The Messerschmitt Bf 108B is a single-engine sport and touring aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. It was the first Messerschmitt design to feaure all-metal construction.

Originally designated M.37, the aircraft was designed as a four-seat sports/recreation aircraft for competition in the 4th Challenge International de Tourisme of 1934. The prototype first flew in the spring of 1934, powered by a 247 hp Hirth HM 8U air- cooled inverted-V8 engine, with a three-bladed propeller.

While it was outperformed by several other aircraft in the competition, the M.37's low fuel consumption rate, good handling, and superb takeoff and landing characteristics marked it as a popular choice for record flights.

The M.37/Bf 108A was followed by the Bf 108B in 1935. The Bf 108B used the substantially larger, Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine of 266 hp. The nickname Taifun ("typhoon") was given to her aircraft by well-known German pilot Elly Beinhorn and was generally adopted.

A quadrant-shaped rather than rectangular rear window, tailwheel replacing the skid, revision of shape of ethe tail surfaces and removal of tailplane upper bracing were recognition features of the Bf-108B.

The Bf 108 was adopted into Luftwaffe service during the Second World War, primarily as a personnel transport and liaison aircraft. A Bf 108 served with the small long-range bombing group Sonderkommando Blaich based in Africa.

During the war, production of the Bf 108 was transferred to Nord in occupied France; production continued after the war as the Nord 1000 Pingouin.

The Bf-108B Taifun was first relased by Eduard 22 years go, in 2002. The next year saw it released in the “Profipack” version with decals; this kit has been re-released in 2009 and 2016 and now in 2024, now in Eduard’s grey plastic, rather than the tan plastic of earlier releases. This kit and the P-39 were among the first non-World War I kits released by Eduard after the Yak-3; they were no longer “limited run” kits and fully established Eduard as one of the "big three" quality-wise in kit production.

Overall construction of this kit is easy. Modelers should focus on the following:

1. Thin the interior sidewalls of the fuselage by about half.

2. Assemble the entire interior - including the engine to the firewall, and the upper rear bulkhead - before proceeding.

3. Attach the completed interior assembly to the lower center section of the completed wing subassembly.

4. Attach the fuselage to this assembly one side at a time, carefully checking the fit. Glue the fuselage to the upper wing, and glue the fuselage halves together, but DO NOT glue the sidewall of the cockpit to the fuselage until the fuselage has been fitted over the interior and glued together.

5. Now glue the upper edge of the cockpit sidewall to the fuselage, and glue the rear bulkhead to the fuselage.

If you test-fitted everything before gluing anything, the model will go together with a minimum of "fiddling." Once this was accomplished, I attached the horizontal stabilizers and their struts. If you Future the very clear canopy, you can assemble it in the closed position it is molded in without losing any ability to see the beautifully-detailed cockpit inside.

I decided I wanted to do the JG 26 group “hack” that is in the background of a photo in Donald Caldwell’s JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe,” a traditional 70/71/65 scheme, which I did with Taimya’s “Black Green” “Dark Green” and “RLM Light Blue.

I used kit dcals, the “Schlageter S” from a Bf-109E sheet, and radio code letters from a sheet in the decal dungeon, since I wasn’t able to make out the actual letters in the photo.

I unmasked the canopy, attached the landing gear and prop, and called it done.

I think the Bf-108B kit can fairly be designated the kit tat put Eduard into competition with Hasegawa and Tamiya. Unlike the P-39 kit, the trailing edge of the wing is properly thin without having to take exra effort to achieve that. This is a 22-year old mold, and with it’s paint scheme on, it can sit next to a a Tamiya Bf-109E kit, in terms of design quality. It’s an easy build of an important airplane in Messerschmitt’s history.

Tom Cleaver

12 December 2024

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