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Thank you Santa! Italeri 1/48 Henschel Hs-123


AntoineG

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Hello!

 

First of all, I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas day and that you and your family are well.

 

It seems I’ve been a good boy last year as Father Christmas dropped a lovely box under the Christmas tree. It contained Italeri’s Henshel Hs-123 in 1/48 scale (ex-Esci).

 

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Not my usual scale (I usually built in 1/72 scale). And it is a biplane, a configuration I managed to avoid for many, many, many years (there are lovely biplanes that I would love to build though but the rigging is keeping me at bay). So definitely a good way to get out of my comfort zone with a double challenge (maybe a triple considering it is an Italeri…).

 

My first impression of the kit is… as you can expect from a re-box of an ESCI kit. It’s a kind of mixture between good, less good and… hum… even more less good. The kit is made of three grey sprues and of one crystal part for the tiny windshield. The decals sheet looks very nice, with five schemes proposed.

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My plan for this build is to keep it simple… or at least, try to… Last time I said that, some of you could have seen the result with the A-7…

The only planned addition will be Eduard’s seat belts and Yahu’s instrument panel. The rest will be scratched.

 

In term of documentation, I’ve found a few magazines (SAMI March 2014, Aerojournal n° 25 and Cocardes International n°5). I’ve also ordered Valiant Wing volume on the subject.

 

So all considered, an attractive built that hopefully will end up fine.

 

Talk to you soon.

 

Antoine

 

PS:my apologies for the blurry pictures

Edited by AntoineG
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  • AntoineG changed the title to Thank you Santa! Italeri 1/48 Henschel Hs-123
19 hours ago, Hook said:

Pulling up a chair and cracking open a christmas ale! I have a couple of her little siblings in the stash by Fly Models and Airfix.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 Hi Andre,

 

Welcome on board! And enjoy your ale. Not a fan of Christmas special drinks myself but, hey! , there will be more for you!

When Fly released their 'Ein-Zwei-Drei', I hesitated getting one but managed to resist (with a 250+ stash, you have to resist... sometimes). There are still a few on the H website. Might end up doing the same aircraft in two scales at the same time... What are your feelings on that Fly kit?

 

 

15 hours ago, John_W said:

I recal building the original Esci boxing and it wasn't a bad kit. 

Cowling joint was awkward though.

 Hi John,

First impression and dry fit were actually not bad at all. I'll try to get a few pictures later today. Some small parts need thinning though (the footsteps for instance)

The panel lines are finely raised. Compared to the available drawings (still waiting for VW volume), some are not in the right place. While they are quite acceptable, I will probably rescribe them (mostly because I will probably erase some of them while sanding seams).

Cowling looks definitely a challenge to get it seamless.

 

Cheers,

 

Antoine

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Hi,

 

Waiting for the additional cockpit details to arrive and most importantly the book, I started with the one part is the most unlikely I will modify: the engine. It is a pretty nice representation of the real thing. A simple silver dry-brush over a black coat, plus some detail painting should do.

 

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Question is: is it too dark and shall I apply more silver dry-brush?

 

Cheers,

 

Antoine

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On 12/27/2021 at 3:00 PM, Biggles87 said:

I still have the original Esci kit. I don't normally do biplanes but the lack of rigging attracted me to it.

 

John

Hi John,

 

For rigging is quite limited on this kit (it seems there is a few in the central section) which is good. The challenge of having both wings parallel remains though.

From what I can read on other post, a rig would definitely help. I've seen some made out of Lego and that looks like a pretty cool option. Unfortunately, due to the young age of my daughter, I only have Duplo at home 😉

 

Cheers,

 

Antoine

Just now, GREG DESTEC said:

Looks about right from here. Nice start👍

Thanks Greg

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On 12/27/2021 at 2:36 PM, AntoineG said:

What are your feelings on that Fly kit?

It's a huge improvement on the Airfix. Nice resin and PE, plus you get a lot of optional parts (two full sets of fuselages, upper wings and tailplanes, as well as both spatted and unspatted landing gear), so lots of leftovers to spruce up the Airfix.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre  

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  • 1 month later...

Hi,

 

Since last post, modelling sessions have been a rarity. And whereas progress on the Henschel has been slow, improvement plans in my head are burgeoning...

In addition to the already mentionned magazines (SAMI March 2014 for the scale drawings, Aerojournal n° 25 and Cocardes International n°5 for general documentation), I've purchased an additional reference and also some "goodies" :

·         Valiant Wing Airframe in Detail n°7

·         Yahu instrument panel (4861)

·         Eduard seat belts (FE860)

·         Brass MG-17 from Aber

 

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The engine was the first subassembly I started while waiting for VW volume. So logically I intend to finish it first.

As provided by Italeri the engine is detailed and can produce quite a fine representation … but not for an Hs-123.

The first obvious thing to improve is the push rods that are a tad short. One can leave them as they are, as this will be mostly hidden by the cowling.

 

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I decided to replace them though, using metallic rods as illustrated. So far, they are only glued with PVA glue for a test fit. Just need some more work on the head of those rods.

 

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What can also be seen on the last two pictures are the nicely moulded ignition wires that come from the central hub. In fact, they should come from the head of the cylinder.  We’ll correct that next time.

 

I also completed a test fit using PVA glue again.

 

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It helped to check the position of the fuselage’s struts and confirmed something I’ve read in another post: those struts are too short.

Well, in fact, it seems that itis their attachments to the fuselage that are positioned too low. I’ve tried to illustrate that on the following picture: the feet of the struts, the lower part of the cockpit doors and the horizontal stabilizer should somehow be all aligned.

 

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Otherwise, the rest of the assembly looks okay. There are some (minor ?) shape issues though. We’ll come later on those.

 

Cheers,

 

Antoine

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  • 2 months later...

Hi,

 

Progresses are slow but steady...

I've completed the engine and it is now in its cowling. Both underwent several upgrades through.

For the engine, the ignition cables shall go up to the top of the cylinder, instead of down as proposed by Italeri.

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Then I added some plastic bits at the end of the metallic rods to attach them to the cylinder head.

And, just for fun, I added the engine manufacturer logo (not perfect but will do)...

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The cowling needed some thinning down, especially on the rear part, and the gun holes drilled out.

Before (with gun holes already drilled):

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After:

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So far, it looks like that:

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Still need a fair amount of work to hide the seam line, scribe the panel lines and add what looks like a radiator. But  that is for next time (hopefully soon...)

 

Cheers,

 

Antoine

 

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Thank you Greg,

 

It’s good to be able to spend more time at the workbench: I've taken one week off with the little one still going to the nursery.:penguin:

 

Today, while the putty is drying on the cowling, I’ve started working on the cockpit. In fact, I started some weeks ago by re-shaping the cockpit opening, using the doors provided in the kit and cutting them into a (more) accurate shape.

 

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That being done, it was possible to represent the internal structure.

 

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Italeri provide a full interior though. It includes a rear bulkhead, a floor, an instrument panel and two side panels. This could result in a nice interior… but… the full scale aircraft would then be closer to a Hs-129 with side panels circa 15cm think. Also, like on a Spitfire or an early Corsair, there is no floor in the Hs-123.

Unfortunately for a quick finish, I decided to take the long way and to replicate a cockpit closer to the reality. Hence the new internal structure. I also started to work on the “floor” by keeping only the part with the pedals.

 

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Those were upgraded too by adding foot holders and straps.

 

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The control column had to be lengthened and the additional length shaped so that it will go around a shaft that goes from under the pedals to under the seat. My guess is that this shaft is for roll control. Anyone to confirm (or not)? Some finishing work is still required on that stick. BTW, I introduced some bending into the kit part by using the good old boiled water method.

 

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As can be seen on the picture from the bottom, I used a drilled section of spare sprue to attach that shaft. Everything in a kit box can find its way to the finished model…Also added to each side of the shaft, two “cables” that link the pedals to the rudder.

 

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The pictures show that some finishing to do… but that’s for the next session.

 

... and I've finished painting the main wheels that still require some weathering.

 

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So a good day modelling, today. :frantic:

 

Hope you had all a good day too.

Cheers,

 

Antoine

Edited by AntoineG
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Hi,

 

Now that I have decided to remove the kit's floor, the seat now has to be attached to the rear bulkhead, likewise on the real plane.

So I spent most of today's modelling time cutting and gluing small plastic pieces.

The result looks quite nice to my eyes. But is the assembly square enough? We'll see when everything is fitted in the fuselage. In the meantime, let's keep our finger crossed.

 

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Cheers,

 

Antoine

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  • 3 months later...

Hello,

 

Just being back from IPMS Avon show, and with the two little ones (2year old girl and 9 weeks old rescued puppy) sleeping) I have sufficient motivation and time to update that WIP.

Progresses are very slow. Being able to spend more than half an hour a week at my workbench is a challenge. But, hey, that is life and a happy one :)

So back to the Ein Zwei Drei.

The upgrade of the cockpit continued and, jumping directly to the end, the fuselage is no closed.

Not much can be seen now but what was added gives the impression of a busy office.

Here are a few pictures of the interior before and after painting.

 

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Note: the instrument panel still had to be added. It would require some filling to fit as it is designed for the Gaspatch model.

 

Also a close up on the seat, to show the progress since my last post.

 

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Still quoting my last post, the assembly was not square enough. The floor under the pedals and the front of the seat were at an angle. I had to reshape the seat without damaging the assembly. As I didn’t, the seat was to be re-attached to the bulkhead. Fortunately, nothing was actually broken. The control column has been added just prior to closing the fuselage.

 

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Another problem I encountered was with the matt varnish. Was it too old, was it too warm or did I sprayed too much but in the end there was a king of white-ish layer on the parts. Nothing major enough to restart the painting stage or do anything that could have led to more issues.

 

Filling and sanding phase of the fuselage as started now. But before it can be completed, I have to work on (and attach) the front cowling and add more details to the guns… are those 7.92 machine guns or 30mm canons btw?

 

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Cheers,

 

Antoine

 

Edited by AntoineG
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Hi,

 

Thank you all for your kind support. It helps keeping the (very slow) momentum.

With the heat, it is quite difficult to spend some time at the workbench, especially wearing a mask for painting.

So wet sanding the fuselage joints it is for the moment, though is was quite a quick task as the fit is good.

Still working on the cowling two. I'm wonding how to deal with the louvers. Re do or re work? Any advce?

 

Cheers,

 

Antoine

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hello Gentlemen,

 

I hope you are doing fine on this lovely Sunday.

End of August, we decided with my better half to move my workbench further away from our little one bedroom. Less natural light, no nice view on the valley any more... but that also means I can model whenever I want  can ... For instance, one hour yesterday and none today (yet)... Happy time🥳....😭

 

So, where are we with that little big fellow?

For the cowling, I've decided to use the simplest approach and to thin the kit's part. Here is a picture with one done. Not too bad from my humble point of view.

 

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I've started also to work on the wings. Mostly rescribing. Additionally, I'm trying to fill some fabric areas to represent plain metallic sections wherever required. Here is the top wing. Right hand side completed, left hand side not changed.

 

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With the fuselage done and some sub-assemblies completed (landing gear legs, engine), I couldn't resist a dry fit. Good for the motivation, isn't it?

 

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Cheers,

 

Antoine

 

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