Heinkel He-162A-2
This was a gift from a friend and built pretty much out of the box except for the motor. The kit goes together well. Make sure you get enough weight up front early as this one is a little tail heavy.
The cockpit frame is on the inside of the plexiglass on the real aircraft, but with the molding the way it is done I just painted the exterior of the canopy.
I wanted to add some plumbing to the engine so I used the pictures from the Air and Space Museum.
The weathering is not heavy and consists of some RLM02 showing through on the wooden wings and some wear on the hinges.
The decals did not lay down completely and I spent way more time than I wanted to messing with them. This is the second set of recent Revell decals that won't lay down.
The Revell kit does not have any control surfaces that are molded as separate pieces. I cut the rudders, elevators and ailerons, but did not move them.
Port side of the actual He-162 engine.
The exterior of the gear doors is RLM65 while the rest of the underside is RLM76. I read that some of the aircraft came with parts from subcontractors that did not always match in color.
Comments
23 13 April, 22:00
JWThanks for the kind comments. It was a fun build, but kind of sad to think young men got sent off to fight in those things.
15 April, 11:34
Lawrence LandisThe reason that young men are sent is that they aren't as cynical as older farts like me.
When you look at some of the weapons of desperation such as the Ba349, Me163, and the He162, you have to wonder when the madness started and when it will end. Excellent build and a tribute to the men who flew them.
28 May, 12:43
Trez MackenzieCorrect! The engine detail is perfect but then again it is the real thing!
That chipping is awesome - especially on the canopy sill (Schwelle)
28 May, 16:18
JWThanks gents. Trez didn't mean to mislead anyone with those pics from the Smithsonian. I wish I could make it look that realistic.
28 May, 20:59
Trez MackenzieI think I mislead myself - still, it's a good point; how to build an engine that realistic? What is it that acts as a stumbling block?
29 May, 01:46
