Search the Community

Hello folks, I'm reaching out to the likely very limits of Luftwaffe airframe knowledge here, but I have a particularly specific question about the fuselage aperture for the internally mounted camera of the FW 189 UHU. I'm starting off the 1/48 GWH kit, which incidentally is proving to be lovely (bar the ejector pin circles), and plan to open at least one engine up, the roof entry panels, drop the flaps and essentially open everything up that is viable... That brings me to the question – does anyone know how the 4-plate fuselage aperture of the A1/A2 on the underside actually opened when the downwards-facing camera was in use? The GWH kit provides a very nice if not completely accurate rendition of the RB 50/30 camera, and an exact opening in the floor of the cockpit compartment. However, and this is the kicker, the actual fuselage within which it will be ensconced is flat plastic with engraved panel lines and 'rails' at the sides. There's no mention in the instructions of opening it up, and I cannot for the life of me find a reference shot which shows this aperture open. The mod will be easy enough - scribe out the panels, thin the fuselage in that area approximately to scale and add the 'doors' for want of a better term from styrene stock. However, I need to know how they open and thus should be created! I can envisage two ways - either from the centre of the four panels in a double 'V' concertina, or probably again from the centre, sliding over each other to give a clear view for the lens. Here are the panels in question: Any help would be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the enormous image. Not sure how to scale it! All the best, Al

He.219 Uhu Interior 3D Decal (QD48229 for Tamiya) 1:48 Quinta Studios When Quinta’s innovative products first came to our attention, they caused quite a stir, as well they should. The replacement Instrument Panels and internal details are mind-boggling to look at, because we’re used to seeing simplified styrene instrument panels, or Photo-Etch Brass panels with either two layers of etch, or laminated parts that can be tricky to glue together, even though they are pre-painted for your ease. But decals? These aren’t your run-of-the-mill decals though, they’re 3D printed in many layers and colours on a flat carrier film, having as much in the way of elevation as is needed to complete a realistic panel printed in the correct colours, complete with shiny dial faces and metallic-effect hardware, and often including cushions and seat belts in the set. Each set arrives in a ziplok bag with a folded instruction booklet protecting the decals, which are also separately bagged, so they should reach you in good condition. The pictorial instructions are printed on glossy paper, and are shown in full colour as befits the awesomeness of the sets, showing exactly where each part should go on the actual model, so there’s no confusion due to the “pictures speak a thousand words” maxim. Additional hints and instructions are also included, marking out parts needing bases, kit parts that are used or replaced and other useful tips. The technical instructions in the text-based, giving additional tips to the new user about maximising adhesion and preventing lift at the edges by wicking in super glue. Although you are advised to use Super Glue (CA) to attach the decals to the surface permanently, preparation is much the same as your standard decal, but you will need to remove any raised detail that would be underneath the location depicted in the instructions, and some new parts will need small backing panels or bases on which to apply the decal. A slim piece of sheet styrene would perform that task, and painting the edges a matching colour should minimise its appearance or turn it completely invisible. This set is patterned for the ageing Tamiya kit of this wasp-like aircraft, which while it is getting on in years, doesn’t seem like it will be superseded any time soon, as it is still a great kit – a testament to Tamiya’s tool-making capabilities. The set comprises two sheets of decals, containing an extensive instrument panel of four parts, one circular dial needing a base that could be made from a short piece of styrene rod; rudder pedal straps; headrest and lap belts for the rear crewman; a set of four-point seatbelts and headrest for the pilot’s convenience and safety; a mass of sections of the radio ‘wall’ that takes fourteen decals in total, and as with some of the other parts, needs the kit detail sanding off; detailed side consoles, and similarly busy side walls to the cockpit. Awesome stuff. Conclusion The detail on the parts is incredible, even down to the infinitesimal switches, glossy dials and impressive crispness of the set. This cockpit really needs a crystal-clear or opened canopy to show off the details. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Morning all. I’ve decided it’s time to start work on the “shelf of doom”, particularly whilst I’m waiting for a couple of GB to win and be authorised (but that’s 2023!!). So I’ve pulled this off the shelf: I’ve found this on the Net which is going to be a great help, but I was wondering if there are any top tips from Luftwaffe fans, on how to do the mottled camo? I’ve never done a WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft in mottled schemes, so it’s going to be a challenge!! My plan was to finish it in RAF colours as one of the aircraft captured at Grove at the end of the war and test flown by Farnborough. I don’t think I’ve got the appropriate roundels anywhere in the spares box, so was thinking of spraying them on (another first), can anyone recommend some pre-cut decals or a really good way of cutting your own to the correct size in masking tape or vinyl tape? All ideas very welcome

Special Hobby is to rebox (?) the MPM (? - link) 1/72nd Focke-Wulf Fw.189B Uhu kit - ref. SH72430 Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2020/10/na-cem-pracujeme-pri-patku.html?m=1 V.P.

Here are the finished photos of my most recent build, Tamiya's venerable He-219. Following the clear coat to protect the paintwork, an oil panel line wash of dark drown on the upper surfaces, and light brown on the underside was added. The excess was wiped off and the model was sealed with a semi-gloss coat prior to attaching the gear, props, fiddly parts. Chipping was added using grey paint and prismacolour pencil, and exhaust staining, fuel leaks etc were added using various Mig and Vallejo products. Finally the FuG radio masts and antennae rigging were attached and navigation lights added using Krystal Klear. At 24 years young, this kit was a pleasure to construct and didn't fight me one inch. A real testament to the engineers at Tamiya! Thanks for viewing. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FYVSZMhb11qbtXnaA

Focke Wulf Fw 189B-0/B-1 "Luftwaffe Trainer" (SH72430) 1:72 Special Hobby The Fw 189 won the competition in to replace older reconnaissance type with the Luftwaffe beating the Ar 189 and Bv 141. The type went on to become the Luftwaffe's standard tactical recon platform. The aircraft features a central fuselage pod heavily glazed, with twin booms leading back to the tail, the front of which housed the engines. The Luftwaffe looked at expanding 189 production and called for a training version, attack version and a maritime version with floats. Only 2 prototype attack versions were built, and the single float version was never finished. Along with the prototype Fw 189B trainer two more B-0 aircraft were built, followed by 10 B-1 aircraft. As well as for training the aircraft were used in the Liaison role, though little is really known on this. The Kit This is a rebox of the MPM kit with parts for the trainer version and new decals. Construction starts in the large cockpit area. The two font seats go in with a panel separating them and two control columns in front of the seat. Two additional seats go in the rear of the cockpit followed by the rear bulkhead and a further panel to the left of the two rear seat. Following the installation of the instrument panel into the right side of the fuselage pod the complete cockpit can be inserted in and the pod closed up. The cockpit glazing can now be added. Each of the twin booms can now be built up. There are front and rear bulkheads for the gear wells which support the gear well roof. At the front the engine face goes on, and to the left side resin intakes are added. Its now time to add the fuselage pod and the wings together. The lower wing is in three parts; a centre section and the two left/right wings. The upper wings are in left/right and attach to the fuselage pod. The twin booms fit on to the underside with the centre section joining on one side and left/right sections on the other. The tail will also need putting in between the booms at the same time! This does look like it will need some time and patience to get everything aligned correctly. Once all of the main structure is assembled the landing gear needs making up and installing in each boom. The last things to do are to install the props and the tail wheel. Markings The glossy decal sheet is printed in house and looks sharp and in register. There are three decal options available from the decal sheet; Fw 189B-0 BQ-AZ - Work No. 0010 - FW Factory Bremen 1940 - Overall RLM02 Fw 189B-1 BS-AA - Work No unknown one of only 10 built. 1940 overall RLM02 Fw 189B-1 BS+AC - Work No unknown one of only 10 built. 1940 RLM70 & 81 over 65. Photographed in Prague Conclusion It is good to see this released. The kit will take some fettling im pretty sure off, but once assembled it should look the part. Recommended. Masks Special Hobby also do masks for the kit . The masks are for the canopies. Review samples courtesy of

TAMIYA 1:48 Heinke He 219A-7 Uhu Uhu is just a cool looking plane, been waiting to build this one for a while now. Also, has couple things that will challenge me in the painting - black and rather complicated camo work on the top side. It's a very tail heavy plane with practically no space on the front - so it's great that Tamiya is giving (a rather heavy) nose weight which doubles as the cockpit floor & nose gear bay. It's decently sized model, so should be quite impressive looking when done. May 1945. I specifically wanted to do a version with black undersides - because I think it looks cool and I haven't really painted black, so it will be fun to try out making it look interesting & weathered. Also, the camo job is something I'm not yet sure how I will do it. I think the correct way is to paint the darker color first and do 'snakes' with the lighter color, but I'm not sure me & my airbrush are up to the task. I will have to do some testing. I got the AS-5 spray can, but I guess I can decant that for the airbrush too.

Platz is to release a 1/72nd Heinkel He.219A-7 Uhu kit (manufactured by Dragon) - ref. AE-1 Release expected in July 2016 Sources: http://www.platz-hobby.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5446&language=en http://www.platz-hobby.com/products/5446.html http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10383511 V.P.

Hello everyone, this is the newish ICM kit. A full build review will appear in Scale Aircraft Modelling shortly. Hope you like the finished result. Cheers

After the He.219A-7, Revell is to release in September 2017 a 1/32nd Heinkel He.219A-0 Uhu kit - ref. 03928 Sources: http://www.kitreviewsonline.de/revell-neuheiten-fuer-das-jahr-2017/ http://www.revell-news.de/display.php?M=166356&C=3f057b9cf49fc7b39cd8722d3dac6145&S=587&L=36&N=239 V.P.

Wheels for Su-34, He.219 & SE.5a (Hobby Boss, Tamiya & Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. Su-34 Wheels (648326 for Hobby Boss) The Fullback is quite well-endowed when it comes to wheels, with each gear leg having a pair dangling from it. The set includes the two large wheels for each main gear leg, which have separate two-part hubs and fit directly to the kit axles. The twin nose wheels are both single parts, and have a delicate resin mudguard made from two parts, with a PE mudflap along the bottom edge, and two small PE parts on the rear of the guard. A sheet of kabuki tape pre-cut with the donut shape masks for each of the hubs completes the package, and should result in a substantial improvement to detail. He.219 Wheels (648328 for Tamiya) Tamiya's lovely kit of the Uhu has been around for donkey's years, but this is a welcome set for any of us with it in their stash (it was one of the first kits I bought when returning to the hobby). For rough field landings, the Owl was fitted with twin main wheels, and these are replicated in resin with gloriously crisp diamond tread and hub detail, while the single nose wheel is smooth, but has equally good detail on the tyre sidewall and hub. The latter fits between the two-part yoke on the nose gear leg, and as you would expect, all five wheels have donut shaped kabuki tape masks pre-cut for your convenience. SE.5a Wheels (648333 for Eduard) Patterned for Eduard's own kit reviewed here, they improve on the detail of the kit parts, adding a more realistic rendition of the spoked wheel under the fabric cover, with each spoke having a slight dip between it and the next one. Two wheels are in the box, with kabuki tape masks to match, and a small decal sheet is supplied with manufacturer's details for the side of the skinny tyres, which were stamped with "Palmer Cord Aero Tyres 700 x 70". Review sample courtesy of

Gentlemen. If you'll allow I'd like to share my current WIP with you. I've decided to start 2015 with a build that's a bit more ambitious than I'm used to. I was getting to the point where I felt like I needed to try a ZM kit. I thought for sure it was going to be the Horten, but a lot of WIPs of those have popped up around the web. On top of that, I had wanted to do the Revell Uhu last year, but opted for something else. Anyway, I wound up with this kit after the holidays, so here I am. This is a massive undertaking, and it would be easy for my obsessiveness and ADD to make things messy, so my approach will be to address each portion of the instructions as a kit of it's own. So updates will be a major milestones in that vain. First the engines. I won't really detail the process of finishing and weathering, but any questions anyone may have will be answered. I still need to get a clear coat on these and add some washes, filters, etc. So these aren't complete, but close.

Hi everyone! Thanks to Mike's review yesterday and some time off work this week I've decided to crack on with the UHU... This will be a pretty-well out of box build with the aim of keeping things simple and making some progress. For the purposes of this exercise I'll be going into 'assembler of kits' mode as opposed to the usual AMS induced 'stress bunny'. Wish me luck! Taking a leaf out of those pesky armour modellers approaches to assembly I'm going for a lot of sub assemblies - in fact that's today's focus - so that I can then have a sanding binge all at once at some point. I have to say that whilst the kit looks superb - and is remarkable value - the instructions let it down a little! Starting with the wings - read the instructions carefully if you want to drop the flaps as there are sections that need removing! The flap areas have the inserts shown below that provide detail for the dropped flaps - as well as strength to the assembled wings: Wings are now glued and on the window-sill drying off. Tailplane next - main sections quite straightforward... The fins are more complex - and need a little gymnastics to put together - along with careful use of glue (personally I'm not bothered if they don't move): On the theme of assemblies and racking them up ready for sanding in one session here are the tyres and main gears - all pretty straightforward stuff: That's all for now folks... Iain

Hi folks, This is my first GB on Britmodeller and, given the relatively generous building time, I thought I'd try my hand at enhancing a Revell 1/72nd He219. Note that this is Revell's original release, not the ex-FROG one that has relatively recently been re-introduced. Regarding 'enhancement', I'm no Tom Probert or Nobby, but I like adding a bit of representative detail where I can, with the aim of causing doubt in whoever looks at it as to which particular kit it started out as. Whatever, the Uhu it is and we'll see how it turns out; I have a small amount of AM to throw at it (wheels, etc.) but it will mostly be just the Revell bits and whatever I can cobble together to add to them. I will add the obligatory sprue shots when I get the kit out of the loft, but I won't be starting immediately as I have a couple of other things to finish first. regards, Martin

Heinkel He.219 Update Sets 1:32 Eduard The Revell He.219 Uhu was released with much fanfare late in 2012, and Eduard have now take the opportunity to improve upon this reasonably well detailed model as only Eduard can. With a bunch of detail sets for the modeller to pick and choose from. Interior Set (32757) This set details the cockpit, which is one of the high-points of the kit already, but of course things can always be improved upon. It arrives in Eduard's usual flat-pack, and includes two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE), the first of which measures 7cm x 6cm and is pre-painted and self-adhesive, while the second is bare brass and measures 7cm square. As well as including a full set of laminated and pre-painted instrument panel details, a new set of sidewall skins are provided for the bare sides of the side-consoles. Various other scab plates and details are then added to give a layered look to the consoles, with additional sill detail being added to the bare styrene sills, as well as latch details on the port side. The instrument panel detail extends to all the sidewall instruments, and of course the important rear panel, which will be very visible in the finished model. The instrument coaming at the very tip of the Uhu's nose receives a replacement flip-up armour panel for those risky head-on attacks, and also provides some extra detail for the gun-sight along with some acetate film glass pieces. There is also a PE part and sighting acetate sheet section in the canopy top, which I presume is related to the Naxos Radar Warning Receiver equipped airframes. Seatbelts Set (32755) This set predictably contains parts for more realistic seatbelts, measuring 7cm x 4cm, and pre-painted on one side with belt detail that would be impossible to achieve without superlative painting skills. The belts are made up rather like the real thing, with the buckles threaded with belt and secured by folding over and gluing (instead of stitching on the real thing). There are sufficient parts for both the pilot and gunner/radar operator, and the final diagram shows how they are correctly positioned on their seats. Undercarriage Set (32325) This is the big one, containing two frets of bare brass measuring 9.2cm x 14cm each. Because of the size of the parts the number is reasonably low, and the instructions reasonably short, but the effect should be quite impressive once complete. The nose gear bay receives a number of wiring loom parts, a skin for the main bay roof, and some additional strengthening parts, plus edging to the bay door, and a PE oleo-scissor link, which improves detail over the kit part. The main bays receive a comprehensive skin-set, which is broken down into sections to ease installation. The deep wheel recess is covered with three sections that wrap around the roof and both walls, which will mean that the modeller has to bend them so that they conform to the shape before applying glue. The shallow section receives roof detail skins and four side panels on each side. Bay edge detail is added to each side, and various in-fill panels and small details are added on top of the new surface. The retraction jacks have a drilled jacket added to them, while the bay doors themselves are detailed with hinge details, and the main gear leg gets a set of brake lines. Conclusion These sets will upgrade the detail on your model significantly, and the cockpit set is almost a pre-requisite with its super-detailed instrument panel parts. It's a shame that the seatbelts aren't included in the cockpit set, but that seems to be the way things are going presently. The gear bay detail set is the piece de resistance however, and includes a LOT of brass. As usual, pick and choose which aspects are important to you, and get the sets you want. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I see ZM now have the UHU on pre-order. http://www.zoukeimura.co.jp/en/index.html I must say 1.32 is not really my thing but after seeing this at Telford I really could be tempted The standard of kit engineering I saw was first class. Apparently if you pre-order then you get both resin crew members thrown in as well. If anyone want a better look then one of the guys over on the SP&R forums is building a test shot. http://sparforums.com/ipb/index.php?/topic/2642-132-zoukei-mura-heinkel-he-219a-0/ Rumors of them doing a 1.32 Typhoon have caused my wallet to go into hiding Julien