Heller 80231 Messerschmitt Bf 108 B Taifun — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

Manufacturer: Heller

Kit number: 80231

EAN: 3279510802313

Aircraft: Messerschmitt Bf 108 B Taifun

Scale: 1/72

Parts: 36

Finished model: approximately 115 × 146 mm

Decals: 2 versions

Contents: plastic parts, decals and assembly instructions

Glue/paint: not included
Heller and the kit

Heller is the historic French model manufacturer particularly well known for its extensive range of European aircraft. The Bf 108 is an excellent example of Heller's tendency to cover historically important aircraft that are less commonly represented than famous fighters.

This is a relatively small 36-part kit. The finished model is only about 11.5 cm long and 14.6 cm across the wings, making it a compact addition to a 1/72 collection.

The kit is intended as a conventional build-and-paint model. The box contains the plastic kit and instructions, together with decals; modelling cement and paints must be purchased separately.
The real aircraft — Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun

The Bf 108 Taifun was one of the most technically interesting German light aircraft of the 1930s.

Despite eventually receiving the military designation Bf 108, it was not originally designed as a fighter. It was developed as a fast, modern four-seat touring and competition aircraft, and its design incorporated several features that were advanced for the period.

The aircraft evolved from the Bf 108A, developed for the 1934 International Touring Competition in Europe. The improved Bf 108B became the principal production version.

The prototype first flew in 1934, and the Bf 108 entered production in 1935.
Design and construction

The Taifun was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with a retractable undercarriage and an enclosed four-seat cabin.

Its construction was unusually sophisticated for a light aircraft of the period. The aircraft employed an all-metal stressed-skin fuselage and metal wing structure, giving it a clean and streamlined appearance.

The design's aerodynamic efficiency was one of its greatest strengths.

The Bf 108's streamlined fuselage, retractable landing gear and relatively powerful engine enabled it to achieve performance that was exceptional for a four-seat touring aircraft.

The Bf 108B was powered by an Argus As 10C-3, an air-cooled inverted V-8 engine producing approximately 239 hp. Published specifications give a maximum speed of around 305 km/h, a range of approximately 1,000 km and a service ceiling around 6,200 m.
Development into the Bf 109

The Bf 108 is particularly important because experience gained with its construction and aerodynamic design contributed to the development of later Messerschmitt aircraft.

The Bf 108's clean monoplane configuration, retractable undercarriage and enclosed cockpit represented the direction in which high-performance German aircraft design was moving during the 1930s.

The aircraft therefore sits historically between the earlier generation of fabric-covered biplanes and the much more sophisticated combat aircraft that emerged immediately before the Second World War.

The Bf 108 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt's team, and the experience gained from the aircraft was relevant to the company's subsequent development work on the famous Bf 109 fighter.
Competition aircraft

The Bf 108's origins in touring competition are important.

Germany wanted to demonstrate its growing aviation capability, and international touring competitions provided an opportunity to showcase aircraft that combined speed, reliability and efficiency.

The Bf 108 proved to be an exceptionally capable design for this environment.

Its performance and handling subsequently made it attractive to private pilots, government organisations and military users.
Civilian career

Before the war, the Taifun was operated as a private touring aircraft, executive aircraft and communications aircraft.

Its four-seat cabin made it considerably more practical than a single-seat racing machine.

The combination of speed, range and passenger capacity was particularly attractive to wealthy private owners and government officials.

The aircraft also established an international reputation and was exported to several countries.
Luftwaffe service

With the development of the Luftwaffe, the Bf 108 was adopted for military utility duties.

It was used primarily as a:

liaison aircraft

staff transport

communications aircraft

VIP/personnel transport

training and utility aircraft

It was not intended to be a front-line fighter.

Its speed, relatively long range and four-seat cabin made it particularly useful for transporting senior officers and personnel between airfields.

This role continued throughout the Second World War. Contemporary catalogue descriptions specifically identify the Luftwaffe's use of the type as a liaison and senior-personnel transport aircraft.
The Mechelen incident

One of the most historically significant Bf 108s was involved in the famous Mechelen Incident of January 1940.

On 10 January 1940, a Luftwaffe Bf 108 carrying two officers became lost in poor weather and landed near Mechelen, Belgium.

One of the passengers was carrying documents relating to German operational plans for the forthcoming invasion of Belgium and France.

The resulting discovery of the documents became an important intelligence episode during the opening phase of the Western European campaign.

This is one of the reasons the otherwise relatively obscure Bf 108 appears surprisingly often in histories of the Second World War.
Production and post-war use

Production of the Bf 108 began in Germany before the war and continued after the Messerschmitt factory was moved to France during the later production period.

The French production aircraft became known as the Nord 1000 Pingouin series.

This is an interesting chapter in the aircraft's history because essentially the same basic design continued flying under a different manufacturer's name after the war.

The design's longevity was a result of its sound engineering. It was useful as a light transport and liaison aircraft even after it was completely obsolete as a military combat machine.
Survivors

The Bf 108 has survived in relatively healthy numbers compared with many pre-war German aircraft.

A number of examples remain preserved in museums and private collections, and airworthy aircraft can still be encountered.

This is partly because the aircraft was produced in meaningful numbers and had a long post-war civilian career.

For collectors, this gives the Bf 108 an interesting position: it is historically important without being one of the exceptionally rare German aircraft types.