This is exactly what Tamiya should be doing, and the naysayers are all wrong. The ease of assembly is what goes hand in hand with the infinite variety of schemes, and there is more decals for this aircraft, and more variety of schemes, than for any other type. I agree that a Ki-43II would have been a good choice, but this one, the MOST produced fighter variant of all time, at 23 000, they simply HAD to do... The Zvezda is a hard build, and the Eduard still has a lot of accuracy problems (even the corrected mould). 10-15 years ago, all Tamiya was doing was wasting our time with one-scheme dullards like the He-162, Do-335 or, worse yet, the J1N1 Irving (Good Lord!). Even their inaccurate bellied, thick-framed Fi-156, and the ugly Swordfish (not Tamiya's fault, but still, no one forced them to pick this one) were hardly inspiring stuff... I, for one, am glad they have finally STOPPED with this oddball trash, and FINALY improved in accuracy, because even their P-47D was a long way off from an accurate canopy and fuselage... Their F4U, Ki-46 and now their Ki-61 were really flawless, and hopefully, despite the dud that was the Il-2, this 109G-6 will finally establish this trend for good... Gaston

The addition of the 1/48 scale armor (M1A2) is one of the best kits released by Tamiya. It is filling a need in the market, and at the same time exploring an area of modelling still very much untapped i.e. 1/48 Modern Armour. If the success of the 1/48 Type 10 is anything to go ny

Are people tending to forget what market this kit is aimed at? It certainly isn’t aimed at the North American or European markets. Tamiya’s primary market is Japan and given that fact, why shouldn’t they release this kit? I also applaud them for releasing the 48th scale Abrams. After the Type 10 it’s good to see them continuing with modern armour subjects. I hope it signals the release of more modern 48th kits.

Hi Matt I think the Gustav is pretty much guaranteed to appeal to a worldwide market. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the price at HLJ because it can often work out much cheaper than the UK price (even after postage and customs charges). Do I need another '109? - of course not! But, to misquote Mal "You can't have too many '109s!" All the best Rowan

Got some mixed feelings regarding this new Gustav. I am a die hard Luftwaffe builder, and 109 I have a bunch so I should be happy with this news right? Not so True that being a Tamiya-san baby means a troubleless, simple & straightforward assembly, plus overall detail and shape as state of the art. The fact that seemingly one can interchange from an open engine view to a closed nose puts the kit above all other Gustavs out there. Now, the price factor (I think it will be the most expensive 109 out there) and the fact that there are already such good models available (Eduard and Zvezda just to stay in this century offers) makes me consider a one off purchase alone, unlike the other aforementioned brands. Above all, I would expect Tamiya to bring out stuff that has been neglected by the market, as they have done in the recent past and in fact in most of their 1/48 range. Just one example if they wanted Luftwaffe, how about BV 138? Perhaps their return of investment wouldn’t be so good I guess, but hey! wasn’t their Heinkel 219 a bang for each yen they spent?? All said, I still have to agree with Rowan and others I read elsewhere, it will sell well because it is a 109 and it is Tamiya.

Great news,why would I ever say another 109,Mustang,Tiger,Panther,or Sherman.Let the manufacturers produce all the kits they want,the more the merrier.Choice is always good. I would however would like to see them do a P-38

A 109 is OK but why a G-6 model? Why not a G-14, K-4 something a little later in the war tht's not been overdone? They also could redo the 1/48 Corsair with newer models and give an option for wings down, I avoid Tamiya's Corsairs because of the horrible in flight wings!---John

Is this a precursor to a 32-scale Messerschmidt?

I've never built a German or Japanese aircraft to date, but Tamiya's offering most likely will be my 1st. Bill, "this a precursor to a 32-scale Messerschmidt?" I wouldn't hold my breath. Everyone has their wishlists, and even some like Doog has his convoluted theories, and so far no one has come close to what Tamiya has in store for us. We didn't even get the scale right this year as the -1D really can't be considered a completely new kit. Joel