Henschel Hs123 B1 by Gas Patch in 1/48 scale
The last bi-plane on my workbench was a Hasegawa F4B-4 in 1/32 scale; in the 1970's!
I still have it & it is still awaiting rigging...Why knock myself out on another & in 1/48 scale as well? The answer lies in the superb moulding & attention to detail offered by the GasPatch Henschel & the fact that there is hardly any rigging! Everything fits beautifully with this kit & the decals are superb.
The only downside (if there has to be one) is that my eyesight is not up to accurately utilising some of the microscopic etched brass parts & I found it easier to substitute stretched sprue in a few instances. I really had a great time with this one. Hope you like it!
11 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Craig Abrahamson said on August 1, 2019
Nice work, Tony...I like it. Great photos, too - 🙂
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Craig. I found that taking photos of white on white has a few problems, hence the green base (even though it's supposed to be winter camouflage!
Tom Cleaver said on August 1, 2019
I like this a lot.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Tom. This kit was a revelation to me: the first from GasPatch & such good quality!
Robert Royes said on August 1, 2019
Beautifully done! rigging keeps me away from bipe's.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Robert, much appreciated.
Haslam Yeoman said on August 1, 2019
Seriously great build Tony.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thank you Haslam. Kind words!
Tom Bebout said on August 1, 2019
Nicely done Tony. By the way what color did you use ?
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Tom. Originally I intended to do Galland's aircraft during the Polish invasion but after attaching the upper wing, realised that the masking for three colours was going to be a nightmare (failure to plan etc...) so opted for the winter Barbarossa scheme. All paints are Vallejo Air: White RLM 21 71001, Yellow RLM 04, 71078, Light blue RLM 65, 71255. I also used AK757 interactive black primer/micro filler as a base coat, which helps highlight mottling & panel lines. Also a touch of Vallejo wash here & there plus pastel for the exhaust stains. I find I'm using these paints more frequently these days; very happy with them.
Robert Knaack said on August 1, 2019
Nicely done, and timely post, as I've just been reading about this A/C while doing research on my BFC-2 project. These biplanes served throughout the war and were well spoken of by the people who flew them.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Robert. I did a lot of web hunting for this model & even found a very blurry film clip of Luftwaffe Henschels on a training flight. All adds to the atmosphere at the modelling table!
dale travis said on August 1, 2019
Great looking Henschel Tony! I've got the A1 version on my short list.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Dale. There are some fabulous colour schemes for this bird.
It's a pleasure to build.
Greg Kittinger said on August 1, 2019
Looks great! You've hit upon my bi-plane secret - find those with little to no rigging, throw all the rest away!
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Greg. Totally agree. No worries with this one though. All you need are four wires under the wing centre section & four braces for the drop tank...Easy!
Joe Borgia said on August 1, 2019
Top Notch! Love the scheme and weathering.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thank you Joe. Glad you like it.
david leigh-smith said on August 1, 2019
Very pretty aircraft, Tony. A real head turner, as the comments above testify to. Shading is especially effective, was this pre or post work?
‘Liked’
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks David. I guess you could say the shading was 'pre', as I used AK black primer/micro filler (AK757). This made it easier to build up colour in the various panels & also resulted in allowing panel lines to remain visible bur reasonably subtle. Otherwise a bit of pastel ('post') & a little bit of Vallejo wash almost dry brushed.
This is the second time I've used this method; the first was with my recent Tamiya Corsair F4U-1 in blue/grey. I was very pleased with this one as well as It scored top marks in our recent Corsair group build at IPMS NSW..
Jeff Bailey said on August 1, 2019
Beautifully done, Tony! I'll bet that Henschel was a fun aircraft to fly. I wonder if any still exist in flying condition?
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thanks Jeff. I think the last were still being used by the Spanish Air Force in the 1950's. Don't know of any still flying though.
George Henderson said on August 2, 2019
Very nice
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Many thanks George.
John Healy said on August 2, 2019
Nice work, Tony.
Tony Prince said on August 2, 2019
Thank you John.
Erik Gjørup said on August 2, 2019
Tony, a real treat you served there! - got one in my stash (and a japanese salmson) from GasPatch that awaits their turn. The GasPatch kits are superb, and he has some superb machineguns and WW I airspeed indicator to spiff up any early bird. The others said it all, so just adding my fascination of yout plane here - great job!
Tony Prince said on August 4, 2019
Thank you Erik. It will be interesting to see what GasPatch do for their next kit.
Stellan Schroeder Englund said on August 2, 2019
Awsome looker! Like the unusual scheme and the blue 4 on the yellow fuselage band, a touch of colour in the white out.
May we have a photo of the underside?
Tony Prince said on August 5, 2019
Thanks for the kind words, Stellan. I've just added a photo of the underside for you.
Colours as before; all Vallejho. Decals from kit.
George R Blair Jr said on August 3, 2019
Great model, Tony. I religiously avoid biplanes because of the rigging wires between the wings, but this airplane would seem to be the answer to this problem. Well done, especially on the white paint, which is always tough to do.
Tony Prince said on August 5, 2019
Many thanks George. This is white over a black primer/undercoat; works for me, although I must admit I had a few doubts to begin with!
aaronc said on October 6, 2019
That's a beautiful plane.