PK-401 Heinkel He115 - Finished!

[Heather Kay]

A new year, and another classic group build. This one looks to be massive, like the Airfix Classic a couple of years ago.

 

My entry - I’m not committing to more than one, though I’ve got two other Matchbox kits in the stash - is the Heinkel He115.

 

 

Disappointingly, my copy is from around 1998, at the start of the Revell ownership of the Matchbox brand. We can already see the Big R branding beginning to take over, and we no longer have the rather more exciting Roy Huxley box art to cheer us along. 
 

 

Two variants are provided on the transfer sheet, one a Luftwaffe plane based in Norway in 1940, the other a Swedish plane from the same year. Oh, decisions, decisions! I’d love to do the Swede, but my 1940 obsession rules don’t include neutral countries … at the moment. The transfers are showing their age, and may not be viable. That’ll be a nuisance for the stencils, but I’ll see what I can do about that. I think I will use my Silhouette to create national markings stencils, because I’m quite likely to choose a different plane from the one in the kit.

 

 

Gone are the loud three-colour mouldings, just a prosaic bronze green. The moulds are tidy, little flash, and that hard styrene that was common in the olden days.

 

 

The transparencies are a bit lumpen and not very clear. I may have to invest in a vac-form set to replace them.

 

 

Revell's mould-mangler had been at things to remove references to "England" but the Matchbox, Lesney branding and kit number are still proudly inside the fuselage. 
 

 

And some aftermarket to try and make a good fist of this build. I was chuffed to find a beaching trolley kit available from Kora. One of the problems I have with seaplanes and flying boats in my collection is the need to display them on a shelf. Beaching gear is required, if the aircraft in question doesn’t have any amphibious equipment.

 

So, that’s my entry. Looking forward to getting stuck into things as soon as the green light gives us the go ahead!

[Marcel]

Good choice Heather. What about a Norwegian one? Insignias easy to paint, just a fuselage number...

[Heather Kay]

20 minutes ago, Marcel said:

What about a Norwegian one?

Interesting thought. Perhaps even the Norwegian plane(s) that were flown to the UK and repainted in British colours.

 

I'm going to stick with a Luftwaffe version this time. I will add other users - as long as there are kits available, of course - in time.

[JOCKNEY]

Delighted to see this one join he GB Heather. 

I'd actually forgotten I had one of these, I'm sure a request on the wanted section here on BM will uncover some AM or Revell decals that would be just the ticket for this one. 

Best of luck.

Cheers Pat

[TonyW]

I think I'm right in saying the RAF had a few of these, via Norway. If they fit the 1940 criteria, one might make a very eye catching addition to your collection.

 

Edit: I should also read all the thread before posting. I see you already know of the planes.

 

I'll get me floats...

[Ventora3300]

Great choice, Heather. Watch out for the float struts - all trials I have undergone but a lovely kit to build. Looking forward to your attention to detail! Best of luck. Mike

[Rabbit Leader]

An excellent choice Heather and so glad you've joined us here for what already appears to be a massive GB. I'll echo your thoughts about Roy Huxley's artwork, however that's not a part piece of work on that Revell era box top either.  The moulds look quite nice and clean and I'm sure with your love and attention this Heinkel will come up an absolute treat. I'd be going with those Swedish roundels personally, however I know you build to a tight theme - unlike us silly fools who are happy to build anything and everything! 

 

Cheers, welcome aboard and best of luck.. Dave 

[Heather Kay]

10 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

that's not a part piece of work on that Revell era box top either

It is a fine artwork, but it is a bit too technical, and rather dull. Huxley's paintings just have a sense of something exciting about them.

[Terry1954]

Great choice of subject Heather. I'll tag along on this one also if I may.

 

Terry

[John]

The arctic camouflage on the original box art was a real eye catcher, I don't think it had been done previously. 

The year before the He115 was released Matchbox put out a teaser saying that the first kit in their new range of larger aircraft would be a Luftwafffe subject that hadn't been kitted before. Was there such a thing??

I certainly didn't guess what they were planning. 

I prefer this one to the slightly later FROG kit, which I think first saw the light of day in a Revell box. My only reservation on the Matchbox kit was that the float struts needed a bit of refinement in their profile, not a major problem. 

John 

[Heather Kay]

Right, let’s kick this build off.
 

As it’s the only build I plan to enter, I’m not going to rush at it. There’s plenty of time to do things at a sensible pace. Famous last words!

 

 

I spent a bit of time searching for interesting photos of 115s. It seems they weren’t photographed a lot, because the same images kept cropping up. Anyway, some useful close-up stuff appeared, and I have a cutaway drawing to help. In this shot, you can just make out a profile - the one at the bottom of the book page on the left - which is the example I hope to represent. The tatty temporary black camouflage will be a nice challenge, and make a pleasant difference among the RLM65 in the display cabinet.

 

 

I also cracked open the beaching trolley kit to see what I was in for. Looks like fun. 

 

A squint at the PE was also undertaken. I’m not sure all of that will be used in the end, but it’ll be an exercise in frustration anyway. Some interesting design ideas there…

 

 

… like two-dimensional MG17s. I’ll give 'em a go, and if they don’t work I’ll reuse bits to enhance the howitzers in the kit (or find spares in the Bits Box).

 

I suppose I should make some kind of start, then.

[TonyW]

This is going to be good.

That photoetch looks a bit intimidating to me. I hope the glass areas are clear enough to show it off. Maybe the kit framing could be sanded off and repolished? It might be worth a go before investing in vac formed glass. Do Falcon provide glass for these in one of their sets?

The beaching trolley looks really good, it will set the plane off perfectly.

[Heather Kay]

I believe there is a Falcon set for this plane. I have to admit that I don’t have a lot of luck sanding transparencies. I don’t think I’ll get them back to clarity if I attempt it, which defeats the object. Then again, I do have a masking set, so repainting the frames would be fairly easy.

 

I'll think on. 
 

(I do have some things I want to order from the Big H, so a Falcon set might well end up in the basket.)

[IanC]

I'm keen to see this one progress as it's not a model you see finished very often. I vaguely remember doing one decades ago. 

[PeterB]

Hi Heather,

 

Is the one with the temporary black undersides one used for mine laying at night eg in the Thames during the early stages of the war (Battle of Britain perhaps)? It is nice kit of what was an under represented subject, so typical of the Matchbox ethos. Was the top camo 70/71 or 72/73?

 

Pete

Edited January 8, 2022 by PeterB

[Heather Kay]

23 minutes ago, PeterB said:

Was the top camo 70/71 or 72/73?

The latter, over 65, then covered in the temporary black. I want to make it look a bit weather-worn so some 65 is bleeding through. That reminds me I need to check if I have the right colours in stock.

[PeterB]

Hi Heather,

 

I have pics of a few with black unders but all over black is perhaps unusual - obviously a "local variation" as with some He 111.

 

Pete

[Heather Kay]

It’s not all-over black, just under surfaces. I had wanted a similar scheme on the He111 I built last year, but chickened out. 

[Ratch]

Rather you than me with that etch 

[PeterB]

Sorry, my mistake. The dark, low contrast maritime scheme with 72/73 can be misleading in B&W photos hence some sources (Green, Airfix) showing the Do 217 with a single overall dark green on top so I did wonder if somebody had interpreted it as black. Must have misread your post - I need new reading glasses😃.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited January 8, 2022 by PeterB

[Heather Kay]

5 minutes ago, Ratch said:

Rather you than me with that etch 

All in a day's work for me. A bit more fiddly than some of the things I build, but probably achievable.

 

1 minute ago, PeterB said:

I need new reading glasses😃.

You and me both. My current prescription has me holding things at arm's length. I am overdue a visit to the optician.

[Heather Kay]

For such a large aircraft, there aren’t many parts to worry about. I’m not counting the PE in this, of course. In my younger days, before the prescription glasses and walking frame ( ) I'd have had this thing built and painted before teatime.

 

 

To make some headway, before I got bogged down with the PE details, I tidied up and assembled the floats, wings and horizontal tailplane parts. There was a very fine and hard edge along the float halves, and there are some very subtle sink marks here and there to deal with in due course.

 

 

Once the glue had set, out with scraper and sanding sticks. The fuselage needs to be left unbuilt for now, as the fiddly stuff inside must be made to fit neatly. I had a moment where I wondered if I should fit the kit cockpit floor, as it seemed the wing tabs might be partially supported by it. I don’t think they are, so I’ll press on with the internals shortly.

 

 

Speaking of which, I’ve selectively chemically blackened some parts, such as the IP and gun parts. Hopefully, this will give a key to paint, and prevent shiny bits showing through if paint gets chipped. 
 

The engines are fairly basic, though mostly hidden behind spinners. One feature missing is cooler intake horns, like contemporary Bristol radials had, so they will need a bit of scratch building. I also gave in and ordered the Falcon vac canopy set that includes the He115. I didn’t check to see if other potential Luftwaffe builds might be aided there. Most likely not, so hey-ho.

[Heather Kay]

 

 

 

 

Actually, apart from everything being so tiny you’re scared to even breathe for fear of blowing something away, it wasn’t too bad. As ever, the instructions are a mite vague, but it has gone together quite well. I need to work out if I need to adjust the plastic parts. I’ve a feeling I need to trim away some of the interior. This is the main cockpit, of course. The rear cockpit can wait for tomorrow. 
 

Quite how I paint this, aside from blasting it with RLM02 and having done with it, remains to be seen.

[Rob G]

Nice one, Heather! That etched cockpit reminds me that I have an unfinished early Eduard kit with an etched cockpit  to finish... Mine, however, looks nowhere near as nice as yours. 

[Heather Kay]

And we hit a snag.

 

 

This is the rear cockpit tub sitting on the kit cockpit floor. Can you spot the problem? I can.

 

Now, a little model kit archaeology reveals that Revell acquired both the Matchbox and Frog He115 kits. Both were rebranded as Revell, and sold until fairly recently. When I ordered the Brengun PE, it simply stated "for the Revell kit". It does, however, appear the Revell kit it’s for is actually the Frog moulding, which I believe is a bit tubbier round the fuselage. Consequently, the PE is wider than the Matchbox fuselage.

 

So, I’m now a bit cross, having wasted much of yesterday faffing about with an exquisite cockpit that doesn’t fit the model I’m building. Rather than consign it to the bin, though, I shall dismantle it all carefully, and use parts to upgrade the plastic as best I can. I may be some time.