A few more comments on Bf 109 kit

As I build this kit I'm constantly reminded that it is not a Tamiya Spitfire. Building the kit really does illustrate just how good the Tamiya Spitfire kits are and leads one to ask the question, why is it that no other manufacturer can match them.

Take a look at the photo of the tailwheel of the Dragon kit. It has nicely molded detail but look at all those molding tabs, all three of them! These tabs are like the sprue connections to the part, rather thick and require some force to snip off. This is not an isolated example, virtually every part has these tabs which suggests to me that the molding technology used by Dragon and other manufacturers is inferior to that used by Tamiya. When we look at Tamiya's Spitfire kits there are no tabs and the parts have a much smaller connection to the sprue that is easy to cut. Now that is excellence in kit molding.

I've also noticed that I've had to pay particular attention to dry fitting the parts and I'm frquently giving the sanding stick a work out, something you never needed to do with the Tamiya Spitfire kits.

Is the kit 'bad'? no, if it is compared to other recently released kits it stacks up pretty well, it just isn't Tamiya Spitfire quality.

slow progress on Bf 109E build

Did I speak too soon on praising Dragon Wing Tech's Bf 109 kit? It seems so. This shows the folly of in-box reviews in general, what looks good on the sprue doesn't always hold true when it comes to actually putting the kit together.

There is some fit problems with the nose panels that only came to light once construction was well underway. My advice to those currently building the kit is to dry fit the nose and front cockpit parts as it looks like the manufacturer has miscalculated the way the parts come together. It simply isn't possible to fit the nose panels together without making some adjustments to the internal parts first. Easy to do when dry fitting but a problem when parts are already cemented in place.

Oh well, it's certainly not Tamiya Spitfire quality but then again it was only about a third of the price. Get what you pay for? I'd say so.