Customer Reviews

Messerschmitt Bf 109

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...as far as it goes. This somewhat thin volume is typical of the series: An adequate history of the type, including its development and the different variants, accompanied by excellent profiles and technical illustrations by Rikyu Watanabe. While there's nothing wrong with Mr. Grinsell's text, it's the illustrations that make this book shine. The foldouts include profile paintings of the very highest quality (one three pages wide, two two pages), with the center spread showing isometric renderings four experimental or proposed versions: The high-altitude Bf 109 H-1, produced in very limited quantities; the single prototype of the bizarre twin-fuselage Bf 109Z, and the proposed Me 309 and jet-powered Me 109TL, which strongly resembles the Me 262 that replaced it in development.

No, it's not an exhaustive history of the Bf 109. No, it doesn't contain extensive blueprints. It does include a cockpit diagram, a good cutaway of the plane, another of the DB601A engine (though these are somewhat simple and dated by modern standards), line drawings and specs for most of the main variants (in 1/42 scale, sized for the page rather than modelers' convenience), and a total of 15 color profiles of varying sizes but consistently excellent quality. (Thoughtfully, none of the profiles are printed across a gutter line, so they can be easily scanned.) There is a good armament diagram showing the machineguns and cannon; and an interesting set of four life-size diagrams of shells for the 30mm cannon.

In sum, there's a lot of good stuff in only 48 pages. If you want an exhaustive history or technical specs, this isn't it. If you want a single-volume overview that's pleasant to read, and a treat for the eyes, you can do a lot worse than this.