Neil Page lifts the lid on the exciting new quarterscale Emil from Airfix.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

some progress on the build. Cockpit OOB except for some foil belts. Detail is OK, ordnance panel under the instruments is a separate part. Plastic a little thick and difficult to get the smaller parts off the sprues without damaging them..

Looking very promising Neil. could this be the budget conscious model of the year?
tim

Hi Neil

As Tim says, very promising. I know there's talk of ejector pin marks and an undersized oxygen bottle, but once it's all in there the kit's "office" looks nice and busy.

Still no sign of this beastie in my LHS, but I'll definitely grab one as soon as it appears. It'll be interesting to see if the fantastic SBS Models resin cockpit can be persuaded to fit...

All the best

Rowan

you'd probably need some heavy duty tools if intending to get those cockpit walls smoothed out to take a new resin one - this has to be some of the hardest, thickest plastic I've ever encountered on a model kit..luckly it's going together in very straight-forward fashion..

..some filler required especially around the leading edge cannon inserts. Flaps just plug in at what must be their maximum angle of deflection and there is also scope to position the ailerons which you don't get in a Tamiya Emil..
Note the underwing cannon bulges are separate parts enabling the early Emils to be built..

more progress - 'semi-snap' fit means that this is an 'easy' build - you could get this far without using glue. Gear legs, flaps. slats, lower cowl etc etc just plug in. However this leaves a 'stance' that is far too wide IMHO. A not very scientific comparison with the Tamiya E-3

Hi Neil
Looking good so far. Is the stance because you have not glued the u/c legs on? Or have you glued them on? Nice comparision with your Tamiya Emil.
tim

Looking good so far Neil.
Could the legs be bent inwards a little, or would they just break ?
Andy

hi guys

..no 'fraid not - they plug in very firmly indeed - all in all the kit fits brilliantly - so no scope for bending them there. They do splay a little as well because they are too long IMHO. I've gone and trimmed a couple of millimetres from them and opened up the locating holes so I can 're-position' them a little. I'm a lot happier with the resulting 'sit' ..although I might have 'over-corrected'. I guess opinions on this will be pretty subjective ...(ie 'divided' !)

another 'inaccuracy' that my 'in-box' review didn't pick up on - I blame the cellophane packaging -and which has been commented on elsewhere is the later E4/7 canopy in the kit - the centre section has some very heavy framing and a 'mid-panel' frame that shouldn't be there on an Emil canopy. This is not an issue if using the canopy for an E-1/3 as supplied in the box but it will make an accurate E-4/7 tricky - I'm doing an E-7 so will have to get with the sanding stick and toothpaste...

Hi Neil

What's the betting they got tripped up by the replacement canopy fitted to the RAF Hendon "Emil"...

All the best

Rowan

..it would indeed appear that Airfix were 'misled' by the RAF Museum's Emil. However this 'error' does not make the Airfix kit an 'inferior' product as one or two have commented elsewhere. There are so many options in the box a 're-think' is easy if you don't want to sand down the framing. As it is I'm opting to finish this as a ZG 1 E-4/B with armoured windshield, 'early' canopy and bomb rack for an SC 250 ( or perhaps SC500) - all options that are possible OOB (except for the Wespen decals I should add.. )

Hi Neil

I finally got my kit this morning. It looks like it's going to be a nice build. Most of the parts are much nicer "in the flesh" than they appear in photos. The only item (beyond those already noted) that concerns me on the basis of an instant inspection is the propeller - it does look a suspect shape and very spindly.

All the best

Rowan

So Neil is the Tamiya slightly ahead in looks?
tim

Hi Tim

no I don't think so..I probably won't answer that one until I get it painted and decaled. I'd say the Airfix kit is at least on a par with the Tamiya model. All the finely moulded extras give it the edge. The fit is the best I've ever seen in a scale model kit. You could literally build this one without glue. Bear in mind that in this market at least IIRC the Airfix kit retails for £12.99 whereas a Tamiya Emil - if you can find one in your LHS - would go for at least £19.99. You'll find the Tamiya kit probably cheaper on line - but then the dreaded P&P kicks in. In the UK you can find this Airfix Emil in your local art & craft store or even (soon it is rumoured) in the local newsagent (WH Smiths). Definitely a winner..

Hi Neil

I had a tinker with the kit today and had "fun" filling all the sink and ejector pin marks. I think there must be a bit of variation between one kit and the next, because mine suffered several areas of overstressing on the sprues (e.g. a slightly bent fin on one fuselage half, and a stress mark on one wing), and the seam along the rear fuselage has a noticeable step top and bottom. No big deal to fix and won't detract from the build.

The cross-section of the fin and rudder seem maybe a bit odd at the rudder-post, but I don't think it'll show when all's said and done.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

..the rudder shape looks a little suspect to be honest, but I can't put my finger on where and why - perhaps bulges a little too much at the top. The point you've noted though might be an attempt by Airfix to mould the characteristic aerodynamic cross-section of this area (I think !?) - one face is 'flat' and the other 'rounded'. However I don't know enough about Emils to say if this definitely was a feature on that variant..it certainly was on the later 'tall-tailed' 109s. I suspect that it wasn't on the Emil since the 109 had a reputation as being very difficult to control on the ground/ & in the takeoff run. But otherwise, no, no other problems or concerns to report. Currently painting and decaling - hopefully post some pics of the completed model Sunday

Hi again Neil

You were absolutely right about the main gear legs. They are definitely too long - slightly longer even than they should be with no compression on them (assuming the wheel wells are correct...):



All the best

Rowan

didn't think of doing that ! impressively simple check !

I was just going on the 'look' of the stance....

Hi Neil

Full credit to you - your way worked! I was just following up your lead to try to figure out what was amiss. The "sit" of an aircraft is the important thing.

Talking of the undercarriage, the tread on the tyres going all the way to the rims doesn't match any pics I've found (although Tamiya do it just the same way). Anyway, right or wrong, although my main project at the moment is painting Dragon's Bf 110, I couldn't resist tinkering with the Emil as a backburner build, so I've masked and filled the inner sections of the treads:





All the best

Rowan

I'm not entirely convinced there Rowan.... don't forget the rim of the plug-in hub that Airfix provide..

IMHO the poorest part in terms of detail and shape has to be the prop..Tamiya mould the pitch change gear at the base of the blades. Airfix give you nothing. Plus their blades aren't the correct profile

Hi Neil

That's a different sort of tyre with raised ridges, not the recessed treads.

Here's a shot from a servicing manual to show what I mean:



All the best

Rowan

yes indeed I see what you mean now..they've 'recessed' when they should have 'ridged' !! can't say that I would have ever noticed that..

well I've more or less finished this 'build-review' so here's where I am currently. Used some Kagero decals to finish this as a ZG1 Wespen Geschwader E-4/B. The only kit decals used here are the Balkenkreuze. Overall I'm fairly pleased with the result. The kit is very nicely detailed but is let down on a couple of points - the canopies are rather thick and I don't like the prop. The gear legs are too long and need shortening, which is what I've done here. There are other minor niggles - eg the wingtip nav/position lights are incorrectly rendered, but easy enough to correct. But apart from that, this is a nice easy build ..and as a kit is a bargain...unfortunately my photography skills (or lack of them) don't do this kit any favours either !