Part No.	Description	CART	Price
TFM B11B601	Display Model, DieCast Bf-109 Messerschmitt, Gustav, 1:48 Scale, Franklin Mint	ADD	$70.00

The creation of Bayerische Flugzeugwerke's chief engineer, Professor Willy Messerschmitt, the Bf-109 won the day at a fighter competition held by the Luftwaffe in the early 1930s. Retractable landing gear, enclosed cockpit, automatic flaps, cantilever wings, and stressed skin construction demonstrated on of the most advanced aerodynamic designs of its era. Deliveries to the Luftwaffe began in 1936 and the fighter was quickly deployed to the German Condor Legions, seeing its first action during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. The plane would rule the skies over Europe right up until the Battle of Britain in 1941, when it finally met its match in the British Supermarine Spitfire. The "Gustav" series of the Bf-109 began to appear in early 1942. It was faster than its predecessors, but the addition of larger 13mm MG 131 machine guns in front of the cockpit added weight and drag, making the plane less maneuverable and more difficult to fly against the increasingly more capable Allied fighters. Still, the Bf-109 series remained the backbone of the Luftwaffe throughout the war and the Bf-109Gs would become the most common type produced. By the wars end, more than 30,000 Bf-109s had been built, making this plane the most highly produced fighter in history.

Model Specifications:
Length: 7.5"	Wingspan: 8"