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Revell 1/72 Heinkel He 177A-3


rowmk9

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Here's my entry for the bomber GB, Revell's 1/72 He 177A-5 built as an A-3.

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I have AIMS decals and will soon have the A-3 aileron set to make it closer in appearance to an A-3. I plan to build an Operation Steinbok aircraft with the black undersides. Should be fun :)

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Edited by rowmk9
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I'm waiting for the A-3 aileron set but I've made a start on the internals regardless. There's quite alot of detail packed into this Revell kit, they really have done well. Though I've not built the Airfix offering, it looks light years ahead.

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Tail gun position

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Nice one :D Quick question-did this ever see service? It's not one I'm familiar with :)

It did indeed see service, but it had a troubled career. Engines had a tendency to overheat and catch fire (not good!) because of an overly complicated gearbox/driveshaft and they were introduced into service too late and in too few numbers. Production run for the He 177 was an impressive sounding 1000+ machines, but many would have been unable to fly due to fuel shortages and they would have made prime strafing targets for marauding Allied fighters, seeing as they were the size of a B-17. If a more conventional route had been taken with the engines (there are four, two sharing a nacelle and common driveshaft and prop) then it may have been more successful. German obssession with trying to get all bombers to dive bomb didn't help this aircraft either.

I like to think of this aircraft as a German Manchester. A redesign on a few bits could have turned this bomber into a brilliant weapon (especially if a good long-range escort accompanied it) , but luckily for us the Germans were never allowed such a luxury.

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Thanks Andy! If you decide to buy one then go for the A-5 boxing as the A-6 was really only a prototype. Unless you like prototypes that is :P

Some more progress on her today. the fuselage is closed up and the turrets and some glazing is in place. the construction for this kit is ingenious and it does fit smoothly. Granted not tamiygawa smooth, but good all the same. The more I think of it, the more I realise what a bargain I got last year in a modelzone sale as I paid under £10 for this kit.

I've mocked up the wings and rudder but everything else int he pics is proper legit progress :D

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I sometimes wonder if participating in these group builds is a good idea for a compulsive kit buyer like me :fraidnot:.

:lol: I know exactly what you mean! :D

I'm following this one with interest, Rowan. :popcorn: You like your Heinkels, don't you?

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You like your Heinkels, don't you?

Please, call me Ernst!

yes I do like my Heinkels, especially the He 111 but the He 177 is also an interesting bird. It doesn't look pretty around the cockpit however and I always thought a 111 style nose would make the 177 look so much nicer and probably a more popular for modellers.

I've also got a growing obssession with the Fw 190 as well.

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What is the difference with the ailerons? I was most of the way through improving the old Airfix kit when this one came out...killed that, but then I missed out on the release of the transfer sheet so had to wait, as it was until the AIMS sheet came around.

I suspect the reason the nose is blunter than that of the He111 was to improve the pilot's view, as the latter suffered from problems with glare from the angled panels.

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Looks great as usual Rowan.

I just bought a book on Op steinbok. looks great but I'm a bit behind in my reading.....and my modelling!

Howard

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Please, call me Ernst!

yes I do like my Heinkels, especially the He 111 but the He 177 is also an interesting bird. It doesn't look pretty around the cockpit however and I always thought a 111 style nose would make the 177 look so much nicer and probably a more popular for modellers.

Rowan, I'm with you on the attraction of these 'glazed' Heinkels. I've got an Airmodel 119 vacform tucked away somewhere - just need an excuse to start it (maybe a Heinkel GB!).

Your 177 is looking very good so far, by the way. :)

Cliff

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ah, now there's an old favorite of mine. I built it waaaay back. For an old kit the moulding looks very good. Was that bomb-bay picture showing a single component or had you built it up? If a single piece, it's lovely. Good luck with it.

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What is the difference with the ailerons? .

Hi Graham! sorry for the very late reply to the question, i had put the bomber to one side whilst working on my 1/48 190 and sorta missed it!

ok, the difference? well to be honest I don't know the mechanical difference, but visually the A-3 ailerons have more protusions on them, see this pic to demonstrate.

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The A-3 ailerons are the resin ones, and I have now put them onto the wing, so I'll update the thread properly in the near future :)

In response to 'per ardua's comments: this kit is a fairly new tool, copyrighted 2000 on the sprues, so maybe you're reffering to the airfix tooling? The bomb bay detail is all from the kit, part with nothing added - it's still on the sprue! :P Unfortunately for you guys, I'm building this with a closed bomb bay so it will not be on show.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ok it is high time I updated this thread, real life has been getting in the way a bit the last couple of weeks!

So the A-3 ailerons have been fitted (no pictures sorry!) and then the transparencies went on and were masked using an Eduard mask set. The nose 'fish bowl' is not brilliant in terms of transparency or fit, which is a shame as the rest of the kit is exceptional. vacform replacements may be a route to explore if anyone decides to build this kit, or perhaps some work polishing the canopy into shape. Being lazy, I just used it as it came, with the exception of a dip in Klear to try and help.

clear bits on (yes it is quite an odd looking bird it must be said!)

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masking in place.

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And after some preshading/black undercoat i realised i wasn't happy with the fit around the nose so lightly sanded the area in an effort to smooth it out.

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Undersides painted Lifecolor Weathered Black.

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And the topsides RLM 76 done. I need to touch it up as it is not quite how I want it, but it is starting to give an idea of the camo.

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My index finger hurts alot after this! The RLM 75 mottle on the topside has been completed. Well, when I say completed, I may go over a few areas tomorrow as some areas are better than others, but in reality it was a freehand rough mottle so its not critical for the model. I may dust over some RLM 76 as well to take the edge off of the RLM 75. We shall see.

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Sorry for the harsh light from the flash, it was night time when I took the photos. Also I've put the landing gear on so its standing up on its own feet.

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Earnst would be proud...your 177 is looking very nice...!!

Cheers,

ggc

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