Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 Erla 'ProfiPACK'

Inside the box you will find one clear and four dark grey-coloured sprues, plus a set of die-cut, self-adhesive paint masks and a fret of pre-painted photo-etched. The surface detail combines fine engraved panel lines with fasteners and all the rivets - it's all very busy. Because Eduard have tried to get the most out of the tooling, there are a number of pieces on the sprues that are not needed for this particular variant, so they can be consigned to the spares box. The interior is nicely detailed with things like the seat belts and rudder pedals in etched brass, you also have the option of retaining the moulded detail or using the included pre-painted etched for the side consoles and instrument panel. You have two options for the exhaust stacks, with or without a glare shield and there are two variants of the tailwheel. The vertical fin and rudder are the taller wooden version and Eduard get around the missing flaps on the upper decking ahead of the windscreen by supplying and etched template so you can scribe these in yourself. All control surfaces are separate and you also have the leading edge slats, landing flaps and radiator exhaust flaps as separate components. The main wheel tyres are moulded separate from the hubs, so no seams to worry about there and you have the 'Morane mast' supplied in plastic or etched. The canopy can be posed open or closed, the starting handle is included and you have the option of the D/F loop as plastic or etched. The kit is completed by two styles of 300lt drop tank for the centreline rack. Die-cut self-adhesive masks are included for the head armour, canopy and main wheel hubs.
 
Markings
The kit offers five decal options: 
• W/Nr.491353, flown by Cap. Ugo Drago, 4a Squadriglia 2º Gruppo Caccia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, Aviano, Italy, February 1945
• 'White <<', flown by Hptm. Erich Hartmann, I./JG52, Görlitz, Germany, April 1945
• 'Red 5', flown by Lt Friedrich Schenk, 2./JG300, Borkheide, Germany, February 1945
• 'Black 8', flown by Oblt Alfred Seidl, I./JG3, Paderborn, Germany, late December 1944
• W/Nr.490655, 'Yellow 24', flown by Lt Antonius Wöffen, 6./JG27, Rheine-Hopsten, Germany, early March 1945
The decal, as usual come on two sheets, the main sheet contains all the national and unique markings (partial swastikas are in the main area of the sheet with complete ones on the top right-hand edge, so these can be clipped in those countries where the symbol is banned) while the second sheet offers a full set of airframe stencils, including those for the drop tank.
 
Conclusion
As with the other variants in the late G-series from Eduard, this is a real stunner and it also benefits from excellent fit. It is therefore most highly recommended to all late-war Luftwaffe modellers.

Our thanks to Eduard (www.eduard.com) for the review sample, UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.