Introduction

This set is destined to the 1:48 scale Bf 110 G-4 night fighter model kit from Eduard. A review of it can be found here. The standard kit has already a high level of detail from the box but if you think it is still not enough, here's something to keep you busy for a while...

The Bf 110 G-4 photo etched set

Two photo etched frets, with a total of approximately 230 new parts, are located within Eduard's typical packaging and are protected by two cardboard sheets to prevent them from damage. Instructions are provided as well on two A4 sheets that must be folded to A-5 format. In total there are 7 pages of instructions! You can imagine the amount of work that will be necessary to incorporate everything into an already very complex plastic model.

The smaller fret (Part1) is partly pre-painted and is mainly composed of pieces destined to the cockpit interior such as side consoles, instrument panels, levers, placards etc... The pre-painting really offers a degree of detail that is very difficult to obtain with brush work. The radio faces in particuliar are crisply done. Some parts from the second fret are also destined to the cockpit interior but aren't pre-painted this time. Once everything has been fitted into the fuselage, one can wonder if there will be enough room left for the crew!

The armament, as you can imagine, also receives some extra details, especially for the nose gun bay, but the gunner's MG81Z hasn't been forgotten as new perforated barrels are provided.

Two and a half pages of the instructions are devoted to the interior of the engine nacelles/landing gear bays area. Here again you can imagine the degree of complexity this implies. Provided are radiator grils, radiator doors to pose open or shut, individual ribs, undercarriage mounts, inner surface plates, landing gear cover hinges, brake lines etc...

Externally, the kit receives some enhancements such as new control surface hinges, grils, underwing antennas with mounting plates, very fine air entries and exits for the exhaust flame dampers, external fuel tank details etc...

Finally, since it is obvious that with such a highly detailed interior every modeller will want to display the canopy hoods in the opened position to show all the detail, the clear parts of the kit also got their share of metal in the form of wiring and handles to add, plus a delicate de-icing array for the windscreen. Obviously great care (and using PVA adhesive or just plain varnish) is recommended to avoid damaging the clear parts.

The instructions, though rather small, are well illustrated and shouldn't be too difficult to follow despite the complexity of the set.

Conclusion

The "basic" Bf 110 G-4 kit from Eduard is already very detailed and can be considered as a challenge on it's own. Incorporating this extra PE set can lead to a metal indigestion if you don't have enough experience with photo etched part. However, in the hands of a master cook, it can result in "Haute Cuisine" and a real model masterpiece can be achieved.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.