New resin from Barracuda Studios is usually on point in accuracy and usefulness. They have released three more sets to suit the Revell (& Trumpeter) new tool 32nd scale Bf 109 "Gustavs" recently. We thought it only proper to compare these enhancements with the kit versions in-situ in today’s review to see if they are…
Barracuda Studios triple construction review:
Bf 109G Underwing Cannon Gunboats
BR32168
1/32nd Scale
Suits new Revell & Trumpeter kit.
Price: $9.95
Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat (No Belts)
BR32223
1/32nd Scale
Suits new Revell & Trumpeter kit.
Price: $7.95
Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat with Belts
BR32224
1/32nd Scale
Suits new Revell & Trumpeter kit.
Price: $8.95
Barracuda studios are the makers of some of the most accurate and easy to add resin enhancements on the market. We have already looked at some of their excellent work on replacing and updating the Revell new tool 32nd Bf 109G6 & G10 kits. Today we thought we would look at three more kits that might suit the same kit, as well as the new Trumpeter, and even Hasegawa kits of the same aircraft.
When it comes to the Bf 109 series, Roy from Barracuda Studios is a knowledgeable man. Having made many decal sets and add-ons already with his company Barracuda Studios. He has also contributed to a chapter in the book “Building the Revell Bf 109 G-6” – so he has some intimate knowledge of this kit and as ever with a sharp eye – where it can be enhanced or corrected. IT is with some trust that I see his company’s products, but every day is a new one, and we wanted to instal these on a donor kit and show them compared to the original to see if the improvement is worth it.
The resin:
All of these sets come in the standard zip-loc bag from Barracuda. My three sets also had the protection of a bit of padding in the box which made sure they arrived safely.
The cream resin in these packs is just like the usual standard that we usually get from Barracuda. No surface bubbles, not too much resin in silly places to remove that leads to minimal parts breaking when you are removing them from the casting blocks. A few of these parts were a direct drop in fits as well which makes them even more appealing – so let’s look at them all each in turn now to tell you a little about them and our experiences with pictures of the Revell parts and the real thing in comparison.
Bf 109G Underwing Cannon Gunboats
BR32168
1/32nd Scale
Suits new Revell & Trumpeter as well as the older Hasegawa kits.
Master Pattern by Gunnar Jansson.
Price: $9.95
This set of two underwing Rüstsätze field modified R6 MG151 gondola
gunpods (or kanoneboots) for the G series of Bf 109’s. These were added primarily for more punch against thicker targets like the bomber swarms that were attacking over Europe. This set of two pods comes in the small zip-loc bag so nothing gets lost on the way to you.
You can see the real thing here in some of these pictures,
To install these pods it is a simple process. The instructions spell it out clearly, you need only remove the parts from the thin resin and then cut a little of the mould stub from the underside of the pods. They are then forced and ready to glue onto your under wing.
The resin and the details of these gun packs is bubble free and detailed just finely enough to replicate the look of the real thing. Fine panles, rivets and leather material in view in these shots.
Added to the package are two of the excellent small turned brass barrels from “Master” in Poland that you may be familiar with. These finely turned barrels make the kit all that more desirable for their ease of use (a small drill hole into the resin is all that is needed to fit them.) These gun barrels are fine and hollow, which is great because they’re always a point of interest when installed onto a Gustav. Just a bit of metallic undercoat or the new blackening solution is all you will need to make these look realistic.
Like the instructions say, I would add the barrels at the last step to avoid any problems with breaking anything
Notice the leather gaiter on the join of the pod and barrel and how nicely represented it is here in resin?
Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat with Belts
BR32224
1/32nd Scale
Suits new Revell & Trumpeter kit.
Price: $8.95
Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat with Belts
Master pattern by Mike Kirchoff and Roy Sutherland.
It is difficult to get good pictures of original Bf 109G series seats and harnesses - but some of these pics might help in a comparison with the resin on offer here.
Also, cast your eyes further down on the seat. The straps are so much more pronounced. The sculpting is just so much better than what has been offered in plastic that it’s a bit of a no-brainer in this instance. The only place you could say is a victory for the kit part in this instance is the side walls of the seat, where the plastic detail is that little more pronounced. There is not much in that, though…
When thinking about the alternative choices on the market for harnesses in the Bf 109G’s, well I really do not want to waste another eight hours threading seatbelts or dealing with those brass belts, so for me, the choice lands with these sets easily. Here is a picture of the two Barracuda seats in cream resin, with the Revell seat in the middle for comparison.
The only area that does let this down is that if you happened to build two of these aircraft kits right next to each other you might notice that both of the belts in each aircraft being the exact same shape and pattern. I guess there is the belt-less version to choose from the same manufacturer we will look at next if you want to sit them side by side.
I am told that this seat may also be adapted to fit other kits. I have it in-situ in the Revell kit for you to see that it works well in this instance. I cannot say how easily it fits into other kits of the same aircraft.
Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat (No Belts)
BR32223
1/32nd Scale
Suits new Revell & Trumpeter kit.
Price: $7.95
Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat without harnesses
Master pattern by Mike Kirchoff and Roy Sutherland.
This second replacement set is very much the same as the one we just looked at. The real change is that there are no moulded-on seatbelts. If you need to have an aircraft that has a pilot sat down inside it then this is the one you should buy. The kit comes in the standard zip-loc bag that we are familiar with in Barracuda’s sets.
The instructions show you how to install this kit, as well as how to add any harness you might like to put onto the kit.
The one thing that this set has over the Revell kit straight away, is that if you want to put a pilot in it, you do not need to remove the installed plastic seat already there. This will save time and effort on your behalf and probably a few fewer curse words as well, as you try to hollow out a curve.
The real bucket set from a Gustav for comparison...
The resin of this seat is sharp in detail and free of excess material to have to clean up or remove. In fact, like the other seat with harness, the whole block fits neatly into the current model with no cutting or even trimming to be done (thank goodness.) The amount of times that I have been close to a bit of finger damage with cutting resin, and the amount of time I have spent fixing a model I have been to “industrial” with trimming I cannot remember. The ease of implementation of these two seat sets is a definite positive.
The second thing I noticed was the pronounced “V” shape on the top of the seat is more visible in this kit than it is on the original Revell plastic. You can see this a little better on the picture of the real thing below in comparison.
a comparison here also with the bucket on the real seat
Here is a picture of the two Barracuda seats in cream resin, with the Revell seat in the middle for comparison.
This ease of use applies to both of these seat kits – they need only be dropped in to fit. Here is the seat fitted to the Revell Cockpit walls.
Conclusions…
Well, It’s obvious I think from my test fittings here that I am a fan. The addition of the barrels to the nice resin of the gun pods make them easy to use and a bit more solid and realistic looking than the plastic ones provided.
The resin seat packs biggest features is that apart from the fact of how good looking and detailed they are (especially the seat with belts) they fit straight in without any cutting or dicking around.
The whole thing that annoys people about resin is the cutting, sanding and filing that these parts sometimes require. Barracuda has demonstrated again that they understand this frustration of modellers and have done something to make these parts fit with minimal, and in the case of the seat zero work on the modeller’s behalf.
Oww, by the way, did you see the prices of these? Even for the tightest of modellers, this is a no-brainer.
Well done on these three sets…
Adam Norenberg
Thanks to Barracuda Studios for sending these to us to review.
