Small Scale Military Headquarters

I know there is already a BBi Bf-109 thread, but as this is a review, I thought I would make it in it's own thread so that the information doesn't get lost in the shuffle...

Anyways, this came in the mail today



Over all, I am quite pleased with the model. BBI did a very nice job on this plane, really capturing the look of the Bf-109 and giving collectors a ton of detail and function. Is it the best of the 1:18 aircraft, particularly those made by BBI? I'm not sure on that one, however it is certainly in the upper echelon of all the 1:18 planes yet made. The following is a review with pictures. Enjoy

First, the boxed plane and the included parts:





It is pretty much your standard sized BBI box. There are alot of parts and some assembly is certainly required. I like how the wings were all once piece, though they were difficult to get on. The threading of the antenna wires is the most difficult aspect of the assembly, but the end results sure look good. The plane is very sturdy in construction and its nice to have all the antennas in the right place.

It compares and compliments well with the 21c Bf-109G-6. The 21c plane has a smoother fuselage, whereas the BBI version is riveted. The rivets are smooths and small and do not really show (like on the BBI P-51) but they are borderline on being overly riveted. As you can see on the photo of an actual Bf-109G2 in similar livery to the BBI plane, the rivets are not as noticeable. The BBI plane has overall superior workmanship, in my opinion, but both are great efforts. Comparing them really is like the classic "which is better" debate concerning the BBI P-51 and the 21c retooled P-51. Both are great planes, each with their strong and weak points.



Actual Bf-109G-2:



Now, some of the finer details:

Here is a head-on shot, showing the engine cowling, propeller, radiator and sand filter. The paint work and weathering on this plane are amazing, as good and better than 21c's best efforts. I apologize about the closepin on the tail - there was a little gap that I was gluing shut.



The opening engine (the first for a 1:18 scale WWII fighter) is really the coolest feature of this model. The panels close tightly and are pretty much flush with the rest of the fuselage. I'm not much of a mechanic or an expert on the Bf-109 DB-605A engine, but it certainly looks like it from what I've seen in photos and there is a lot of detail there, including the 7.92mm guns, pistons, hoses and all.



The cockpit is extremely well detailed, as is typical of all BBI WWII planes. The detail is overall better than on the 21c Bf-109G cockpit, pictured below. I still like the 21c instrument panel a little better, but the BBI cockpit wins hands down. The clear glass on the gunsight is a nice touch.







All the main control surfaces on the BBI Bf-109G move except the radiator flap. They attached by tabs and must be pulled out slightly to move. They can then be re-inserted so that they stay in place. The flaps drop better than on the 21c Bf-109G.



The undercarriage is well done on the BBI plane. The landing gear close tightly and come down to hold the proper angle (see the pictures above for that.) The tail wheel also retracts. I don't recall that being a feature on the early "G" models of the Bf-109, though the later G aircraft and the Bf-109K had that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that, however!



The drop tank and its hardpoint are removable. The underside of the wing features several holes which the drop tank can be mounted to. If you have more than one of the BBI droptanks, you can thus make a Bf-109G-2 R/1, which had droptanks on the wings and a bomb on the center rack. There are also two small holes presumably for mounting a cannon pod. None were included, but perhaps they will appear on future repaints...

Now for the pilot:



This is BBI's first WWII German figure. The sculpting and paint job are excellent and the removable helmet is a nice feature. The body is made of a harder plastic, not rubbery like some 21c and BBI pilot figures. It comes with the helmet, removable parachute, and Mauser rifle.

Pilot seated in cockpit:


But over all, the pilot is the most disappointing aspect of this new model. Why might you ask, especially considering BBI's excellent pilot figures from past aircraft? Well, two reasons: it is largely non-articulated and it is very small. There are 5 points of articulation - about the same as an original Star Wars figure from the 1980s. The legs and arms do not even bend. In fact, the original midget ME-109E pilot from 21c had more articulation. The pilot is also quite short, as the below comparison shot with a modified 21c standard German pilot shows:



I think BBI went with the small stature so that the figure could fit easily within the cockpit. Those of us with 21c Bf-109s know how tricky it is to get the pilot to fit in and it seems like the design staff at BBI wanted to avoid any difficulty. When the pilot is in the cockpit, you can't really notice the small size and lack of articulation, but for those wanting to display the figure outside the aircraft, the options are a bit limited.

So, with the exception of the figure, I think BBI has produced another winning aircraft and set the bar all the higher for the 1:18 aircraft market. The Bf-109G2 really is worth the purchase and I don't think you all will be disappointed. I hope this review is helpful and I'm eager to hear your opinions

Thank you again for taking the time to review this Tman. This thing looks great and I was hoping to find it on my porch today; no luck though...


Three comments and a question:

1) This thing sure looks lonely in that big box!
2) I am impressed that there is a rifle with the figure. Just what we need, more KARs.
3) I think it was a good call on the figure size. I get frustrated trying to cram them into cockpits.
4) Did you get decals from BCA?

Overall this thing looks great and I am really loving BBI.

If I had known the post would be so long, I would have gotten a snack. Seriously, though, a nice looking plane. I'm a 1/32 guy myself so won't be buying, but I can appreciate the detail of your scale (and envy in the BIY kits of my scale). Sorry about the figure, though. I wonder if they could afford to farm that out to an action figure company, as those usually seem to get better articulation and detail. I don't collect them, but the current line of Star Wars seems to be pretty good in that regard, am I correct? The BBI guy has superior looks to me but being as stiff as an original C-3PO strikes me as wrong in this day and age. Polly Pocket has better articulation AND you can change her outfits!

To answer olifant's question, yes, I got the decal sheet. It is very similar to the sheet that comes with the 21c German planes in that you have four different types of swastikas to go on the plane.

Excellent Review!! Thanks for taking the time out to show us exactly what to expect. Well done!

-Ski

Thanks T . I agree with Ski thanks for taking the time out and giving us a rundown. I can' t wait to get mine. I am sharing the love and getting mine from Aviator Nut. He has got the best deal in town.

Good review Tman. The small pilot was clearly an attempt to be able to put the figure easily in the small cockpit of the 109, which is not a bad thing, if you're going to put him inside. It is a bad thing if you want to display him on his own, i guess.

Early 109G's did not have a retractable tail wheel. So, that's either a goof or they may be planning ahead and making a late G/K one day and want to have to do as little re-tooling as possible. I hope this is the case cause a late G/K with Galland hood would be awesome.

Anyway, this is definitely a must have. Let's hope BBI does more German and more WW2 aircraft period. Maybe they can help fill the void that i think is going to be left by 21c.

Not a problem on doing the review, guys and glad you have all found it helpful I am also hoping we see more WWII German aircraft from BBI. An FW-190A would not hurt and would be a very logical next choice. However, what we need are not really more German aircraft, but allied planes including a later model Spitfire or a P-51B or something like that

Excellent review and photos, many thanks! The plane certainly seems like another high-quality, well-researched offering from bbi. Too bad about that pilot, though, I can understand the size difference but the lack of articulation? That's not up to bbi standards. Maybe they thought since he's so small and obviously designed for the cockpit, he wouldn't be getting to much out-of-aircraft time.

Interesting about the rife, though. Why include it if the figure isn't designed to be used outside the plane? Could there be bbi carded Germans on the way?

Thanks for the review. The pilot was the clincher for me not choosing to purchase this plane. I'm primarily a figure collector, so I was looking forward to a high quality BBI pilot. It's a shame they chose to cut the corner here.

aferguson wrote:Early 109G's did not have a retractable tail wheel. So, that's either a goof or they may be planning ahead and making a late G/K one day and want to have to do as little re-tooling as possible. I hope this is the case cause a late G/K with Galland hood would be awesome.

Actually, the F and early G model 109s DID have a retractable tail wheel, the retraction mechanism for the tailwheel wasn't removed until the G-4 version. The G-4 was also the first time for the smooth main wheels. The spoked version had been used up till this point. Looks like BBI got this right, and it is a good looking model, but I will have to wait to see if they put out a Eastern front scheme.

how can that be?......that would mean i'm wrong...lol. Thanks for the tidbit of info, i did not know that.

(I still hope they do a late G/K)

Great review, nice pics.

I do however notice at least one thing that looks odd.
The engine lid looks as though it was painted separately from the fuselage, which it probably was. Hence the color difference. I like the fact that the engine blow-by soot is around the edge of the lid, this gives it sort of a weathered authenticity.
Though at the bottom of the tropical intake it is darker. This can't be the exaust soot because it doesn't line up with the ports, and doesn't trail over the side of the fuselage.

All in all this looks like a winner. I'll be ordering one soon.

Differeent colors :

me i like this it remind me the photo of operationnals planes with different spare parts ....

I think the figure was purely a cost control measure. By taking out articulation and sizing it to fit, they saved a couple $$$$.

-Ski

The funny thing is that the 21c "FW-190/Bf-109G" pilot (pictured above) and the enlarged version of the original 21c "ME-109E" pilot both fit in the cockpit, pretty much just as well as they do on their 21c Bf-109 counterparts.

However, because of the way BBI designed the seat in their cockpit, it causes the 21c pilots to sit slightly too high for the canopy to close properly. I solved this by modifying one of my ME-109E pilots by dremeling down part of the torso by about 2-3 mm. This made the pilot short enough to have the proper head-clearance in the BBI cockpit. The figure does not look out or proportion or really heavily modified, unless you look close.

I am still at a loss as whether to use the BBI pilot or my newly modified 21c pilot. Both actually look good in the plane, and the 21c pilot more realistically "fills up" the cockpit and looks good standing outside the plane...

if i recall, i think 21 made the floor of their 109 lower so the pilot would fit it the plane better, having more depth in the seat to work with. I know they did something to help their 1/18 pilot figure to fit better; not sure if that was it but something like that.

There were lots of short pilots during the war, so even if the BBI figure looks a bit small, that's not really all that unrealistic.

supersonicfifi wrote:Differeent colors :

me i like this it remind me the photo of operationnals planes with different spare parts ....

We, ees reel nize. Ju no day mus hab use dees one an put eet on anuder one.
ees no like de udder one in de phodo.
De paind ees differend bud nod dee same on dees one. http://www.militarytoyshop.com/product.asp?P_ID=1305

I just got mine along with the 1/32 Dauntless last night and I agree with T-man; this thing is a beauty. I think this definitely noses out the latest 21C 109 in detail and quality. Even though BBI is not pumping out the new releases what they do put out is top notch.

To dauntless What is this accent ?

you are right the difference between the prototype and actual model shows on theses pictures ... anyway i will order mine soon ... thanks for the photos

That reminds me of my French class 7th-8th grade- parlaay voo fraansaye?

I think it's some sort of amalgam of French Colonial Carribean Spanish Pidgeon English from the future.

Dauntless wrote:

supersonicfifi wrote:Differeent colors :

me i like this it remind me the photo of operationnals planes with different spare parts ....

We, ees reel nize. Ju no day mus hab use dees one an put eet on anuder one.
ees no like de udder one in de phodo.
De paind ees differend bud nod dee same on dees one. http://www.militarytoyshop.com/product.asp?P_ID=1305

Dauntlas,
Are you Cajun?

Nope, me mum was an Aussie, my dad was American, so that's Scot, English, Mohawk, whatever got into the stewpot way back.

I do have a Puerto Rican sister in law that talks funny like that.

I gather you are picklehaube being from New Orleans?

Nice review TMan, and great pics. I'm still not sold on another repeat. Seems to be bbi's specialty. If anything, we could have used another E model 109. Oh well, in these dry times something is always better than nothing.