced modeller can't make it you know? Also, all I did was paint it Humbrol 31 using the same paint a starter would, they'd just use the paintbrush. Honestly, why do you think you can gatekeep the hobby in this way?
@MannsModelMoments No offence intended, excellent channel but as a handbrusher I protect my kind if that makes sense. Do as you do, I'll still watch 😊
What do you think of the Messerschmitt Bf109F Starter Kit? Will you be picking one up? Do you think Airfix should have included the instrument panel and control column in this and the P-51D kits, or that this is an acceptable simplification? Let me know in the comments below!
Personally I think it's fine to omit the instrument panel and control column from this level of kit, but I do think a pilot figure should be included.
My 12yo son has just started making models, so I've decided it's a great time to re-start making them as well after the best part of 20 years away from the hobby. I've unearthed a small stash of kits I bought but never got around to building back then, the boy promptly half-inched most of them. I don't fancy botching a decent 1/48th Tamiya kit on my first foray back into the hobby so I've gone for this kit (thanks to your video) as my first attempt. Be interesting to see how bad I've got.
@@Darcy_Actual I'm sure it'll come back like riding a bike!
@@MannsModelMoments I'll try and put all those youtube videos of people smacking into walls/lamp-posts/themselves while riding bikes out of my mind then!🤣
But seriously, I'll be fine.
There's a few more How To videos out these days than when I started for the first time in the late '80s. (Wish kits were still those prices though!)
I think maybe the dash could have been part of the fuselage mold like some from the past and why not have a control stick as it is a learner project and the rear wheel is just as fiddly for a new modeller. What with all the interior detail and even wheel wells a control stick would be good for realism. If the modeller is your or lack confidence they don't have to use the part. A very neat and precise review. I enjoyed it. Although a modeller for many years it's nice to do a simpler kit now and again. Starter or not it's a very clean kit. Great review :-)
Nice review and channel. A lovely little kit. As a recently retired "oldie" who's wanting to get back into modeling i found this went together exceptionally well and looks good once finished. Just about to start their Spitfire Mk Vc.
Im glad i watched to the end. It does look like a great looking Aeroplane and a fun weekend or Mojo build.
A nice review of a very nice kit, I wish that there were kits of this standard in the sixties, when I started building model kits, however I'm still here and still building so I take your point on over simplification. Every kit I built was a challenge but I got there, maybe it was the instructions, locate and cement etc. Thanks for the review, I may make this kit with my grandchildren.
Lovely shop you have. Thanks for the chat last week. The b25 buyer
Thank you - thanks for popping in!
@MannsModelMoments tempted to get this (ww2 not really my bag but tempted).....you could fabricate the control stick with the end of a cocktail stick or match stuck trimmed to fit.....granted its not a great solution but better than nothing.
@jaws848 just use the pilot no need for control stick you won't see it anyway through that tiny clear plastic
@@Looney2ing i dont use pilots
@@jaws848 aah.. you could buy control colums from resin
Those silhouette stands are a really nice touch. I built the Spitfire Vc starter and it was the first time in 50 years I've used a stand provided, just because it looked pretty stylish.
Thanks for the video, looks great will have to pick one up!
New kits from airfix are really good and enjoyable. Thanks for the video. I'm off to buy one
I think the kit itself looks fine considering it's entry level. How you'd get on with the brush and paints supplied is another matter.
Evening fellow modellers
I seem to remember Airfix producing a Bf 109F long before their G variant. Maybe in the late 50's or early 1960's. Mind you, at my age, memories become uncertain and fleeting things!
I checked and you're quite correct - in 1956....it was a 109 F on Scalemates rather than a 109F, so I didn't spot it!
Unbelievable that it's taken Airfix this long to produce a Friedrich in 1/72! I recently built the Zvezda snap-fit 109F which is a little gem in my opinion. Would be interesting to see how they compare.
Maybe for my son when he's a little older.
Having said that, we're jointly building the AVRO Shackleton I was given. Jacob does glue, and I do the painting. He's only seven, so his solo wings are a couple of years away. 😊❤😊
You sound like a great dad. It's a young boy's rite of passage to build an Airfix kit (using excess glue and accompanying finger prints). When I was your son's age if I saved up for long enough I could afford the cheapest of kits, but I never had the money to afford the paint so ended up with the bare plastic model and the decals, but what pure bliss it brought me.
@@muchasgracias6976 I remember those paint free childhood days very well. I was in my late teens before I could afford paint. Thanks for the parenting compliment. It's appreciated. 😊❤️😊
Airfix did an Bf 109F in the late 50's, from the Airfix Tribute Forum, "Messerschmitt Me 109F ( kit 1384)" this was retooled into a "G" before the new tool 1965 Pattern No.85 Bf 109G was released.
@@neillowe8230 yes, I mentioned this in another comment - it was actually 1956
Nice easy build, spares boxes scoured for a suitable instrument decal and control column. Simple paint scheme, although I'll confess to not troubling the provided paints or cement. Looking forward to the P-51 in due course
still hoping and praying that one day Airfix makes new toolings for the Brewster Buffalo, seems NOBODY is doing a good one in 1/72 these days, of course there is Airfix' "vintage classics" one but I'm not the biggest fan of that series due to so many fitting issues
also great vid as always! (thinking of getting this kit if my local shop eventually gets them in stock! would be my first 109 as well I think)
Great video, hmmm airfix take my money. Love the stands as a modeller who is really running out of shelf space.
Fair enough!
Great video as you have used to us
To be fair, they probably thought people would use the pilot figure and control sticks tend to get in the way when shoving him in. Without a pilot, you definitely need a stick and instrument panel. Think the intake should have been less fiddly (they are on all 109s and there has to be a more positive way to fit them together) but looks like a good starter kit. Might get one just to compare it with the Zvezda and Eduard kits I've built before
Agreed
It’s a perfect kit for the first timer 👍
Alex, great review, nice build quality but I can’t get away from the feeling Airfix have just simplified/cut back, too much on the part count with the details missing that you have pointed out.
The P-40 Warhawk start kit isn't too bad either.
Maybe pick it up, have done several 109s in the past and as a p51d fan I tend to do alot of those kits.
is it best to use CA glue
No! You should use polystyrene cement like this:
www.mannsmodelmoments.com/products/mmm-modelling-tool-set-with-cement?_pos=1&_sid=01a6d46f7&_ss=r
Decal sheet I noticed didn’t provide the tail swastika.
@@ian-t3u no, but so what? If they were included, they can't sell in Germany. If you really want them, you can buy sheets to make it accurate - one has dozens of different sizes and styles for all your missing tail marking needs for less than the price of one starter kit....
I was just saying how a few years ago you would have got them in the kit.
Excellent video by the way.
Nice video...agree with omission of instrument panel is a miss...and that shadow stand base is awful.
I quite like the shadow stand
Hmmm, if was a kid I'd be quite disappointed my pocket money couldn't buy a kit with a basic detailed cockpit and pilot.
A least it comes with some coloured mud and a decent *humbrol paint brush*.. which are really good btw.
Honest question, apart from paint, glue brush, what seperates a starter set from an experienced builder set? What would you consider a BF109 kit for an experienced builder in this scale?
Well, Airfix have engineered this kit specifically to make it easy to build - so low part count, less "fiddly bits" (control column and instrument panel) plus the flight stand to make it easy to display. For an experienced builder there are a vast amount of 109s to choose from, depending on exactly what you're looking for, from model (E, F, G or K, for example) to build experience (easier, like Tamiya, or more challenging, like Italeri or Heller).
By comparison, Airfix’s own 1/72 Bf109E has 61 parts according to their website.
64 😊
Why is the completed model a lighter colour grey than the unbuilt model?
it's not - but as I talked about in my "stop painting by Numbers" video, colour (including luminance) is relative. As I always showcase unboxings and builds against a white background, the contrast between them is high. When I'm taking the final photos I'm often using a different ISO and aperture for the stills, and I'm shooting against a dark gradient background - which in this case the 109 appears lighter. Lots of optical illusions exploit this property.
My biggest gripe with this ( like so many ww2 German plane and Afrika Korps kits) is the censorship. Just do a Tamiya etc Airfix and split the markings, not making it contentious. If you want this historically accurate youve got to spend on aftermarket decals.
It's not censorship - it's a choice by Airfix....no one is stopping you getting after- market decals which will last dozens of kits and add almost nothing to the overall cost. Airfix need to think about international markets, and yes, they could split the symbol, but many other manufacturers don't supply them,so I hardly think it's a big deal - especially for a starter kit.
Wings fitment to fuselage not perfect, i can see putty been applied, but omitted this step on the video
You're seeing things I'm afraid - no putty was used and I showed absolutely everything I dud
Sorry but that is well 😞 rushed build , small parts not repainted ! 🤨
You've missed the point - Its a Build review - to show you what is in the kit and how it goes together
Why are you airbrushing a starter kit??? Which newcomer to the hobby will have an airbrush? Pointless exercise I'm afraid.
What on earth are you talking about? I'm making the model, not a newcomer...just because it's a starter kit doesn't mean an experienced modeller can't make it you know? Also, all I did was paint it Humbrol 31 using the same paint a starter would, they'd just use the paintbrush. Honestly, why do you think you can gatekeep the hobby in this way?
@MannsModelMoments No offence intended, excellent channel but as a handbrusher I protect my kind if that makes sense. Do as you do, I'll still watch 😊
OK - text has no other indicators with it, so it did come across as "having a go"! No worries though!