*done* A big 'Einkle makes a comeback

[vppelt68]

Irrational to start a KUTA thread for a kit this big, as there's only ten days left - unless we get an extension - and enough KUTA threads already for one man. But. For a long while I have felt the desire to get back to painting something in RLM 65/70/71 scheme. As there's no GB in the horizon, where I could build a proper Luftwaffe bomber this year, 💔,  I must leave my four Junkereses, two Dorniers and a Heinkel rest in pieces. All kits bought after the WW2 Twins GB we had last year  . Their time will come!

Luckily, on my shelf of shame is this bigger Heinkel, the 177 A-5 Greif, that I started in the Bombers/ground attack etc GB three years ago. Today I got reacquainted with the kit, it's instructions and where did I leave it back then. I started by attaching the navigator's cupola base, a pair of bomb bay doors and ended up first joining the port wing halves together and the attaching the wing to the fuselage. No IKEA-build this time

 

Please don't ask me about the progress of the Kittyhawks or the second Me 410. Or maybe you can ask about the latter - but not the Kittyhawks  V-P

[dogsbody]

Please remind this old man: what does KUTA mean/stand for?

 

 

 

Chris

[PhantomBigStu]

32 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

Please remind this old man: what does KUTA mean/stand for?

 

 

 

Chris

Kick up the bit you sit on

[81-er]

It's good to see you having another crack at this, VP

 

James

[JOCKNEY]

Great choice V-P

I hope you get to finish it this time

Cheers Pat 

[amos brierley]

On 1/30/2025 at 11:51 PM, dogsbody said:

Please remind this old man: what does KUTA mean/stand for?

I had to ask as well. 

[JOCKNEY]

16 hours ago, amos brierley said:

I had to ask as well. 

 

Just be thankful you didn't ask for a picture ! 

[Pete in Lincs]

This is Kuta beach, Indonesia if it helps...

 

[vppelt68]

If you don't have one of these big Heinkels and wonder how big they are, here's a Ju 88 Mega-Mistel mock-up  for comparison. Of course you should have at least the Junkers, for this to work.

No, I won't build any Mistels, real or whifs.

 

 

 

[vppelt68]

Sometimes you really grow to respect an airplane you have so far underestimated, until you put the pieces together and see how magnificent looking machine that actually was in its own time. Sure it was prone to overheating engines etc, but there was real potential in the airframe.

Here's one sporting fresh lighter green of the two-tone splinter scheme. I doubt I can start masking for the black green tonight, I must let the Hu 117 dry properly before doing that. This will be finished in the next few days, come Musk or high water, before I will hop back to Heller Messerschmitts etc etc...

 

 

[jean]

Very big and very nice!!!

You are right: no point rushing it.

Out of curiosity, what Ju 88 A kit was it that you showed off (beautifully finished, may I add)?

 

It will look great.

JR

[vppelt68]

1 hour ago, jean said:

Very big and very nice!!!

You are right: no point rushing it.

Out of curiosity, what Ju 88 A kit was it that you showed off (beautifully finished, may I add)?

 

It will look great.

JR

Thank you for your kind words, Jean 🙂

This leads you to the Ju 88 build in the Twins GB last year:

 

 

[vppelt68]

Why did I get the urge to get back to finishing the Greif? It was the splinter scheme, and boy, I like to mask and paint it. Really, I do!

 

Masked and ready for the black green. I decided to use the good old Hu 91. The dark green is a tad too bright for my liking.

 

Painted, and all the masks removed - also the Eduard canopy masks. Hmmm, I thought. What should I do next? Maybe try the contrast between Revell 47 and Hu 122 in the tail fin, as I don't have a tin of Hu 247 at hand.

 

It wasn't that bad, at least in my opinion, and then it sorta got out of the hand (again) . I did use the Hu 122 also in the pair of Me 410:s as a stand-in for a proper RLM 76 enamel. Which I have of course as a Vallejo acrylic.

 

It doesn't look too good or authentic, but at least it'll allow me to soon move this kit from "Started" to "Completed" at Scalemates . V-P

[vppelt68]

I did a second round with the light blue mottling last night. It looks naive, something a small child would draw if you'd ask one to draw an aeroplane with "clouds" on the fuselage. Only, a child would do that better 

 

 

 

But here it is now, ready for the decals. It's not a very good build even by my own standards, but at least I got to mask and paint some splinter... actually, a lot of it!

 

The kit is already 25 years old, but it proves Revell was one hot company back then! I'd rate this kit better than the 2010 released B-17G and nearly on par with the 2011 released Ju 88 A-4. There's absolutely no need for another or better He 177 A-5 kit in 1:72 scale than this in the market. With a bit more patience and better painting skills this kit can be built into a masterpiece. V-P

 

P.S: The previous comments about the kit do not include accuracy issues, if there are any. I was only writing my opinion about the fit and finesse of the parts I used in my build.

 

[PeterB]

Looks good to me. The "cloud" pattern camo is a bit of a pain to paint as I found when I did mine a few months back. Are you going for Hs 293, Fritz-X  or something different under the wings - the instructions look like the Fritz-X boxing?

 

Pete

Edited February 11 by PeterB

[vppelt68]

55 minutes ago, PeterB said:

Looks good to me. The "cloud" pattern camo is a bit of a pain to paint as I found when I did mine a few months back. Are you going for Hs 293, Fritz-X  or something different under the wings - the instructions look like the Fritz-X boxing?

 

Pete

 

No, I will be happy with empty racks. V-P

[PeterB]

7 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

 

No, I will be happy with empty racks. V-P

I did the same with my old Airfix kit as their 293 were not quite right. The Revell ones are better but I only had one left from another kit and although I did fancy a couple, of Fritz-X, I did not get round to trying to scratch build any.

 

Pete

[JOCKNEY]

Congratulations V-P

Looks the business 

I've had an old red stripes Airfix one of these for longer than I can remember,  seeing yours finished i really need to find a suitable GB in which I can finally build it 

Cheers Pat 

[vppelt68]

4 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

Congratulations V-P

Looks the business 

I've had an old red stripes Airfix one of these for longer than I can remember,  seeing yours finished i really need to find a suitable GB in which I can finally build it 

Cheers Pat 

Unfortunately, no such GB for WW2 Luftwaffe bombers in 2025

"A Kit I Did NOT Build As A Kid GB", 2nd try?

[Marklo]

live the build the final result looks great. I  did build the Airfix kit as a kid it was a nightmare. I think if I were to build another I’d go for 1/144 this time..

 

Hmm no kits I’m thinking I might just CAD something up and build it for Small is Beautiful….

[vppelt68]

 

51 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

I've had an old red stripes Airfix one of these for longer than I can remember,  seeing yours finished i really need to find a suitable GB in which I can finally build it 

Cheers Pat 

I remember being maybe 10-12 years old and visiting a relative of my relative, which was not my relative, , and their son was a late teenager who was building the Airfix Greif. He was painting it as per the boxart plane, mottling and all, which looked great, but very much out of my league too back then! Never got to building one until now, but I'm ready to get another one soon and finish it in the Wellenmuster scheme (or in the night bomber camouflage - looks like I'll have to get two of them )