Hobby Master Archive

The first Bf-109G “Gustav” entered service in March 1942. New features were a pressurized cockpit with three larger guns mounted on the nose and none on the wings but could be field mounted. The Bf-109G could overheat causing oil leaks; starting a fire forcing the pilot to bail out. The Gustav was produced in many variants including long-range fighters, recon fighters and bomber destroyers. The Bf-109G-6 lacked a pressurized cockpit but was the most numerous Bf- 109 produced and the first to carry 13mm machine guns; equivalent to the American 50 caliber Browning.

On January 30, 1944 Erich Hartmann claimed six enemy aircraft; his 178th - 183rd victories and on February 1, 1944 Erich Hartmann claimed another five victories; his 186th - 190th. On February 26, 1944 10 Airacobras fell victim to Hartmann. On October 1, 1944 he was appointed Staffelkapitan of 4./JG 52 (or 7./JG 52) based in Hungary and by year’s end Hartmann had a total of 331 victories. At the end of WWII Hartmann’s total victory tally stood at 352 after having flown 825 missions.

Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6 specifications Production timeline - February 1943 - October 1943 Number produced - 5,000+

Dimensions Length - 9.04m (29ft (8in) Wingspan - 9.92m (32ft 6.5in) Height - 2.5m (8ft 2.25in)

Weight Empty - 2,700kg (5,900lb) Operational - 3,400kg (7,500lb)

Performance Powerplant - Daimler-Benz DB605A-1, 12 cylinder inverted vee, liquid cooled, 1,475hp Maximum speed - 640km/h (398mph) Range - 850km (528miles) Service ceiling - 12,000m (39,370ft)

Armament 2 X 13mm (.51in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 300 rounds each 1 X 20mm (.78in) MG 151/20 cannon as centerline Motorkanone firing through propeller hub with 200 rounds Or 1 X 30mm (1.18in) MK 108 cannon as centerline Motorkanone with 65 round per gun (G-6/U4 variant) 2 X 20mm MG 151/20 under-wing cannon pods with 135 round per gun (Rustsatz V option) Rockets - 2 X 21 cm (8 in) Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets (G-6 with BR21) Bombs 1 X 250 kg (551 lb) bomb Or 4 X 50 kg (110 lb) bombs Or 1 X 300 litre (79 US gal) drop tank

1/48 scale pre-finished. Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic. All markings pad applied for superb results. Canopy slides open. Comes with a pilot that can be removed. Comes with display stand. Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down. Propeller is metal. Extremely sought after by collectors.

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA8750 BF 109G-6 “Erich Hartmann” 4./JG 52 Hungary, 1944