Messerschmitt Bf 109 1/72 Scale Models

German Bf 109D "Dora" - This is a model of a fighter like those that participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland. The D variant was the last version of the Bf 109 to have a Jumo engine. It was supposed to be the first version fitted with a Daimler-Benz engine, but there were production difficulties, a fact the Germans concealed. The first production version of the Bf 109 was the B variant. It was also the first to see combat when it was sent to Spain in 1937 to fly for the Legion Condor, the German air contingent sent by Hitler to support the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. The Polish campaign was the last significant action for Jumo-engined Bf 109s.

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German Bf 109E-3 "Emil" - This is a model of a fighter that participated in the 1940 invasion of France. The E variant was the first version of the Bf 109 to use a Daimler-Benz engine, the DB 601A. Production of the first Bf 109E variant, the E-1, began in early 1939 and a few saw action in Spain flying for the Legion Condor before the Spanish Civil War ended March. The E-1 had the same armament as the Bf 109D, two machine guns in the cowl and one in each wing. In the fall of 1939 the Bf 109E-3 entered service. It had 20mm cannons instead of machine guns in its wings and an improved DB 601A engine. By early 1940 the Bf 109E-3 was Germany's primary fighter plane. It had excellent performance but was hampered by its relatively short range, especially during the Battle of Britain. Modern fighter planes were in high demand so the Germans produced an export version with all classified gadgets removed called the Bf 109E-3a. They sold some to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. Germany also allowed its allies Italy and Japan to build licensed versions of the DB 601A engine. The Italians used them in their MC.202 and Re.2001, and the Japanese used them in their Ki-61.

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German Bf 109E-4/Trop "Emil" - This is a model of a fighter that flew against the British in North Africa in 1941. The E-4 entered service in the summer of 1940 and was the first version to come factory equipped with cockpit armor. It also had a redesigned canopy and better cannons in its wings. Early models used the DB601A engine, like the E-3, but later models used the DB 601N engine. The Bf 109E-4 was also the first version with the option of a factory installed bomb rack under its belly. Planes outfitted in this manner were called Jabos, and their performance as fighter bombers was so good that the Luftwaffe formed special Jabo units. In late 1940 the Germans finally addressed the Bf 109's limited range and began to introduce the Bf 109E-7, essentially an E-4 factory outfitted to carry a fuel drop tank under its belly. E-7s and late model E-4s had the holes in their nose cones filled in. Bf 109s did not see action in North Africa until April, 1941, when they were sent to support Rommel's Afrika Korps. The E variant was the first version of Bf 109 to be sent there, and also the first to be tropicalized, with a long dust filter fitted over the supercharger air intake. Germany supplied Bf 109E-4s to its allies Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia.

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German Bf 109F-4/Trop "Friedrick" - This is a model of a fighter that flew against the British in North Africa in 1942. Bf 109s had great success over North Africa, despite being outnumbered, because Allied fighter pilots mostly flew Hurricanes and P-40s during the early part of the campaign. Significant numbers of Spitfires weren't sent to Africa until the last half of 1942. The Bf 109F was introduced in early 1941, just in time to deal with Britain's new Spitfire, the Mk.V. It was designed with the goal of making the Bf 109 as aerodynamic as possible, the most obvious results being a rounder nose and the deletion of the tail plane braces. The cannons in the wings were also removed, but a cannon firing through the propeller hub was added. Early models of the Bf 109F still used the DB 601N engine, as had the later model Bf 109E-4s. But starting with the F-3 version, the Bf 109F was fitted with the engine it was designed for, the DB 601E. The F-4 was produced in greater numbers than all other F variants, and was considered to be the ultimate development of the Bf 109, although some pilots complained about its reduced armament. F-4s were also the first Bf 109s to be provided with Rüstsätze conversion kits, which allowed planes to be easily modified in the field to meet specific local demands. Germany supplied Bf 109Fs to its allies Hungary and Italy.

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Italian Bf 109G-6 "Gustav" - This is a model of a fighter that flew for the air force of Mussolini's fascist puppet state, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR), against Allied bombers over northern Italy in 1944. The Bf 109G, introduced in the summer of 1942, was the most numerously produced version of the Bf 109. Its more powerful DB 605A engine produced higher speeds, but the engine was heavier and its increased power required reinforcement of the plane's airframe, which added even more weight. Subsequently, the plane's handling suffered. The Luftwaffe, however, had failed to develop a replacement for the Bf 109 and so the plane was continually modified through the end of the war. The G-6 version entered service in early 1943 and was produced in greater numbers than all other G variants. It was fitted with heavier machine guns in its cowling in order to better deal with the growing numbers of big enemy bombers. This resulted in two large, round bumps on the plane's nose to provide room for the bigger gun works. These bumps created drag and the heavier guns added more weight, further degrading the plane's handling. While the G-6's speed and firepower made it an effective weapon against unescorted bombers, it's relatively poor handling resulted in heavy losses when it faced modern fighters, especially as the number of experienced German pilots dwindled as the war progressed. Germany supplied Bf 109Gs to its allies Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Slovakia. The The Italians also produced a license built version of the Bf 109G's DB 605A engine and used it in their MC.205, RE.2005, and Fiat G.55.

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German Bf 109G-6/R-3/R-6/Trop "Gustav" - This is a model of a fighter that flew against American heavy bombers over Sicily and southern Italy in the summer of 1943. Bf 109G-6s were often modified with Rüstsätze field conversion kits. The most frequently used ones were the R-3 long-range kit that added a ventral fuel drop tank, and the R-6 heavy fighter kit that added cannons housed in gondolas beneath the plane's wings. Installation of the R-6 kit further degraded the plane's handling, but the addition of the cannons provided enormous firepower for use against enemy heavy bombers. Fighters outfitted in this manner were referred to as cannon boats by Luftwaffe pilots. The R-6 conversion was the most numerous variant of the G-6 on the Western front in 1943. But by early 1944 it was out of favor because it made planes easy prey for the increasing numbers of modern fighters escorting American day bombers. Still, the Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's primary fighter through the end of WWII, it scored more kills than any plane in history, and over 31,000 were built.

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