|
Heinkel He 111E
Roden 1/72
S
u m m a r y
|
| Catalogue Number: |
Kit No. 027 |
| Scale: |
1/72 |
| Contents and Media: |
160 parts in long-run injection
moulded styrene |
| Price: |
USD$20.97 from Squadron.com
|
| Review Type: |
FirstLook |
| Advantages: |
Nice detail; well-researched;
“complete” interior |
| Disadvantages: |
Tricky fit; decals out of register |
| Recommendation: |
Recommended |
Reviewed by Robert Baumgartner
Roden's 1/72 scale
Heinkel He 111E is available online from Squadron.com
Roden continues the series of the early He111
aircraft with the second military production variant. The difference with
this kit compared to the previous releases is a new sprue to supply the
different cowls, radiators, and Jumo 211A-1 engines that powered the “E”
version.
Having heard horror stories from those that had tried
to assemble Roden’s earlier He111 kits, I was keen to see what the fit
would be like on this one. I was relieved to find that a dry run on the
major parts showed that it was not as bad as I had been led to believe.
Yes, the parts do need care to align and yes they
will fight back, but careful testing, shimming and sanding during the
fitting stage will keep the demon at bay. This is an area where the soft
plastic helps as it can be persuaded to go where the builder wants it. The
problem stems from the “jigsaw” effect where maximum use is made of
existing parts to manufacture the different variants.
Five light grey and one clear sprue make up the more
than 160 plastic parts needed to assemble this kit.
Click the
thumbnails below to view larger images:
As expected, Roden have done a fine job with the
smaller items. Generally these have good clear detail with flash kept to a
minimum.
The major components will need a bit more attention.
Roden have made the panel lines so fine on the fuselage that some have
disappeared during the moulding process. This is not a major problem, as a
light passing over with your favourite scribing tool will fix this.
Due to the softness of the plastic, even a pin or the
back of a scalpel blade will suffice.
While you are at it, the wing roots on the fuselage
halves could do with the swipe of a sanding stick. There are a couple of
blemishes that need to be eradicated.
The wings fair much better and most of the detail has
been maintained. Careful scrutiny will reveal that some minor touch ups,
as per the fuselage, would not go amiss.
The instructions cater for the “E” by correctly tell
you to cut away the radiators from the generic early series elliptical
wings.
A nice touch is that the retractable ventral
“dustbin” can be located in the raised or lowered position.
The high quality of research that went into this kit
is evident from the fully decked out interior. This includes the vertical
bomb racks and even an instrument panel decal, which is correct for an “E”
variant.
There is plenty of moulded on side wall detail which
will show up nicely with some careful painting.
This detail didn’t cause any sink marks on the
exterior of the cockpit area. The only sink marks being very shallow
depressions under the top dorsal gun position of the main fuselage halves.
If this bothers you, a simple smear with putty will fix it.
The wheel wells, so often neglected in other kits,
have some nicely executed structural detail. The landing gear itself is
delicately detailed and is as near to scale as possible.
Sadly the decals in the kit were badly out of
register. So much so that only one marking option can be built from my
example.
To quote the instructions:
-
Heinkel 111E (GC+GE) from the relief effort
during the final stages of the battle for Stalingrad. Winter 1942/43. A
bonus here is that Roden provide the external containers that were
mounted under the fuselage.
-
Heinkel 111E (V4+AB), Kampgeschwader I/KG 1
“Hindenburg”, Polish campaign, September 1939.
-
Heinkel He111E (black 25-92), Kampfgruppe
88 “Legion Condor”, Spain, 1937-38.
This is the most accurate kit of the He111E that you
will find at present but there is a price. The fit of the major components
will test your skill but patience will reward.
The register of the decals is a concern, and negated
those options that carried an insignia. Hopefully this was an isolated
case.
Those grips aside, the kit can be built into a very
nice replica of an often neglected version of a very famous breed.
Recommended
Thanks to
Squadron.com for the review
sample.
Review and Images Copyright © 2003 by
Robert Baumgartner
Page Created 13 August, 2003
Last updated 15 August, 2003
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