Eduard 1/48 Bf 108 Taifun Profipack Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2016 | Manufacturer | Eduard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Bf 108 Taifun | Scale | 1/48 |
| Kit Number | 8078 | Primary Media | Styrene, Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Very nicely detailed kit | Cons | See text |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $35.00 |
First Look
 |
 |
 |
The Bf 108 was a four-place sport aircraft developed by the Bavarian Aircraft Works in the early 1930s. The Bf 108B was developed in 1935 powered by the Argus 10 inverted V8 engine. The Bf 108 was pressed into wartime service as a liaison and transport aircraft. As the war progressed, production of the Bf 108 was moved to occupied France where it remained in production after the war as the Nord 1000 Pingouin.
Eduard has reissued their nice kit of the Bf 108 in their Profipack series. While the plastic is the same, this isn't really a 'reissue' as this time around Eduard is providing the cockpit details using their color-printed photo-etched parts. As you know, the Eduard kit has been the only injection-molded option for this distinctive aircraft in 1/48 scale (there is the Airmodel 1/48 vac), and the only other injection-molded options being the Heller 1/72 or Legato 1/87 kits.
The kit is molded in gray styrene and is presented on three parts trees, plue one small tree of clear parts and a fret of color-printed photo-etched details. Among the features and options:
- Detailed cockpit interior
- Crew restraints provided by color-printed photo-etch
- Instrument panel provided by your choice of color-printed photo-etch or styrene part
- Cockpit enclosure molded as one-piece only
- Detailed Argus engine
- No provision for positionable cowling
Markings are provided for five aircraft:
- Bf 108B, KG+EM, Sonderkommando Blaich, Libya, 1942
- Bf 108B, WL-IQBR, France, 1940
- Bf 108B, WL-IAWI, Germany, 1939
- Bf 108B, BK+ZS, Hungary, 1944
- Bf 108B, NF+MS, Eastern Front, 1942/43
In addition to the above, this kit also includes the essential yellow-tape paint masks to deal with that cockpit enclosure as well as the wheel hubs/tires.
The good news is that this kit will look great straight out of the box and it has some interesting potential. The bad news is that the clear cockpit enclosure is one-piece, so you don't have an option to pose the forward-hinged doors open and while you've got a nice engine under the cowling, the cowling cannot be posed open. The good news is that the AMS modeler can do some careful surgery to open one or both canopy doors, remove the cowling to reveal the Argus and firewall, and even surgically separate selected flight control surfaces to pose them as desired. There are many good photos online to help you do your homework.
My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!