ModelTech ME109 PSS

by Klaus Weiss
reviewed April 1996
Heathcote Soaring League

A Bit Of History

In 1934, a young German designer, Willie Messerschmitt, manufactured a state of the art, all metal, streamlined, single seat fighter which was to set the standard of production for much of the next decade.
The Messerschmitt BF109 entered production in 1936 and was turned out in large numbers over the following years. Production was running to more than 1,000 aircraft per month as late as December 1944, and by the end of the 2nd World War, nearly 33,000 had been delivered to the Luftwaffe and its allies.

The BF109 flew in every major Luftwaffe campaign, and in all weather conditions, figuring heavily in the battle of Britain. At the time, the BF109 was superior in speed to the Spitfire when flying above 15,000ft, and faster than the Hurricane at any altitude. The two British fighters could outturn the BF109 but couldn't match it in negative 'G' manoeuvres, thanks to the Messerschmitt's fuel injected engine.
Prior to 1944, the Messerschmitt enjoyed an overall supremacy over many of the fighter aircraft it engaged, except for the P51 Mustang and the P-47's which were superior, and these two fighters rang the death knell of the BF109 when they began to regularly escort allied bombers into virtually all parts of Germany, around the end of World War ll.
The Messerschmitt BF109, or as it is sometimes known the Me109, has been the subject of modellers for a long time and many excellent kits can be found representing this aircraft.

In this review, I will refer to the model as the Me109, as that is what it has been designated by the manufacturers.
Arriving on the tail of the successful P51 Mustang Power Slope Scale glider, Model Tech have released a version of the Me109 which has also been manufactured for use as a slope soarer. The Messerschmitt Me109 has just recently arrived on our shores so I was pleased to have the opportunity to carry out the review, as well as to have something a little different to fly on the slopes. Funny, how when you put some crosses or a swastika on a model, everyone wants to engage you in aerial combat.

The Model Tech, Messerschmitt Me109, Built Up Hand-crafted, Power Scale Sloper, has a wing span of 1.15m (45.5 inches) and an all up weight of 850gm (30 oz). With a fuselage length of 92.7cm (36.5inches) the Me109 can fit into small car boots or back seats, fully assembled for those spur of the moment trips to the slope. The semi- symetrical airfoil should tell us that this is not going to be a floater, but it will still fly in light winds when many other slope soarers have been grounded. The model is quite aerobatic and some realistic dog-fights can be enacted. Flight control is aileron/elevator, which allows rolls, loops, tight turns and inverted flight to be included in the normal routine.