Hasegawa Heinkel He-111

So what am I working on these days? Given the extra time that I had last year, 2010 was a new record for production of models. It looks like I have completed 27 models in the last 12 months. This blasts 2009’s previous record of 20.


I build anything from any era, though I admit to a preference for WW2 types. Lately I seem to be doing a lot of Cold War models as well, though that may just be because so many seem to be coming out as new kits in the last couple of years. I especially like experimental and transitional aircraft, so you’re liable to see a few types from the years where biplanes were giving way to monoplanes, or jets were taking over from props. Like most of you, a newly produced type (I’m thinking Airfix Valiant here) can set off its own burst of interest, which explains the Vulcan and my own fourth V-Bomber contender, the Northrop Vector (a what-if based on the XB-49).


A recent item to come off the assembly line was a Hasegawa Heinkel He-111, illustrated below. I’ve done it up as a North African aircraft (being a fan of such things), which gave me an opportunity to use RLM78/79/80 as a camo scheme. I have to say that, while the price are getting a bit beyond the pale, Hasegawa can still produce some wonderfully engineered kits. There really is very little filler on this model. The window masking was a long siege, but I was helped by an Eduard yellow mask set. Though not every model I make has one of these sets available, I use them whenever I can. I might note that if there was anything that was uncommonly fiddly about this one, it was the engine nacelles. Engineered to allow multiple engine options, and with a large parts count, patience is rewarded when putting them together. Unfortunately patience is one virtue I wasn’t born with, so there is a bit of intense sanding and some, shall we say, thick paint on this part of the kit. But the build was relatively trouble free, and got me to pull their B-25 and Ju-88 out of storage.


Photo coming shortly.