Small Scale Military Headquarters

i am planning on getting a bf 109 either bbi or 21st. my question is the bbi worth the around $90 it sells for or should i get a 21st that sell around $50. which ones have the better paint job and do they use the same molds both companys.

I can't speak for the quality as I have no 1/18 planes, but they do not use the same molds.

Why would competitors use each other's molds, dude?

Hands down the BBI is by far a better model than the 21st.

But the 21st has more offerings.

I am not sure what BBI you mean to buy but if it is the DAK in box, that is a great price.

Ditto what Matthew said. The 21st 109 does offer better paint scheme selections and their paint quality on those were actually pretty darn good.

But BBI makes a phenomenal BF109 even if there are only two schemes ever produced. I'm not that versed on the nuance differences between the 109 series so I can't speak to accuracy on the variants like I can on modern Navy jets. However, the level of scale detail and crispness on the cuts and shapes of the BBI mold make it surpass 21st's by a hundred miles. Their paint quality is actually a little bit better than 21st's.

BBI is far superior, though both planes are in a sense complimentary as the BBI aircraft represents a Bf-109G2 and the 21c version a later Bf-109G6. Still, the BBI version has better detail all around, including correct antennas, landing gear, wonderful cockpit detail, and best of all - an opening engine! The newest BBI Bf-109 (Erich Hartmann's early plane) is an Eastern Front aircraft and just looks like a Bf-109 should with the gray and green cammo. Only gripe I have with the BBI Bf-109 is that the canopy doesn't smap shut as well as on the 21c plane.

So you can get a visual comparison, here is a picture of the BBI "Hartmann" Bf-109G2 with the 21c "Gunther Rall" Bf-109G6.



Sort of comparing the best with the best from each company's product line.

I was so disappointed with the toy-like landing gear on the 21st C version that I donated it to the Museum's 1/18 hanging display. It's the one that is upside down, trailing smoke and the pilot bailing out (with the lousy gear up). Real landing gear would have made it one of their best ever.

Axis Nightmare wrote:I was so disappointed with the toy-like landing gear on the 21st C version that I donated it to the Museum's 1/18 hanging display... Real landing gear would have made it one of their best ever.

I think you hit on one of the key differences between many 21c items versus BBI aircraft. Save for some of the earliest BBI pieces, the majority of all other BBI products were much more detailed and "model-like" than their 21c counterparts. 21c, with a few exceptions, always seemed to be more about making toy-like models as opposed to model-like toys. Compare the 21c Corsair vs. the BBI Corsair; the 21c Bf-109G vs. the BBI Bf-109G and you get my drift.

I would certainly say some of the BBI planes are "over-riveted" like the P-51D and Zero, but they make up for those flaws with a variety of other very positive features including fantastic cockpit detail, durability, decent weathering and realistic features. BBI often got such a bad rap around here because their items cost more, etc. but overall, they were - and still are - of superior quality and never had the QC issues that 21c items generally had.

And BBI is still around making stuff

And to take a BBI Bf-109G2 to the next level, check out what a little modeling skill can do to the BBI mold.
http://www.militarymodelling.com/forums ... 68627&p=33

Biggest issue, to me, on the BBI 109 is the tail wheel...I believe the 21st 109 is closer to reality.
Looking through Squdran/Signal Publication's "Messserschmitt BF 109 In Action" (1057), every single tail wheel shown from the BF109F-1 through the BF109 K-4 is way closer to the 21st version than the BBI version.
However, the main gear is a different story - BBI, hands down, has a more authentic set-up there.

pickelhaube wrote:Hands down the BBI is by far a better model than the 21st.

But the 21st has more offerings.

I am not sure what BBI you mean to buy but if it is the DAK in box, that is a great price.

Have to agree with PH and Tman.

BBI consistently make a better model than 21C, where they have done the same aircraft.

However the BBI G-2 doesn't have the cannon bulges on the fuselage that the 21C G-6 has, and although it is accurate, something about seeing an Me 109 with these cannon blisters.