My Blechdose (tin can) Revell 1/32 He. 162 A-1 Prototype

Allen Dewire

Proud Rabble Member
SMF Supporter
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Messages
4,105
Points
113
Location
Bamberg
First Name
Allen
Hi all,

Here is a project I have been playing with for months, hence my inactivity here at times. I didn't blog it as it was an attempt to finally finish something. I'm not a wing thingy builder, but my friend prodded me into this one. So for those not familiar with this Blechdose, a few facts...

Developed late in the war to stem the tide of Allied air supremacy, Heinkel Works developed a fighter that was jet powered, used cheap materials and could be built by unskilled labor. It used a BMW 003 jet engine and did, in tests, reach a top speed of 1000 kmh. In reality it was limited to 500 to 600 kmh as the wings were made mostly of wood and at higher speeds, the ailerons could fly off . It was armed with 2 MG151/20 mm cannons and had an ejection seat. It was as usual, too little, too late as the lack of fuel and trained pilots made it combat ineffective.....

I based my model on the first prototype (number 300001) built by Junkers on 25 February, 1945. The Junkers Factory was located in Bernburg, Germany. Overall, there were 7 factories building this plane. The pics are not the best, but here goes,

IMG_2241.JPG

IMG_2242.JPG

IMG_2243.JPG

IMG_2244.JPG

IMG_2247 (2).JPG

IMG_2248.JPG

IMG_2249.JPG

IMG_2251.JPG

The Revell kit was pretty easy to assemble and needed no putty. I started to go correction crazy, but slapped myself and stopped. The kit's BMW engine is totally wrong, but I did my best to detail it. Decals are good, but I didn't follow the basic rules while applying them (silvering city) and not evenly placed. Tail numbers were over 25 years old, yellowed and each is made of 4 - 5 pieces. A little etch and wire was thrown in too. AK and Vallejo paints were used for the hissy and hairy work. I have learned a lot and will do better next time....

Thanks go to my friend Thorsten (always a boot in my butt to keep going and finish this), Barry (for the inspiration from his wonderful 1/32 builds) and Andrew adt70hk (for his BoB builds and the ideas I nipped, but didn't use on this build) plus Ron and other wing thingy builders whose works also inspired me.

The best thing was, there were no road wheels to clean up...........

Prost
Allen
 
Last edited:

JR

Member of the Rabble and Pyromania Consultant
SMF Supporter
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
17,282
Points
113
Location
lincs
First Name
John
That's a build to be proud off Dude 1 and you finished it as well. Nice detailing on that engine , really brings the model to life.
 

Mini Me

SMF Supporter
Joined
Jun 1, 2018
Messages
10,161
Points
113
First Name
Rick
Wow Allen.....That is a superb job on a truly desperate aircraft. I know little of this particular type but your attention to detail and choice of colors has really accentuated this "Bird" and raised it to the next level. Tip "O the Hat to you Sir and a very Well Done! :thumb2:
Rick H.
 

adt70hk

I know its a bit sad but I like quickbuild kits!!!
SMF Supporter
Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
9,507
Points
113
First Name
Andrew
Allen

That really is looking very, very good indeed!!

A top job all round.

ATB

Andrew
 

JR

Member of the Rabble and Pyromania Consultant
SMF Supporter
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
17,282
Points
113
Location
lincs
First Name
John
Looking very good mate, never mind the silvering just a lesson for the next one:tongue-out3:
Love the details on the engine:nerd:
I'm blaming this wingy thing entirely on you Fernando, regardless of what Dude 1 says. You get him to these shows and fill his mind with planes and other strange things, I hope he will recover.:smiling3::smiling3::smiling3::smiling3::nerd:
 

Fernando N

Aviation fan and the Roadrunner, meep meep!
SMF Supporter
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Messages
1,889
Points
113
Location
Almere, Netherlands
First Name
Fernando
I'm blaming this wingy thing entirely on you Fernando, regardless of what Dude 1 says. You get him to these shows and fill his mind with planes and other strange things, I hope he will recover.:smiling3::smiling3::smiling3::smiling3::nerd:
Hahaha, if he wants I'll send him some from the stash to gain more experience:tongue-out3:
 

Allen Dewire

Proud Rabble Member
SMF Supporter
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Messages
4,105
Points
113
Location
Bamberg
First Name
Allen
Evening Fine Folks,

Thank you so much for your kind words and interest in my Blechdose. One day I will add a tad of weathering to bring out some details and shoot better pics. A quick note on the plane itself. There were 2 models of it made, The A-1 and the A-2. The A-1 being test platforms and armed with the 30 mm MK 108 cannons (my model) and the A-2 that were operational with 20mm MK151/20 cannons....

One of the biggest problems was engine stall due to negative G forces in flight which forced fuel to the top of the tanks, away from the fuel pumps, even when there was plenty of fuel in them. This caused airlocks and the engine couldn't be restarted. The problem was never resolved with the He 162..........Anyway,

Nick, Thank you Sir, but it did take a while...

Peter, A bit out of my comfort zone and it was fun too. Thanks for looking Peter....

Tim, Appreciate that Sir and yes the He 162 did fly in combat. The I./JG 1 was moved to Leck on the Danish border on 16 April '45, but told not to engage in combat. On 21 April it went fully operational and flew missions. It's first was against an allied air field and one 162 was shot down on the way home to Leck. It is stated that the 162 did shoot down 2 aircraft in it's short life. The first is unconfirmed and hazy, and the second was a Typhoon near Rostock on 4 May. When British troops entered the airfield in Leck on 8 May, they found 31 He 162s lined up in rows on both sides of the runway. For the 162, the war was over.....

Dude 2, Thanks Buddy, and you know you were the first to see it all happen too.....

Rick, Prost my Friend, I love the off the wall stuff and this one was as off the wall as it got. Prototypes were not finished in typical camo colors with this one being RLM 81 and RLM 76...

Colin, Kind of you to say Sir. I had serious thoughts about fixing the inaccuracies, but found wiring and piping it up looked ok.....

Jim, You are so right my friend, but they did! Ernst Heinkel proposed 80,000 RM (approx. $19,000) life insurance policies for his test pilots due to early accidents and loss of lives. The actual pilots were, for the most part, seasoned and could handle the aircraft and all of the quirks with it....

Ian, Thanks too Sir and I did learn a thing or two....

Andrew, Very kind of you Andy. Next time I'll use your tips and I will mask the canopy and gloss before applying decals. I'm a bonehead sometimes.........

Fernando, Thanks my friend and I have a fresh supply of gloss coat for the next one. It's really not your fault like John thinks, and my stash is big enough.............

Paul, Cheers my man. It was a trip to the dark side, but fun and I might just do it again....Sometime in 2025!

Thanks again and keep flying......I need a beer.........

Prost
Allen
 
Top