Hobby Master HA8766 1/48 Air Power Series

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA8766 is a  1/48 scale diecast model of the Messerschmitt BF 109 F-4  W.Nr. 8673, “Yellow 14”. Piloted by Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille of 3 Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 27 (3./JG 27) “Afrika”, Luftwaffe, Egypt, September 1942.

Hans-Joachim Marseille

Hans-Joachim Marseille (1919 – 1942), known as the “Stern von Afrika (Star of Africa), was a World War II German ace who served in France and North Africa. A prolific scorer, he claimed 17 aerial victories on a single day. Marseille was killed on September 30, 1942, while abandoning his fighter that had suffered engine failure.

At his death, Marseille held the rank of Hauptmann (Captain), credited with 158 aerial victories, and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, and Gold Medal of Military Valour.

Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft that was among the most advanced of its time when introduced. It achieved more aerial victories than any other fighter during World War II.

The aircraft first flew on May 29, 1935, and saw combat for the first time with the “Condor Legion” during the Spanish Civil War. The Luftwaffe retired its last Bf 109s in May 1945, but the aircraft continued to serve with the Spanish Air Force until 1965. After the war, manufacturers in Czechoslovakia, Spain, and Switzerland also built the Bf 109.

Most pre-war variants used the Junkers Jumo 210, a liquid-cooled inverted V12 engine. Later models used the Daimler-Benz DB 601 and DB 605, which were also liquid-cooled inverted V12 engines.

The armament typically consisted of two machine guns mounted in the engine cowling above the engine and a single cannon firing through a blast tube between the engine cylinder banks, known as a Motorkanone. The first variant to feature wing-mounted guns was the C-1, which included one gun in each wing, along with additional field-installed under-wing cannon pods and ordinance racks.