It would be hard to argue that the Bf 109, in all its’ incarnations wasn’t one of the worlds more recognisable and loved aircraft. The Luftwaffe’s workhorse, the 109 saw action on all fronts and was flown by pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary.

The Bf 109 was first put to the test during the Spanish War of 1937 and was used in numerous roles throughout the Second World War. Initially the 109 was thought of as an interceptor aircraft however as the War progressed the aircraft was adapted to fulfill roles such as bomber escort, reconnaissance, ground attack and as an all-weather fighter bomber.

The Bf 109 was one of the most advanced aircraft at the outset of the War. Its’ all-metal construction, retractable landing gear and closed canopy set it apart. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine and was regarded as being competitive with the Allied aircraft of the time.

So, with the that said, this is where my journey with the Bf 109 begins. It came spontaneously at a model show a couple of years ago. A group of mates finding essentially the same kit on a swap and sell table at a price too good to be true! Group Build! The call went out and we all purchased our kits with the view to place them together on the display table the following year. Then of course everything changed, and we all lost the opportunity to attend models shows…With the finishing line now off the table the motivation to finish the group build slowly waned. Until now…

I must confess, I was a little intimidated in firstly building the Bf 109 and secondly putting the article together. The Bf 109 is one of those aircraft that people are fanatical about. Subtle variations and variants that are obvious to the trained eye can be missed by the uninitiated and fast become a magnet for criticism…On top of that I am predominantly an armour modeller, so the way I generally weather my aircraft has found its’ roots in that genre and often translate as a little heavy handed for aircraft. So, it was time to conquer my fears and execute a little refinement with my weathering and tackle the 1/32 Bf 109.

The full build and paint review is featured in Model Airplane International magazine - available through pocketmags.com