Heinkel He 162A

Revell, 1/32 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Click here to see Steve Palffy's 1/32 scale Heinkel He 162 Construction Feature.

Revell's 1/32 scale Heinkel He 162 comprises 87 parts in pale grey injection moulded plastic on four sprues, and 4 clear parts. The fuselage, wings and tailplanes certainly capture the distinctive lines of the Volksjager.

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The Heinkel He 162 was a simple aircraft, and the relatively small number of kit parts reflects that simplicity. However, this does not imply any compromise in detail. The kit includes a full BMW 003E engine, positionable clamshell engine cowling doors, a nicely detailed cockpit, a gun bay with poseable access panel, and wheel wells packed with structural features. The gear legs are nicely rendered with brake lines moulded in place. The wheels are outstanding too.

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The quality of the exterior surfaces is also very good. Many of the major parts on the He 162 were wooden. These areas, including the nose cone, the main section of the wings and the tailplanes, are accurately depicted smooth and featureless. Metal sections have fine panel lines and some rivet detail. I particularly like Revell's reproduction of the simple hinges on the He 162. The deep cannon troughs, continuing through to separate parts for the cannon barrels inside the fuselage, are also noteworthy.

Ejector pin marks - those raised or recessed circles usually seen in various locations on kits - are a perennial challenge for kit manufacturers. They are an unavoidable by-product of the injection moulding process, but Revell has cleverly designed the kit so that the marks will not be visible once the kit is assembled. The usual areas that you would expect to see ejector pin marks, including the inside of the big engine cowlings and the gear doors, are completely unblemished. There are a few ejector circles on the inside of the forward fuselage, but even these have been located away from the moulded-on sidewall detail.

The only (minor) problem that I can see is some sink marks on the outside of the forward fuselage, corresponding to the position of the interior structural detail. Although they are theoretically imperfections, to my eye they give this area the illusion of stressed metal! If you don't like it, a few minutes with putty and a sanding stick will eliminate these sink marks.

The model still offers modellers some opportunities to add more detail, especially in the fairly basic gun bay and also with more plumbing and wiring in the main gear bay, but the result straight from the box will be impressive regardless.

Noseweight will need to be added to avoid tail-sitting.

The transparencies are very thin, beautifully clear and free of distortion. There is a two-part canopy, a gunsight and the small window in the forward wheel well.

Decals are supplied for XX interesting options.

Authentic appearance, simple parts breakdown, exceptional fit, easy construction, good detail, affordable price.

Could a modeller ask for anything more?

Revell's new 1/32 scale Heinkel He 162 looks like a terrific model. In this scale, the He 162 is big enough to see the detail but small enough to display easily. This aircraft also suggests some interesting conversion possibilities for Luftwaffe '46 aficionados, including different tail surfaces, wings and powerplants. The Volksjager wore some colourful markings too. Decal manufacturers will hopefully jump on that bandwagon fairly quickly.

Highly Recommended!

Thanks to Hannants for the review sample.
 

Review and Images Copyright © 2004 by Brett Green
Page Created 30 December, 2004
Last updated 30 December, 2004

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