INTRODUCTION

Released in 2013 Revell scored high marks with this Me 410B radar version of the a well loved aircraft in their Pro Modeler series. At a retail price of around $32USD (with many on-line and retail outlets selling for less) this is truly a bargain for what's inside the box and what will emerge to take flight then land on your shelf.

THE AIRCRAFT

The twin engine fighter/bomber type of aircraft was a very popular design with the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The Me 410 was a late war development of this concept and proved very versatile. The first versions were equipped as light bombers, while later variants moved more towards the destroyer style of aircraft. The B-6/R-2 had a Zaunkonig surface search radar array mounted in the nose for anti-shipping raids.

The Messerschmitt Me 410 was developed from the earlier Me 210. The engines were changed and the fuselage lengthened. It proved to be very adaptable and had many different armament configurations, including different forward-facing guns and cannons, depending on the mission. In addition, this aircraft carried various size bombs or torpedoes in the bomb bay. The Me 410’s most unique feature was the side mounted rearward firing guns. These, however, proved to be very ineffective.

Late in the war, the B-6 variant of the Me 410 was introduced as a coastal anti-shipping weapon. This impressive machine retained the massive armament capacity of the originals and added a search radar in the nose which could be used to detect Allied shipping. Most ships didn't carry heavy enough armor on their tops to defend against the Me 410's 13 and 20mm guns or the two thousand pounds of bombs they carried.

THE KIT

With beautiful box art Revell begin their presentation to entice your eyes and wallet to join forces then take control of your mind's purchasing power. Pah... who am I kidding, it's an Me 410B Radar version which your mind didn't need any coaxing at all now did it? Certainly didn't with me.

Level 3 for the time was the highest skill level. Please feel free to correct me on that, but with what's needed to complete this kit to its fullest potential it makes sense. Seeing the Pro Modeler badge in the top left corner was another draw to pull out my debit card. The side walls give further reasons to buy. Those being; positional gun turrets, pilot and crew figures along with photo-etched parts. Also this kit is made in the USA. No disrespect intended to other countries, but I buy American when I can. Revell were kind enough to give a few shot of the kit built-up, which will help in the completed project, yet I wish they'd have added a few more, being that the instructions are B/W.

Inside the top opening box are three grey sprue trees in a single bag which make up the bulk of the kit. The plastic is typical Revell high quality, but there are some delicate areas with flash which obviously will need special attention. That said, all the guns have been hollowed enough for your micro drills to finish the job or leave as is. External detail is quite good with raised parts and recessed panel lines. After scouring through hundreds of photos on these aircraft the jury is still out on whether there should be more rivet detail. Personally I would like to have seen Revell add some more especially to the wing tops and fuselage, but in their favor they did an outstanding job on the wing bottoms. In fact there is plenty of fine detail all over this kit such as fuel ports, trim arms, panel hinges, an equipment cluster that rivals a resin aftermarket, multitudes of access panels, riveted canopy and much more to please the eye. The highly detailed front wheels are weighted, but the tail is not. Nothing a little sanding won't fix. The crew have great expressions, looking very serious and ready to "blow (insert expletive here) up!". Revell have even molded textured cloth on the seats! Nice touch since the cockpit is a central point of the model being a radar version. The undercarriage is a low point with the least attention to detail, yet there are some very fine aftermarket resin and metal upgrades showing the fully exposed wheel bays.

For those who don't want to tackle the photo-etch Revell have super detailed the interior plastic molding for hand painting and dry brush.

The clear parts are average, but acceptable. Some warping and fine lines are present so being able to pose a few open is nice. You'll need to clean up the flash and make your own masks. And not just for the exterior since the riveted interior frame is well represented. Certainly worth the time in carefully masking and/or applying masking fluid to make that detail come to life.

Revell sought out a well respected Czech Republic manufacturer for the photo-etched parts. The instrument clusters and radar array look simply amazing. And to take it a step further... there are lots of them. All you'll need to make this a fun build and pleasure to show off or admire. At first the nose radar looks a little daunting, but when you read the instructions and take your time there shouldn't be any issues.

INSTRUCTIONS

The twenty page black and white booklet (in English, French and Spanish) begins with the usual brief history, safety notes, decal application information and the various procedural icons. Instead of a parts layout page though, this Pro Modeler kit has all the numbered parts listed by name. For example, part 76 is the "Aileron Mass Balance" and 113 is the "Propeller Retainer". Tips on how to work with the photo-etch is also included. From there the instruction manual is very informative and will take you through the next 21 steps to build, paint and decal your Messerschmitt Me 410B-6/R-2. Beyond that, there is a wealth of on-line resources to find a weathering technique which suites your taste.

DECALS

In recent years Revell have used an Italian company to print their decals and stencils so I brought out some spares to compare with the ones provided from 2013. In short, they do not compare. Being slightly out of register and a breath thicker they definitely are not high-end decals. At the same time for the price of the kit and how brilliant the colors are they get a passing grade. Besides there are loads of aftermarket out there if you want to go to that extent. The three call-outs provided are:

• Messerschmitt 410B, 1./ZG 26
  
• Captured Messerschmitt 410B-6, in RAF Markings
  
• Messerschmitt 410B, Egr. Gr. KG-51, (Jagd) 1944.

CONCLUSION

Out of the box, and with a few tools and some CA glue, this Revell Pro Modeler 1/48 Me 410B-6/R-2 will build into a very nice display, even with the few drawbacks that I've mentioned above. Bang for the buck it's no wonder why anyone wouldn't clamber to snag one of their own. A great looking plane with plenty of eye-candy inside and out, plus many aftermarket options to super detail, it has all the core elements needed for entered a show... in my humble opinion.

Many thanks to The Kit Bunker for holding this item three weeks until I could make the purchase and write this article for KitMaker Network and AeroScale.

When making your purchase, please mention you read an article about it on KitMaker Network. I hope this was informative and thanks for taking the time.