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Ho-229 Full Structure Model - 1:72 Jasmine Model


Paul A H

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Ho-229 Full Structure Model

1:72 Jasmine Model


ho229_1.jpg


It seems hard to believe that the dramatic and futuristic shape of the Horton Ho-229 was first conceived of during the Second World War, over 70 years ago. It was designed and developed by two brothers, Reimar and Walter Horten, who had acquired significant experience of flying wing designs before the war, most notably with the successful H.IV glider. The Ho-229 was designed to a be able to carry 1000kg of bombs at 1000kph over a distance of 1000km.

The aircraft undertook its first flight on 2 February 1945 and, apart from a setback caused by the destruction of a prototype due to a problem with its engine, showed considerable promise. A partly completed prototype was captured by US forces toward the end of the war. It is now in the possession of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Jasmine Model's latest kit follows on from their photo etch structural model of a Type VIIC U-Boat in execution if not subject. It is made up of two large frets of photo etched stainless steel which together hold a total of almost eighty parts, nine white metal parts and comprehensive instructions. Everything is packed into a sturdy plastic box, and the photo etched parts are safely shrink-wrapped in a plastic covering of their own.

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The kit looks quite intimidating on the fret, particularly if you are unused to working with photo etched metal, but a careful reading of the instructions suggests that it might not be all that difficult to build after all. The first thing I noticed about the kit is the part count seems relatively low for a model that appears to be tremendously detailed and complex. This is because the kit has been designed with 'buildability' in mind, and whilst I would never claim it will be a cinch to put together, Jasmine Model deserve credit for try to make what seems like quite a daunting kit a little more manageable to build.

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Construction begins with the engines. Each is made up of a single long part which is aligned to nose to tail and is vertical to the ground. Onto this part, you must fit almost a dozen circular parts which represent the compressor blades and other structural details of the axial flow engines. With care and attention, it should be possible to build both engines in an evening, and when finished they will look tremendous. Once the engines have been completed, they can be set to one side until needed later on in the building process. The main fuselage structure is next, and this is where Jasmine's careful approach to designing this kit becomes clear. The main components fold up from large parts, reducing the amount of joints there are to glue and enhancing the strength of the finished model. I would strongly advocate reading and re-reading the instructions before folding the parts, but once you have made a few folds, the model should really start to come alive.

The cockpit is well detailed, and is comprised of a seat, which naturally folds up from a single part, a rear bulkhead, sidewalls, rudder pedals and the instrument panel. Apart from the ejection seat, all of the other parts fold up from a single piece of metal. This model really seems to be a combination of a scale model and an origami project! The undercarriage is next. These parts are cast in white metal and are nicely detailed, although they will benefit from a little cleaning up before use.

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The wings are the last of the major sub-assemblies to be constructed. The number of parts used to build each wing is incredibly low, with folding being the primary method of construction. Pay close attention to the instructions though, as there are a number of small details such as control runs and other small structures. Once complete, the whole thing sits on a stand, which in keeping with the rest of the kit, folds up from a couple of parts.

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The instructions deserve a special mention. They are printed on glossy paper and are comprised of a combination of small diagrams and large, colour photographs annotated with tips for the build. They will hopefully help to make a complex model a little easier to build.

Conclusion

These kind of kits seem to be gathering popularity of late, with a number of subjects being released by a range of manufacturers over the past year or so. Although it looks daunting, Jasmine Model seem to have done their best to make sure that the model is not too difficult to assemble. Note that I am not claiming that it will be easy, but if you slow down and take your time, it should prove to be a rewarding and enjoyable build which will result in a unique model that is bound to draw complements at shows. Recommended.

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Review sample courtesy of logo.png

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Very tempted with this kit, but the white metal parts in the review photo above, looks a little deformed to me from the casting. Particularly the machine guns (if they are machine guns).

Is that anything to worry about ?

Paul

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Thanks for the clarification guys, I have not had any experience with white metal parts.

Puts my mind at ease, this kit is firmly on my wish list now. Just need to save up my readys.

Paul.

Edited by paulj
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Excellent review. I have this kit in my stash, it looks like a beauty. The sturdy plastic box you mention was a little crushed when I recieved mine but the contents were almost undamaged - just a corner of a fret was slightly deformed. My thinking is to paint the white metal parts but leave the PE unpainted and construct using super thin CA.

Is the metal really stainless steel? - my cursory examination indicated it was brass.

Edited by Nigel Heath
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I don't know KT, at least this approach allows the interrnal workings of the engine to be shown - compressor blades and the like.

I did some investigation on my example and can confirm that it is not brass but silver metal all the way through:

P1020900_zps4e1ba8c3.jpg

I also did a magnet test and it is non-magnetic indicating that it is austenitic stainless steel. Not a bad idea as clearly as this will make it tarnish resistant.

Nigel the Metallurgist

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I guess it's about what you are after.....I've had a semi-secret yearning to try using one of these (there was a 1/72 Piper Cub from Eduard/KP IIRC) to create a crashed and partly burned out aircraft. Bit of a pipe-dream TBH, I'm not very good with etch. :confused:

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Paul

I would say not. White metal is reasonably soft (which is why the cannon barrels are slightly bent) and can easily be manipulated back into shape.

Paul

It's not white metal. It's a zinc alloy and not at all flexible, unless they changed the material since I received mine. The parts are very brittle, and not easy to bend without snapping. If you look at mine, you'll see I didn't attach the guns as the barrels broke. No biggie though, and still a great little kit.

The frets are also stainless steel, and not plated brass.

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  • 2 years later...

If you'll excuse me reviving an old thread. The cast parts are resin with a very realistic metallic coating. However, they are quite crudely cast and brittle. The wheels are OK, but the guns are very poor, and I've left them off my kit.

The etched parts are nickel steel (I think) so don't tarnish (at least haven't done yet !) However, the parts are only 5 thou thick so very easy to bend unless you handle the model very carefully. On the plus side, there is virtually no 'spring' in the parts, so they stay where you bend them.

I'm about half way through the kit, and it's very challenging. Starting to look very impressive though.

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  • 6 months later...

The cannons are overscale and should be a lot smaller, I've replaced mine with a couple of Aires items. There is also too much flex in the stand and nose gear combination making it quite tail heavy when sitting on the stand.

On the majorly plus side, it is a very forgiving kit and after a serious nose dive onto concrete earlier this year everything straightened out good as new.

If you're looking for a quick build then this can be built in just a few hours!

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