e Messerschmitt Bf 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear.

The first prototype flew at Augsberg in September 1935 with an imported 518 kW (695 HP) Rolls Royce Kestrel V engine while the second had a 449 kW (602HP) Junkers Jumo 210A engine for which the aircraft had been designed. The maximum airspeed was about 470 km/h (292 MPH) at 4000 m (13,123 ft.) altitude, and the service ceiling was about 8300 m (27,231 ft.).

Bf 109A-D were powered by the Jumo 210 engine, Bf 109E featured the Daimler Benz DB-601A engine.

Development of the new Bf 109F airframe had begun in 1939. The Bf 109F was generally regarded as the most attractive of the entire Bf 109 family, and its design represented almost a textbook exercise in drag reduction. It introduced rounded wingtips and an enlarged spinner. The tailwheel became partially retractable and cantilever horizontal tail surfaces, without bracing struts, were introduced.

Early Bf-109F variants were armed with two MG-17 7.92 mm (0,31 in) machine guns in the cowling and a Rheinmetall-Borsig (Oerlikon licence) MG-FF 20 mm cannon, firing through the propeller boss. The Bf-109F-2 replaced the MG-FF 20 mm cannon with an electrically operated Mauser MG-151/15 15 mm cannon. These versions were powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 601N engine.

The definitive Bf-109F-4, powered by the 1007 kW (1,350 HP) DB-601E engine, was produced in far greater numbers. The MG-151/15 cannon was replaced with a MG-151/20 20 mm cannon. The maximum speed was about 635 km/h (395 MPH) at 6000 m (19685 ft.) altitude, and the service ceiling was about 12000 m ( 39370 ft. ).

The Bf 109 was produced in greater quantities than any other fighter aircraft in history, with a total of about 34000 units produced up to April 1945. The Bf 109 was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter force in World War II, although it began to be partially replaced by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 from 1941.

Approximately 1,000 Bf 109 derivatives were manufactured postwar under licence as Czechoslovakian-built Avia S-99 & S-199s and Spanish-built Hispano Aviación HA-1109 and HA-1112 Buchons.


The model is not suited for complete beginners, but its control with ailerons and elevator would not bring problems to any modeller experienced enough with elevator/rudder control models, e.g. slow-flyers. The flying qualities and performance of this scale model of the Bf 109F are close to that of much larger model, i.e. it is more docile, and flying it provides fine and substantially more colourful experience.