Kagero

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

Kagero's TopShots Bf 109G-6 is available online from Squadron.com
 

It was an exciting day in 1999 when Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr. 163306 was finally recovered from the bottom of Lake Trzebun.

Fifty five years earlier, Feldwebel Ernst Pleiness’s aircraft stalled on take off. The unlucky pilot was unable to regain control and it crashed, killing him instantly. Divers recovered his body two weeks later and he was buried in a cemetery in Jaworze.

To restore W.Nr. 163306 to its present status was an expensive exercise. Thankfully the dedicated efforts of enthusiasts and the support of the Polish Eagles Foundation, made it possible. The aircraft can be viewed alternately in Gόraszka or at the Krakow Aviation Museum.

This book is a photograph record of that aircraft and as a consequence, most readers would not have seen these shots before. There are over 100 photographs and each is reproduced to an excellent standard. Despite the fact that there can be as many as five images per page, this in no way detracts from the detail being shown.

Click the thumbnail below to view larger images:

Fortunately, many photographs were taken during the restoration stage. This reveals many aspects of the fighter which is not normally seen. These include areas such as the rudder, wing, and even tailplane attachment points.

There is very little text in the publication, and what there is, comes with the captions. These are informative and give brief descriptions of the items being presented.

Also within the 36 pages are a set of 1/72 scale three view drawings. In this case, they specifically depict Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr 163306.

Naturally there will be modelers that will want to reproduce this aircraft in miniature. To cater for this, Kagero supply decals in three of the popular scales…1/72, 1/48 and 1/32. Not only are the markings supplied for the subject machine, but another three aircraft are provided as a bonus. Two are illustrated on the rear cover with the others being generic numbers in a different style. Obviously stencil data and National markings will have to be sourced elsewhere.

The decal sheet is printed by Techmod, and as usual, were in perfect register. Colour density looked good and the carrier film was very thin and kept to a minimum.

This is not a publication that sets out show images of an airframe from every conceivable angle; others have done that already. This “walkaround” style book is designed to compliment those other books.

By photographing an aircraft during its restoration stage the reader gets to see construction details that are normally obscured. These revealing aspects give the enthusiast a better understanding of the aircraft in question.

Recommended

Thanks to Squadron for the review sample

Review Copyright © 2005 by Rob Baumgartner
Page Created 9 August, 2005
Last updated 9 August, 2005

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