Though out of
production, this is one of Monogram's finest kits and was way ahead of its
time when originally released. The history of this WWII Luftwaffe
medium bomber has been covered in many previous articles, so I won't bother with
a repeat here. My kit represents He-111H-14, 6N+BK, 1/KGr 100 based in
Vannef, France 1940. Two 1000 lb. Blockbuster bombs were added.
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images below to see larger images
I enhanced the kit
with the following:
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1) Verlinden
Heinkel Update Set 1109
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2) Eduard He III
Photo-etch Interior Detail Set FE245
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3) EZ Masks from
ezmasks.com (highly recommended for those green-house canopies)
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4) Aeromaster
Decals Best Sellers Luftwaffe Mediums Pt. 1 48-589
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5) Scratchbuilt
X-'Gerat antennae for my particular version
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6) 4X Tippet for
the radio cable rigging
The cockpit was
painted RLM 66, highlighted with a lamp black oil pin wash and dry brushed with
oils. Panel lines were pre-shaded with flat black followed by a light mist
of primer flat white on the ventral surfaces. I used Model Master acrylics
for the splinter scheme camouflage of RLM 71 and RLM 70 over RLM
65. Random panels were lightened with tints of RLM 71 or RLM 70. An
oil-based raw umber pin wash was used to accent panel lines and recessed areas. In
the past I used acrylic sludge or pin washes, but found they tent to
over-accent panel lines. Though slower, the oil pin washes give you much
more control in accenting panel lines. Isolated oil paint smears were
used for hydraulic and fuel leaks. Borrowing a technique from ship and
armor modelers, I tried my hand at oil filters to compliment my standard
weathering techniques. I used a combination of raw umber and lamp black
oil filters paying close attention to randomizing the effect and building up the
weathering gradually for realism. Each filter is about 9 parts
thinner to 1 part oil based paint. The filter should have the look
and consistency of weak coffee and is much thinner than a typical oil wash.
The final product results in a subtle but realistic and pleasing weathering
effect. I highly recommend this technique to aircraft modelers. I
followed this with mixtures of black and gray pastels along with Tamiya A and D
weathering pigments. Historical photos of this plane show
considerable exhaust staining along the engines, wings and horizontal
stabilizers. I airbrushed acrylic earth red followed by flat black
for engine exhaust. Limited paint chipping was achieved with a Prismacolor
silver pencil. The whole model was then given a few coats of Flat Clear.
This was a fun
kit to build and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in medium
bombers. Enjoy.
Eric Hargett
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