Italeri 1/72 Mistel 1

ITALERI 1:72 MISTEL 1 (JU-88A-4 & BF-109F)

italeri_mistel.jpg (4015 bytes)

Reviewer: John Hall (rec.models.scale)

In 1943 a proposal was made that expired Junkers Ju-88 airframes would be converted as pilotless missiles with an attached Messerschmitt Bf-109, whose pilot would control the Ju-88 in flight to a point of release. He would then aim the unmanned 'missile' at its target before detaching his fighter and flying off. The Ju-88 carried a warhead and continued unguided in steady flight from where it was released. The project was commonly known as Mistel (mistletoe) composites or more popularly "Vater und Sohn" (Father and Son). Plans for a remote-guided version were ceased when the Europe war ended.

Several designations were given to the Mistel depending on the combination of fighter and bomber. Mistel 1 combined the Ju-88A-4 and Bf-109F (which this model replicates), Mistel 2 combined the Ju-88G-1 and Fw-190A-8, Mistel 3A combined Ju88A-6 with Fw-190A-6 and finally Mistel 3B combined Ju-88G-10 (or Ju-88H-4) bombers with Fw-190A-8. There is also evidence of Fw-190 matings with a larger Junkers Ju-88H-4 for longer range missions in proposal form. Most "Mistels" were given a 'pin head' but earlier (and namely prototype) versions show a full Ju-88 front end (ie: canopy, glazing, nose etc) was used.

The box contains all the parts needed to make the Mistel 1 version, and essentially you have three kits in one making the size of the box appealing because everything is packed in. You have 145 parts in typical Italeri crisp light grey plastic with 4 clear parts. One pack contains the parts for the Ju-88 bomber, one for the Bf-109 and one sprue for the conversion parts to make the Ju-88 into the Mistel. The Ju-88 has finely raised panel lines while the Bf-109 has finely engraved ones and essentially these are the identical kits you would otherwise purchase separately.

Construction of the Mistel (Ju-88) is relatively quick and easy because there is no glazing or cockpit to worry about. Since you are given the normal Ju-88 kit you will have leftover parts to put in your spares box. The undercarriage depicted in the instructions is clearly incorrect and appear to be swapped around?? The links should face forward with the wheels facing outward according to the reference photos I had on hand - the instructions have them reversed. I also noted that the warhead collar which has "steps" in the kit is incorrect, it should run parrallel with the fuselage. I left my model as stepped but if you want it completely authentic you will need to sand back and fill the joints and replace the fins with small plastic bits.

Construction of the Bf-109 is also fairly straightforward except for a few bits which need major correction. The engine cowlings in particular are a source of aggravation and frustration with neither fitting very well onto the plane. You will need to sand back the base on the cowlings and then are probably best off filling in the space on the fuselage and then attaching the cowlings on the outside. The three-piece canopy is also terribly inaccurate, being much too curved for a Bf-109 canopy. Unless you want an inaccurate closed canopy I would suggest you leave it open since this disguises the curve a little bit but you will still need a bit of filler handy. Other than that you would perhaps need to file it back to give it a more flatter appearance on top.

I'd suggest also modelling the Bf-109 with it's undercarriage up so you can affix to the struts connecting the "Vater und Sohn" easily! Extra half-wheels are included to assist with the wheels up configuration. It should be noted, however, that in some cases the undercarriage was down on the Fw-190/Bf-109 aircraft. These are clearly shown in many pictures in my reference library but all are shown with the Mistel on the ground. The couple of fuzzy pics in-flight clearly show the wheels up - perhaps the fighter had to lower the undercarriage in order for the electronics to tell the Ju-88 to lower its undercarriage too? I'm not sure about this because I also have pictures with fighter's wheels up on the ground!!

Connecting the fighter and bomber is with struts supplied in the kit. Since I have no information on the actual real-life length of these, Italeri will have to be given the benefit of the doubt in the accuracy of the scaled down version. The Instructions say to attach the struts prior to painting the two aircraft but I would suggest doing it the other way around (perhaps attach the struts to one aircraft first) as this will allow you to concentrate on the scheme of each aircraft separately. I had no troubles attaching the struts but a little care needs to be taken to ensure the best result (and to prevent breaking the struts!).

The colour schemes as set out in the instructions are the common Luftwaffe splinter pattern camouflage with Modelmaster being the recommended painting source featuring european, pale and middle green colours. Only one set of decals is supplied for the kit to produce just one "Mistel". There are no swastika's provided so you will need to obtain these from an aftermarket source, but beware, the Ju-88 has a large serial number on the tail so this will need to be placed elsewhere to put the swastika on this model. The references I have looked through do not provide any assistance in relocating the serial number. After applying the decals there was no evidence of silvering and the use of matt varnish sealed it all in leaving a nice finished model.

This was a fairly straightforward kit to make, even with the inaccuracies of the Bf-109 and adds itself certainly as a different model in the cabinet. The kit was also very reasonably priced which is more than I can say for another Japanese company's alternative and although a bit complex and inaccurate in areas I still think it would be well suited for most modellers. I also think that if the Ju-88 portion of this Mistel kit was produced by itself you could as easily attach an Fw-190A as an alternative project. For value and straightforwardness of the kit I'd recommend it but be wary of the Bf-109 deficiencies.

FOOTNOTE: It should be pointed out that a couple of modellers e-mailed me after seeing this review pointing out that the Italeri 1/72 Bf-109 in this example (which is also the same as their stand alone Bf-109 injection-moulded run) is terribly inaccurate. Aside from the cockpit and cowling issues pointed out above, the model apparently also lacks in accuracy when compared to plan drawings of the aircraft, the fuselage and wings being the main area of inaccuracy. (Ed)

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