{"product_id":"hasegawa-plastic-model-kit-messerschmitt-bf-109g-10-st22-1-32","title":"Hasegawa Plastic Model Kit Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 ST22 — 1:32","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer and kit\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHasegawa is a Japanese scale-model manufacturer particularly well known for aircraft kits. This ST-series kit represents the late-war Bf 109G-10, one of the final major production versions of the famous German fighter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe finished model is approximately 310 mm long with a 283 mm wingspan. The kit contains the injection-moulded airframe components, cockpit, landing gear, propeller, engine\/cowling details, clear parts, decals and assembly instructions. The original boxing provides three decal options, according to a contemporary kit review.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe full-size Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Messerschmitt Bf 109 was Germany's principal single-seat fighter throughout much of the Second World War. Designed in the 1930s by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke\/Messerschmitt team under Willy Messerschmitt, it evolved through numerous versions as engines, armament and aerodynamic equipment were improved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Gustav, or Bf 109G, became the dominant production family from 1942 onward. By 1944 the earlier G-series aircraft were being overtaken in performance by newer Allied fighters, leading to further development around the more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605D engine.\n\u003cbr\u003eBf 109G-10 development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe G-10 was introduced during the final phase of the war, beginning in late 1944. It was not simply a completely new aircraft; rather, it combined the existing Bf 109G airframe with the latest available engine and production improvements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal powerplant was the Daimler-Benz DB 605D, with MW 50 methanol-water injection available to increase emergency power. Contemporary technical information gives approximately 1,800 hp at take-off, with higher performance available under MW 50 conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExternally, G-10 aircraft could display a number of late-production features, including the characteristic enlarged engine cowling associated with the DB 605D installation and various production changes resulting from the increasingly dispersed manufacturing system.\n\u003cbr\u003ePerformance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRepresentative Bf 109G-10 characteristics include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Crew: 1\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine: Daimler-Benz DB 605D\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Power: approximately 1,800 hp at take-off with MW 50\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Maximum speed: approximately 680–690 km\/h depending on configuration and altitude\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Armament: typically 1 × 20 mm MG 151\/20 cannon firing through the propeller hub and 2 × 13 mm MG 131 machine guns\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Optional armament: underwing cannon pods or bombs depending on aircraft and mission\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Role: Fighter \/ interceptor\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe exact performance and external appearance varied because late-war Bf 109s were produced by several manufacturers and factories using differing combinations of components.\n\u003cbr\u003eCombat history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe G-10 appeared when Germany was increasingly operating defensively against overwhelming Allied air power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts principal tasks included:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Intercepting Allied bomber formations\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fighting Allied escort fighters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Defence of German territory\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Local air superiority\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Ground attack when required\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bf 109G-10 was used on both the Western and Eastern Fronts and in the Reich air-defence campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft's high power-to-weight ratio and strong climb performance remained valuable, particularly against bombers, but late-war Allied fighters such as the North American P-51D Mustang, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX\/XIV operated in an increasingly sophisticated environment.\n\u003cbr\u003eLate-war production\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe G-10 is particularly interesting because it illustrates the increasingly difficult German aircraft-production situation in 1944–45.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAircraft were produced by different manufacturers, including Messerschmitt, Erla and WNF, and consequently individual aircraft can exhibit noticeable differences in cowling, access panels, camouflage and other details.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is worth remembering when building the Hasegawa kit: a particular decal option should be matched to the appropriate production features rather than assuming every G-10 looked identical.\n\u003cbr\u003eArmament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe standard armament was centred around the MG 151\/20 20 mm cannon, mounted centrally and firing through the propeller shaft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwo MG 131 13 mm machine guns were mounted above the engine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome aircraft were fitted with additional MG 151\/20 cannon gondolas beneath the wings, increasing firepower at the expense of aerodynamic performance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis heavy armament was particularly useful against Allied four-engine bombers.\n\u003cbr\u003eHistorical significance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bf 109G-10 represents one of the final stages in the development of a fighter that had been in continuous evolution since the Spanish Civil War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic airframe originated in the mid-1930s, yet successive improvements in engines, superchargers, armament and aerodynamics allowed the Bf 109 to remain in frontline service throughout the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe G-10 is therefore a particularly interesting modelling subject because it combines the familiar appearance of the Bf 109 with the highly developed late-war engineering of the DB 605D-powered aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hasagawa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57504169296252,"sku":"Hasagawa-08072","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/F4CD9DA5-B727-4B28-ABEF-A9F836D0118D.jpg?v=1790402503","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/hasegawa-plastic-model-kit-messerschmitt-bf-109g-10-st22-1-32","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}