Background:

The production of the Bf 110 was put on a low priority in 1941 in expectation of its replacement by the Me 210. During this time, two versions of the Bf 110 were developed, the E and F models. The E was designed as a fighter bomber (Zerstörer Jabo), able to carry four 50 kg (110 lb) ETC-50 racks under the wing, along with the centreline bomb rack. The first E, the Bf 110 E-1 was originally powered by the DB 601B engine, but shifted to the DB 601P as they became available in quantity. A total of 856 Bf 110E models were built between August 1940 and January 1942. The E models also had upgraded armour and some fuselage upgrades to support the added weight. Most pilots of the Bf 110E considered the aircraft slow and unresponsive, one former Bf 110 pilot commenting the E was "rigged and a total dog."

Contents:

The top opening box has a evocative illustration of one of the marking options escorting a what looks like the Tirpitz. Inside the box is:
-7 x green plastic sprues.
-1 x clear plastic sprue.
-1 x pre coloured photo etched fret.
-1 x small sheet of Kubaki maint masks.
-1 x sheet of decals.
-1 x 16 page construction and painting guide.

The cockpit as you would expect being a Profipack, there are three options to create the instrument panel. There is the pre coloured photo etched parts, decals or you can dry brush the raised detail on the plastic. I suspect anyone buying the Profipack version will plumb for the excellent looking photo etched parts. The plastic of the radio equipment has fine raised detail representing the radio controls. They seem to be crying out for some careful dry brushing. If dry brushing isn’t your thing, worry not as there are six pre painted PE parts for the detailing. The seats all have pre coloured PE seat belts and the pilot’s seat has harnesses as well. While were in the pilot’s cockpit there are some superb looking PE rudder pedals to add to the plastic rudder pedals. The cockpit walls has some fine detailing including cable runs, fuse boxes [?] and frame work. There are seven spare ammunition drums for the two MG FF guns mounted in the fuselage below the cockpit floor. The rear gunner has a very good looking MG 15 machine gun that has PE sights. The rear gunner has plenty of spare ammunition drums at his disposal as well. A feature that I am really pleased to see is the detailed plugs that fit over the void where the wing root is visible in the cockpit.
The canopy assembly looks to be the most complex part of this kit. The windscreen is separate and has an optional armoured screen that needs attaching. The side and upper windows are three separate parts and can be positioned open or closed. The canopy aft of the pilot is one piece. You will be glad to know Eduard supply Kubaki masks for all the panes of glass that make up the canopy and windscreen.
The fuselage well there is actually two different fuselages one of which is the longer version. The longer fuselage is used for marking option D. The nose section is separate and made up from five parts including the very fine looking gun barrels. Eduard has made the nose section separate so that there is no surgery required to fit the Brassin nose guns which are available separately. The recessed detail is finely done, the rivets look particularly delicate. There are a couple of locating pins to help with the alignment of the fuselage when gluing.
The wings are made up from three pieces, the lower wing is one piece with the dihedral set. The ailerons are separate one piece parts and feature taped fabric detail. No sagging fabric here thankfully. The wing tips are separate one piece parts. Another feature that appeals is the sharp trailing edges of the flaps. The radiator fairings are separate as are the radiator faces. There is a little detail on the ceiling of the wheel bay, the slightly offset depression where the wheel rests when retracted is faithfully reproduced.
The horizontal stabiliser is one piece and has beautifully sharp trailing edges. The two vertical stabilisers are each one piece also, and so thin light shines through them. The fabric surfaces of the control surfaces are nicely done.
The engine nacelles are each built up from two main parts with separate radiator air intake below. The separate firewall adds a little strength as well as blanking off the undercarriage bay. There is a little low relief detail on the sidewalls of the main undercarriage bay but I’m sure Eduard will be releasing PE frets to detail this area soon. The exhausts look good and capture the shape of the piping very well.
The propellers are one piece and the blades are commendably thin and well-shaped. The propeller bosses also look very good
Both the wheels for the main gear are two piece and feature some excellent detail on the hub. There are kabuki masks for painting the hubs. The legs are made up from five plastic parts and one PE part and once built they will be very sturdy. The main oleo appears to have part of the main spar attached to it making the whole thing robust. Undercarriage doors are superbly thin and feature small lugs to fit them onto the engine nacelles.
The tail wheel is one piece and looks impressive. There is a slight undercut around join of the leg and the tyre giving the impression they are separate. Some careful highlighting will improve the impression further.
Oridance for this release includes:
-2 x 300 litre fuel tanks.
-2 x 300 shaped fuel tanks.
-2 x 900 litre fuel tanks.
-1 x Dackelbauch conformal fuel tank.
-4 x 50kg.
-2 x 250kg bombs.
The three different types of fuel tanks are not used for the aircraft depicted with this release. A bit odd, but there you go. The separate wing and fuselage bomb racks are included.
Finally there are a number of small plastic and PE parts to add towards the end of construction. The radio direction aerial is a PE etched part and there are a couple of fuselage mounted mast, an aerial and numerous mass balances all in plastic.
Dry fit reveals a very good fit of the main components. I am particularly impressed with the engine nacelle fit.
Markings
[A] G9 JM, 4./NJG 1, St. Trond, France, February 1942.
[B] S9 NN, 5./ZG “Wespen”, Lt. Herbert Kutscha, Russia, 1942.
[C] LN LR, 1.(Z)/JG 77, Lt. Felix-Maria Brandis, Malmi, Finland, 1942
[D] W. Nr. 4035, Sonderkommando Junck, Iraq, Mosul Air Base, May 1941
[E] S9 HP, 5./ZG “Wespen”.
Option E [my designation not the Eduards] seems to be a bonus and is not mentioned on the Eduard website. It has the same finish as option B.
The decals look very good with colour registration, density. The carrier film is a little excessive on some decals and minimal on others. The code letters on the fuselage are all individual decals, presumably to keep the amount of carrier film to a minimum. Eduard has provided two styles of Balkenkreuz and they come entire or split in two. The “Wespen” emblem is split into three parts to give the decal a better chance to conform to the shape of the fuselage. There are lots of stencils including all the numbers for each rib of the fuselage, all 18 of them and on both sides of the fuselage.
The instructions is in the form of a sixteen page A5 booklet. The black line drawings and the instructional symbols as well as written instructions in Czech and English are very clear. The illustrations are particularly good as are the coloured four view illustrations for the four marking options. The stencil guide is very useful inclusions.

Conclusions:

The plastic parts look superb and the breakdown of parts is very well thought out. Construction even with a partial dry fit reveals a very simple construction. Another aspect that modelers will appreciate is the lack ejector pin marks in inappropriate places. Fit of parts seem to be excellent, you will only probably need to use liquid glue for this beauty. Eduard has provided images of the finished unpainted model on their website. Marking selection is very good providing an interesting and some challenging finishes. Accuracy it measure out very well and I can't see any major shape issues looking at photos of the "E". Excellent.