Kotare 1/32 Bf 109K-4 (K32009)

This article is fully dedicated to Kotare 1/32 Bf 109K-4 (K32009). New kit comes as big scale release from the well-known company which got famous for its Spitfire in the same scale. The whole idea stayed the same - nice features with less parts. Well, the whole parts count here equals to only 139 parts with assembled model measuring 27.5 cm length and 31cm wingspan. Packaging is typical, but it would be cool to have this boxart as separate poster... Each frame is packed into separate plastic bag, so let's open them all and take a closer look together.

By the way, here you can read review with another German aircraft in large scale.
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Watch this video where I show all parts even closer.

On the first sprue you can see fuselage halves, both are molded without tail fin. External features include recessed panel lines and rivets in all necessary places.

Note that cockpit walls are molded separately and have a lot of items premolded. You will have to carefully paint those with pointed brush.

Top cowling section is designed together with fuselage half, so you will have to be careful while joining everything together. Note also wing spar in the lower section of the photo.

Tail fin can be found on the next sprue. There are guiding pins which will help you to align two halves together. Note that main landing gear legs are molded together with brake lines.

Kotare also gives a choice between two types of pilot seat - with premolded seatbelts or without them. Such a thing might be useful for modelers who would like to use aftermarket PE parts on their build.

Tail landing gear is also given in several options. Fuel tank is here and can be installed or omitted in your project.

Lower cowling panel is molded as one-piece element, just like on the real aircraft. Left side of the sprue carries early version parts, and the right section is dedicated to the late version.

Landing gear wheels look okay for the standard build and even have the weight effect. I have no doubt that you will be able to find some aftermarket too.

Note that instrument panels will have separate dial decals, so whole buildup will take some time.

Wing design is typical for this aircraft. Kotare molded all mechanization separately, what is a must-have for 1/32 scale.

External features look great, just try not to overdo layers of paint and primer in your build. :)

Note that wheel wells are molded separately. I guess it was done in order to have more variety for the future.

Clear frame looks great straight out of the box. Moreover, closed and open canopy versions will use different parts for a better look.

One-piece canopy should be easier to install on your model in case you don't plan to show the cockpit. Keep in mind that there are no masks in the kit.

Decals sheet is relatively large and comes from Cartograf. Printing quality looks great, you can check all three options on the photo below.

Assembly manual comes as hefty color-printed brochure. I recommend to watch the video-review where I show all pages.

New Bf 109K-4 should be already available for purchase. Price is quite hefty, so be ready to give away around 100 EUR for this nice box. Nevertheless, I like that designers decided to go against trend and reduce parts count to make whole experience a bit more enjoyable. It could be also noted that there are no PE parts, but that is the idea of the whole kit - you work only with plastic. Some modelers will like it, some will still search for some aftermarket, but in this scale all upgrades will be noticeable for sure. :)

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