Hobby Master HA8751

General Background:

The first Bf-109G “Gustav” entered service in March 1942. New features were a pressurized cockpit with three larger guns mounted on the nose and none on the wings but could be field mounted. The Bf-109G could overheat causing oil leaks; starting a fire forcing the pilot to bail out. The Gustav was produced in many variants including long-range fighters, recon fighters and bomber destroyers. The Bf-109G-6 lacked a pressurized cockpit but was the most numerous Bf-109 produced and the first to carry 13mm machine guns; equivalent to the American 50 caliber Browning.

The Aircraft:

Hermann Graf was a WWII German Ace with 212 victories in 830 missions and the first pilot to score 200 victories. In mid 1943 Hermann Goring selected Graf to form a special high-altitude squadron to intercept Allied aircraft. The new Jagdgruppe 50 “Karaya Quartet” was equipped with modified high-altitude Bf-109G-6/R2 armed with two 210mm Wgr21 unguided rockets, a 30mm canon, two 13mm machine guns and an engine injection system creating 1,800 bhp. Green 1 W.Nr 15919 is one of several Bf-109s Graf flew and it wore the red ‘tulip’ nose and white tail with ‘kill’ markings and his Knight’s Cross award.

Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6 specifications
Production timeline – February 1943 – October 1943
Number produced – 5,000+
Dimensions
Length – 9.04m (29ft (8in) Wingspan – 9.92m (32ft 6.5in) Height – 2.5m (8ft 2.25in)
Weight
Empty – 2,700kg (5,900lb) Operational – 3,400kg (7,500lb)
Performance
Powerplant – Daimler-Benz DB605A-1, 12 cylinder inverted vee, liquid cooled, 1,475hp Maximum speed – 640km/h (398mph) Range – 850km (528miles) Service ceiling – 12,000m (39,370ft)
Armament
2 X 13mm (.51in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 300 rounds each 1 X 20mm (.78in) MG 151/20 cannon as centerline Motorkanone firing through propeller hub with 200 rounds Or 1 X 30mm (1.18in) MK 108 cannon as centerline Motorkanone with 65 round per gun (G-6/U4 variant) 2 X 20mm MG 151/20 under-wing cannon pods with 135 round per gun (Rustsatz V option) Rockets - 2 X 21 cm (8 in) Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets (G-6 with BR21)
Bombs
1 X 250 kg (551 lb) bomb Or 4 X 50 kg (110 lb) bombs Or 1 X 300 litre (79 US gal) drop tank