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* Heinkel III : FINISHED


AnonymousA667

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Finally got my act together and started something, so let's get the preliminaries over with. Box art:

326451386.jpg

If you look at the price lable it says 'Martin 1.75' - it has been stashed for a long time.

326451392.jpg

Schemes. This will be a Battle of Britain period machine. Not sure if the aircraft sub-type is correct.

326451402.jpg

Decals. Will they hold up?

326451395.jpg

Parts. They look OK, except one of the fuselage halves had some plastic flake off like it was de-laminating. I managed to clean it up by brushing on some MEK then sanding. It may need bulking up again, got to decide on this.

326451379.jpg

This will be an OOB non AMS build, so it was stick a few parts together, then squirt them with some paint. I didn't have any Grau 02 to hand so mixed some grey and green together. Good enough for me.

peebeep

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Finally got my act together and started something, so let's get the preliminaries over with. Box art:

326451386.jpg

If you look at the price lable it says 'Martin 1.75' - it has been stashed for a long time.

326451392.jpg

Schemes. This will be a Battle of Britain period machine. Not sure if the aircraft sub-type is correct.

326451402.jpg

Decals. Will they hold up?

326451395.jpg

Parts. They look OK, except one of the fuselage halves had some plastic flake off like it was de-laminating. I managed to clean it up by brushing on some MEK then sanding. It may need bulking up again, got to decide on this.

326451379.jpg

This will be an OOB non AMS build, so it was stick a few parts together, then squirt them with some paint. I didn't have any Grau 02 to hand so mixed some grey and green together. Good enough for me.

peebeep

thats cool not to be too fussy over exact shade of paint things vary in real life

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Aaaahhh the memories of childhood modeling come flooding back :D.

Oh and as for the sub type, the He 111-H is perfectly fine for the BoB.

Cheers

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:welcome: Good entry.

I guess most of the older members started the hobby with Matchbox.

Nah, I'm much older than that! The first Matchbox kits came out the year I went to High School.

As to the Matchbox He111, it was the first kit of this aircraft I can recall that represented an earlier BoB era "H" model, with the FROG kit being a later H6 and the Airfix a much later H16 or H20. The biggest drawback I can recall was the moulding of some of the windows on the underside gondola solid - they did the same thing on the Ju188. Apart from that it builds into a nice, if rather simple, model. I remember using the Matchbox props on an Italeri H6 to get a BoB version.

John

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Nah, I'm much older than that! The first Matchbox kits came out the year I went to High School.

I'm older than that! I'd left senior school when they came out.

As to the Matchbox He111, it was the first kit of this aircraft I can recall that represented an earlier BoB era "H" model, with the FROG kit being a later H6 and the Airfix a much later H16 or H20. The biggest drawback I can recall was the moulding of some of the windows on the underside gondola solid - they did the same thing on the Ju188. Apart from that it builds into a nice, if rather simple, model. I remember using the Matchbox props on an Italeri H6 to get a BoB version.

Checking my references it does appear to be based on the H-1. The windows are moulded as depressions and initially I was thinking of drilling them out, but I don't think I will do that. I will probably paint them black and then 'glaze' them with Klear or Clearfix. The two forward fuselage apertures are moulded 'solid' and this is correct for A1+BT - I have a photo of this machine. The 'B' on the decal sheet is white, but from the photo this is clearly incorrect. My reference suggests yellow and this would seem to be a fair call, same for the yellow spinners.

peebeep

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Matchbox kits came out some years after I left university. I started on the Airfix Spitfire Mk 1 - the Aurora-based one, not the little goodie. OK, who's next? I know at least one modeller who'd left the RAF before they appeared.

I didn't recall that Matchbox gave us the thin props? Ah well - or where they just thinner than the Italaeri? I'm sure I waited for Hasegawa to do an H-3 and I've spare Matchbox props. Having thinned down a set of four Matchbox Halifax props, two He 111 ones would be a doddle. I'm not sure about the introduction of the forward gun in the gondola - He 111 sources are a bit vague about that. Overall a nice kit in outline, if a bit basic, but I see it as an H-6 and thus a little late for the BoB. Differences are small, though.

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peebeep: Nice entry, somehow a Matchbox kit seems so appropriate for a BoB build...as does an He-111... :fuhrer:<_<

Cheers,

ggc

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I remember the Airfix Spit I well, a scale down of the Aurora kit as you said, complete with the bombs (8?) under the wings, not long after came the original Airfix Bf.109, a "F" if I remember.

Phil

Matchbox kits came out some years after I left university. I started on the Airfix Spitfire Mk 1 - the Aurora-based one, not the little goodie. OK, who's next? I know at least one modeller who'd left the RAF before they appeared.

I didn't recall that Matchbox gave us the thin props? Ah well - or where they just thinner than the Italaeri? I'm sure I waited for Hasegawa to do an H-3 and I've spare Matchbox props. Having thinned down a set of four Matchbox Halifax props, two He 111 ones would be a doddle. I'm not sure about the introduction of the forward gun in the gondola - He 111 sources are a bit vague about that. Overall a nice kit in outline, if a bit basic, but I see it as an H-6 and thus a little late for the BoB. Differences are small, though.

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Overall a nice kit in outline, if a bit basic, but I see it as an H-6 and thus a little late for the BoB. Differences are small, though.

I really can't be fussed, as mentioned above. I may even ignore the fact that the kit exhausts are incorrect for A1+BT - they should be shrouded according to my photo. I also can indulge the luxury of leaving off the waist guns as per the photo.

peebeep

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peebeep: Nice entry, somehow a Matchbox kit seems so appropriate for a BoB build...as does an He-111... :fuhrer:<_<

I seem to be the only one doing a Heinkel! Surely an iconic aircraft of the BoB? I have a soft spot for Matchbox, you can nail them together or dress them up and it's still fun. We should be urging the likes of Revell to keep the tooling going for us and future generations of modellers.

peebeep

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I seem to be the only one doing a Heinkel! Surely an iconic aircraft of the BoB? I have a soft spot for Matchbox, you can nail them together or dress them up and it's still fun. We should be urging the likes of Revell to keep the tooling going for us and future generations of modellers.

peebeep

Hey

Not really alone you are ;) I am planning to enter the Revell 1/48 He-111H (+ Aires Cockpit + Eduard big ed set) after doing the Fiat C.R.42, so probably mid-august.

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Hey

Not really alone you are ;) I am planning to enter the Revell 1/48 He-111H (+ Aires Cockpit + Eduard big ed set) after doing the Fiat C.R.42, so probably mid-august.

The battle is still in it's early stage. I'm sure more 111's will show up later.

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Matchbox kits came out some years after I left university. I started on the Airfix Spitfire Mk 1 - the Aurora-based one, not the little goodie. OK, who's next? I know at least one modeller who'd left the RAF before they appeared.

I didn't recall that Matchbox gave us the thin props? Ah well - or where they just thinner than the Italaeri? I'm sure I waited for Hasegawa to do an H-3 and I've spare Matchbox props. Having thinned down a set of four Matchbox Halifax props, two He 111 ones would be a doddle. I'm not sure about the introduction of the forward gun in the gondola - He 111 sources are a bit vague about that. Overall a nice kit in outline, if a bit basic, but I see it as an H-6 and thus a little late for the BoB. Differences are small, though.

I always thought of the Matchbox kit as an H1 or H3, although I can't recall if the exact subtype was mentioned in the instructions or on the packaging. Certainly the box art of the original release featured aircraft attacking Rotterdam, so quite a bit prior to the H6. I don't think the Matchbox kit had the forward gun in the gondola, but I could be wrong.

John

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The Romanian option was certainly an H-3, but as you say they didn't actually specify subvariant and the choice of markings may not necessarily reflect the model. I tend to think H-1 equals no gun in gondola, H-3 equals same shape but with gun, and H-6 equals chunkier redesign - which I think is reflected in the Matchbox kit. I can't check tonight for it is my wife's birthday and there are other priorities - like a nice steak dinner! However, as I say, the references are a little vague, with contradictory captions, and there surely were upgrades.

As always - go with photographs of the subject whenever you can!

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Checking through Green's Warplanes of the Third Reich and the Aerodata drawings, the Matchbox kit is mostly (to me) like the H-1, as it doesn't have any forward firing gun in the gondola. My picture of A1+BT unfortunately does not show the forward part of the gondola, but my version is going to be an H-1.

peebeep

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Just a quick note regarding B of B period He 111s that may be of use for anyone who is interested:

The primary series of He 111s used by the Kampfgruppen during this period were the P-2 and the H-1 to H5, the H4 & H5 began appearing on unit returns in mid to late September.

As for the forward firing MG 17 in the ventral gondola, I have no firm date as to when it was introduced into the H series but photos do exist that show He 111s of the period so fitted.

There were also several weapons modifications carried out at unit level by He 111 crews during the battle so as Graham has pointed out it's always handy to try to get hold of a photo of the chosen subject whenever possible to identify any modifications etc.

HTH

Dave

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Keep up the good work Paul... :)

Your wish is my command!

Some more progress. Main components in sub-assemblies:

327031115.jpg

And together:

327031230.jpg

Quite a bit of filling required. In the spirit of a Matchbox build I made a late decision to include crew figures and have started to paint them.

peebeep

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