Photographs Copyright © Collin Riley
2006
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| Me
262A-1A, White 3, Generalleutnant Adolf Galland, Verbandsfuhrer, Jv
44, Munich-Riem, April, 1945 |
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WWII Legends collection.
A very well done model. Paint, fit, and finish are excellent. The
permanently extended gear is strong and well aligned. The entire
model gives an impression of sturdiness and quality. The rubber
tires come with a well-detailed tread.
Quality gripe. My copy had a scratch
on the upper port wing. It looks like the edge of the bubble-wrap
hit the wing when the model was packaged at the factory. Also, the
Pitot tube on the port wing was bent, though this was corrected
with a gentle push.
Legends gripe. I don't like the Legends
packaging; Galland's legend deserves better than Legends. Enough
said.
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| Type |
Single-seat fighter/bomber |
| Corgi item no. |
AA35701 |
| Production run |
Unlimited Legends |
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Photographs Copyright © Collin Riley 2006
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| Bf
109E-7/Trop, Black Chevron, Oberleutnant Ludwig Franzisket, Gruppen-Adjutant
I./JG 27, Ain El Gazala, Libya, 1941 |
WWII
Legends collection. Sadly, this is a weak and pitiable effort.
I can't fathom what possesed Corgi to cut so many corners on what
could have been a most excellent addition to any desert-war collection.
Generally the paint job is excellent. Both the sky-blue underside
and the desert-tan top are attractive colors, well applied. The yellow
nose is well done, and the exhaust stacks are finely detailed. All
the insignia are well done, with very few blows.
What's it all about, Corgi.
Then we come to the Trop part of the model. In the picture below,
two black rectangles are printed just ahead of the carburetor intake.
Apparently, those rectangles are supposed to represent the sand filter
attached to all Bf 109's used in the desert war. Even though Corgi
previously attached a sand filter to another of their Bf 109E models,
they chose to cut corners and leave the filter off this model. By
doing so they turned this otherwise good model into a comic-opera
representation, suitable for sale only at the local Dollar outlet.
A kid off the street with no knowledge of the plane's history won't
give the rectangles a second thought. However, the collector is going
to be appalled. So what was the point? Wouldn't it have been better
if Corgi had just left off the rediculous rectangles?
Neglect, by and by.
The tail wheel is poorly painted; compare the Trop paint job with
the Neuman Legends Bf 109E, below. The cockpit is not painted, though
the pilot is. And, finally, the landing gear hangs down, again, like
hound dog's ears.
Final comment?
If you are a collector, pass on this one unless you can find a real
Dollar-outlet price. |
| Type |
Single-seat fighter |
| Corgi item no. |
AA32105 |
| Production run |
Unlimited Legends |
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