1/48 Monogram He-111H-6
by Jeff Brundt
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The He-111 was the backbone of the German bomber force in WWII. It served the entire war and on all fronts. Originally designed as a commercial transport the 111 was quickly modified for use as a bomber. It first appeared over the countryside of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. It would later be used to great effect during the ‘Blitz’ over England. There were many different variants produced throughout its lifespan; from standard day bombers to special night fighting versions.
This is Monogram’s 1/48th He-111H-6. It was built OOB. I had bought it from a gentleman after I posted a want ad on one of the swap boards (either ARC or HS, I can’t remember which one). The surface detail is very finely engraved. It was hard to believe this kit was from Monogram (I think it was most likely a reboxing of a Dragon/DML kit). The kit goes together rather well. From what I understand there are PE sets available but I wasn’t able to find any and my intention was to build it stock from the start anyway. The kit detail is nicely done for the cockpit. This is one of those models where you could get carried away detailing it out since you’ll be able to see most of it through the nose glazing. The interior aft of the rear bomb bay bulkhead is very basic. Detailing here, in my opinion, would be a waste since hardly any would be visible when you’re done and it’s all closed up. Part fit is good with only small amounts of filler needed.
The kit gives you the option to install a standard bomb bay or mounts for (2) 250kg Blockbuster bombs or (2) torpedoes. I opted for the Torpedo version based out of Sicily in the Med around 1942. The wheels of the kit are nicely flattened to give the appearance of weight. Installing the landing gear is a bit fiddly. You have to spread the gear doors apart to get it in so care must be taken when doing this installation. The nose glazing was masked with Black Magic masks. These worked OK. I say only OK because some of the panels with rounded corners were masked using Ambroid’s liquid mask (the pre-cut ones were not that accurate to fit those). The clear parts were really nicely done and all I had to do was wash and dip them in Future. I used a very fine brush and Ambroid's Pro-Weld to bond the clear nose sections to the fuse. Patience is a virtue when doing this. One slip of the brush and you could have a real mess on your hands. The model was painted in RLM 65/70/71 using Model Master enamels.
had the model all painted, clear coated and ready for decals when I discovered the decals were shot. When I tried to use them they just disintegrated after soaking in water. I guess the model sat for about a month while I figured out what I could do. I tried to find other decals from AeroMaster but since my paint scheme was already applied my choices were limited. I finally got a hold of Monogram and talked to a nice guy there. I gave him the kit and part numbers. It was fortunate after 9 years the parts are still in stock (my thought is that they are getting to re-release the kit again). I told them about the decals I had and how they disintegrated. It was no problem to send off a new set free of charge. I guess it all depends on whom you talk to. Once they arrived I started back on the kit. I had also ordered AeroMaster's two sheets for the He-111 and it's a good thing I did. The kit decals do not include the swastika (probably because the decals are made in Italy by Cartograph and the kit is sold in Europe as well as the US). I was able to get the decal I needed from one of the AeroMaster sheets. Once the decals were applied and dry I gave the model a 'wash' with black acrylic on the bottom and grey/tan acrylic on the top to highlight the panel lines (this kit does have some nicely engraved lines). A final shot of flat clear lacquer and it was time to remove the masks. Removing these was a pain. Word of advice; don't let a model sit so long with Black Magic masks applied. They really harden up and can be a pain to remove. There was a lot of adhesive residue left but Goo-Gone took care of that. Then it was just attaching the fiddly bits like machine guns, pitot tubes, etc. and final detail painting and some light weathering.
It’s really a nice kit and one of the only He-111 H models in 1/48th scale that I know of. The glass nose can be intimidating to some modelers and I must admit I was a bit hesitant but it worked out very well. If you can find one I highly recommend building one.+
Jeff
Visit my web site @ http://www.geocities.com/jbrundt
