Profile Photo
Morne Meyer
48 articles

Heinkel He-219 Uhu

September 9, 2014 · in Aviation · · 32 · 4.5K

This is 's rendition in quarter scale of arguably the most elegant and equally deadly night fighter to emerge from World War II. Personally, I would be hard pressed to make a choice between the and the P-61 Black Widow.

There will always be a debate as to how good the He-219 really was in service. Nobody can deny the fact that it surely was a ferocious looking nocturnal nemesis to the RAF Bomber Command. This was demonstrated when Werner Streib took his He-219A-0 G9+FB aloft and duly shot down five RAF heavies. Not many aircraft could claim this feat on its first operational mission. Within its first ten days of operational life the Uhu's destroyed a further 20 RAF heavies as well as 6 RAF Mosquitoes. This was the first time that the Luftwaffe was capable of intercepting and destroying the Mosquito !

However, the Uhu was underpowered and beset by political, developmental and logistical problems in the final years of the Reich. The He-219 A7 was the ultimate version of the Uhu as kitted by Tamiya. The He-219 A7 was powered by two Daimler Benz DB-603 E 12-cylinder engines to a max speed of 585 km/h at 6000 m. The He-219 A7 was armed with MK 103, MK 108 and MG 151/20 guns in the wing root, ventral gondola and upward firing Jazz installation. The aircraft was vectored onto its target using its FuG 218 Neptun radar and Lichtenstein SN-2. At the end of the war only 288 He-219's had reached operational status. only 64 of these machines served with 1. /NJG 1 under Gruppenkommandeur Werner Streb. My model depicts one of those 1./NJG 1 machines.

Tamiya's Uhu has a couple of shape error's, notably the long engine nacelles aft of the trailing edge. At the time of the build I selected not to change it. Scratch building was limited to seat harnesses, nav lights fashioned out of clear sprue, aerial wires, Evergreen bits and pieces to detail the Jazz gun installation in the aft fuselage as well as the undercarriage bays. Copper wire was added to detail the cockpit consoles, Revi gusight as well as the undercarriage. My Uhu is dressed up in a typical late war Luftwaffe night fighter camouflage of RLM 76 and RLM 75 squiggle pattern, slightly toned down to simulate a weathered look.

Weathering was done using pastels, Tamiya weathering kits and watercolour paint to enhance the panel lines.

Reader reactions:
14  Awesome

25 additional images. Click to enlarge.


32 responses

  1. Lovely Owl there Morne, an awesome beast that flew at night but as you pointed out, they were a lot of political issues with the building of this and the Me 262 which had thankfully the right outcome. Who know`s what would of happened if they put into the frontline earlier and in there correct configuration .
    Well finished, and free hand squiggles? looks good Morne.

  2. For a second there, I thought it was a re-post. Equally nice build, MM. I'd be curious to see your display area(s).

  3. Another looker Morne. Did you get tired of cleaning antennae mold seams on these night fighters you built.

  4. nice job on the camo - did you apply the 75 over the 76. I only ask because I have seen some builds where the entire topsides are in 75, and then 76 is sprayed over that in the squiggle pattern. either way, you pulled off a difficult scheme very well. Nice one.:)

  5. Morne, I must mention your masterful modelling magic makes my mere mortal mind marvel. Magnificent!

  6. Great Job Morne. Also one of my favorites. Nice detail.
    California Steve

  7. Another beauty, Morne. Keep them coming !

  8. Yet another beautifully built and finished model, Morne, and you are right, it's a very good looking aircraft. Keep them coming!

  9. Guten Morgen Morne ! A beautiful Heinkel, these paintworks on LW nightfighters are always a challenge, you did it, it is looking great.
    423 kits, Donnerwetter ! 🙂

    • Guten morgen Bernd. I hope she made your breakfast a bit more special today. Donnerwetter und wetterleuchten indeed! 🙂 I have fallen into that old trap of making collecting kits a bigger part of the hobby than building.

      • Yesss ! It was the perfect combination with my tea ! While founding
        my own company, they were a lot of delays and to solve gaps in our household, i decided to sell parts of my stash ! While selling,
        i purchased other kits...we live still in our house with 87 sqaremeters 🙁

        • My whole stash is packed away in sealed boxes, cupboards and even the garage which serves as my building area. Such is the nature of our hobby. Unfortunately the wife don't always understand that!

          • Well, it is good to have a stash, mine is stored in boxes on the attic and stored on our cabinets in the bedroom.

            Most people go to bed, read a few words in a book. My side of the bed is a storage on its own right, while going to bed i read instructions,decals sheets as well related literature. And of course looking at the sprues, while the contends of this place changed almost daily, it is there.

            My girlfriend is calling this place "the off" but she is backing me up on my hobby.There is a great modelling side, called "modelling madness" out there, i guess i live that 🙂

  10. Very nice Uhu, Morne. It's a great kit & I love your camouflage; just right. A most effective scheme & you've done it beautifully.

  11. Beautifully rendered Heinkel Morne. I see from Flypast Magazine that a restoration of the real aircraft is nearing completion in America. A rare bird indeed.

  12. Beautiful model Morne. And once again very impressive airbrushing. I love the antennae on these aircraft. Looks fragile though!

  13. Beautiful job Morne.

  14. Morne,
    Absolutely stunning. A tribute to a beautiful airplane. Werner Strieb had to be an extremely skillful pilot. Did he survive the War?

Leave a Reply