Modelling the Messerschmitt Bf-110 by Brett Green

Price approx. $24.95CDN

Messerschmitt's Bf-110 Zerstorer has always had a mystique about it, partly due, no doubt, to its poor showing during the Battle of Britain. That little black mark on its record notwithstanding, the Bf-110 was a very handsome, versatile and useful aircraft to the Luftwaffe throughout the Second World War.

The Bf-110 has been a popular subject for modelers over the years, with kits available from 1/32 scale on down. This book, by Hyperscale editor Brett Green, focuses on the Bf-110 in 1/48 scale. After a brief history of the aircraft with a few line profiles of the Bf-110G-2 and Bf-110G-4 and a chart listing the characteristics of the major variants, the book lists the kits that have been released in 1/48 scale. These are variations on two kits: Fujimi's 30+ year old Bf-110C/D that was modified by a Mauve to make Bf-110Gs, and Revell-Monogram's nice Bf-110F/G kits (apparently, the kits that Revell-Monogram released as Bf-110G-2s are, in fact, Bf-110Fs due to the location of the wingtip pitot tube - something I was unaware of until I got this book). In the back of the book is a good reference list and lists of decals and aftermarket items that have been released for these kits. These are good lists to have, but I would have liked some annotations to indicate the quality of these items.

The real meat of the book is, of course, the models featured. Four model projects are focused on in detail, two each using Fujimi and Revell-Monogram kits. First up is an interesting build of a Mediterranean Bf-110D-2 done "in-flight" on a stand. The main focus of this article is painting the camouflage and masking the rather intimidating greenhouse canopy that is characteristic of the Bf-110; the model itself is mostly unmodified.

Then the nightfighters take over. The next project is an all-black Bf-110E nightfighter. This one is gussied up quite a bit, using the True Details cockpit, Eduard photoetched set, Highflight dropped flaps, and a Falcon vacuformed canopy, as well as lots of work done to modify the kit pieces. This is a fairly substantial project, but very impressive.

Moving on to the Revell-Monogram Bf-110G-4, Chris Wauchop builds this kit pretty much out of the box, and does a magnificent job of it. This article explains Chris' techniques for painting cockpits and exteriors in sufficient detail that anybody wishing to replicate his impressive work could do so.

The climax of the book is Brett's major reworking of the Revell-Monogram kit, using a plethora of aftermarket items, most notably the Cutting Edge Bf-110F/G Correction Set, which completely replaces the undersized propellers, engine nacelles, and wing sections aft of the nacelles. This is an extremely complex project, but the results are spectacular.

Finally, there is a gallery with photos of four other Bf-110 builds, plus a nice article on building groundwork and painting figures to accompany Luftwaffe aircraft. The "accessorizing" article in particular is nice in that it focuses on an oft-neglected aspect that really makes good models come to life.

As nice as this book is, I was left feeling a bit let down. Part of this, I am sure, is due to the fact that none of the major build articles were on my pet project, a Bf-110G-2 pulkzerstorer. I was also a bit disappointed that there are no reference photos of Bf-110s, either preserved examples or period photos, in the book, although there is a page of colour swatches in the rear. The other part is the nature of the beast, I suppose, regarding 21st century publishing: the fact that I had seen significant portions of this book long before I purchased it. Brett's extensive build of the Bf-110G-4 features his review of the Cutting Edge Bf-110F/G Correction Set, while Chris Wauchop's painting techniques used on his Bf-110G-4 is also available online. Having said that, however, there is still a lot in this book that is new, useful, and inspiring. Like the other books I have seen in Osprey's Modelling series, these books contain superb models and are beautifully produced and well-written by authorities in the field.