Airmodel 1/72 Heinkel P.1078C Resin
Hi everyone!
This is my 1/72 Airmodel Heinkel P.1078C Resin kit.
The Heinkel P.1078 (He P.1078) was a projected single seat interceptor developed for the Luftwaffe by Heinkel aircraft manufacturing company under the Emergency Fighter Program during the last years of the Third Reich.
The project had three quite different variants. All of them were a single-seat fighters with polyhedral swept wings. The wings were swept back at 40 degrees and included wood in their construction. All of the projected aircraft had the wing tips angled downwards and all of them would be powered by a single Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet.
The first variant, P.1078A, was the most conventional-looking of the three designs submitted for it was the only one having a tail. Its armament was two MK 108 cannons, as in the following two variants.
The P.1078B was a tailless asymmetric jet-powered interceptor with a short fuselage in which the air intake of the engine was located in the middle between two gondolas. The cockpit was located on the gondola of the left side, while the right side gondola contained the front undercarriage leg and cannon armament.
The P.1078C was a tailless interceptor project similar to the P.1078 B but with a single short fuselage. Both the He P.1078BB and P.1078C had wing tips angled downwards at a more pronounced angle than the P.1078A.
The high-altitude fighter designs brought forward by other German aircraft makers were the Messerschmitt P.1110, Focke-Wulf Ta 183 Huckebein, Blohm & Voss P 212 and the Junkers EF 128, the official winner of the competition. After being subject to severe criticism, the project was cancelled by Heinkel at the end of February 1945.
This small resin kit was given to me as a present from my “usual suspect” friend who had given me the same company's 1/72 Messerschmitt Me-261 Adolfine Vac, that I recently have finished (please check it here in my blog, if you so wish).
The kit went together beautifully, with no real surprises.
I did some scratchbuilding at key areas, such as the cockpit and landing gear, in order to make things look more busy and "real".
I finished her at a Sukhoi inspired "air superiority" scheme, with very light grey allover and light blue gray topsides. I used Humbrol enamels.
This was a lovely kit to build: its small size and low number of parts, together with the freedom to choose your own scheme, make it an appealing candidate for your first resin!
As usual, I will not tire you with build details, but, should you wish, you can have a look at some in-progress shots that I posted below; you may also check my build thread here:
https://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-aircraft/forum/topic/airmodel-1-72-heinkel-p-1078c-resin/
A full review can be found at my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/luft/46/pen1078.htm
A BIG thanks to all followers!
Also, BIG thanks to Dan Johnson, owner of http://www.luft46.com/, who granted me permission to use parts of the P.1078c section. My beloved Luft46 is a site for the Luft '46 afficionados, that I strongly recommend to all aviation enthusiasts. In there you can find all German WWII project ideas, from the practical to the bizarre, with every available info stated, schematics, specs, artistic renditions, relative models info etc.
Happy modeling!
This came out great, Spiros (@fiveten)! It was a pleasure following along on your build of this kit.
Thanks for all encouraging, constructive commenting and following along, George @gblair!
Glad you like the final result!
Very cool Luft 46. I like the camo scheme you chose.
Thanks Dale @dtravis!
Nice work!, I like the cockpit detail work before the canopy went on Photo.
Thanks Walt @waltosoaring!
A fantastic resin result, Spiros @fiveten
Really liked following your building thread.
First time I heard about patafix and am using it myself now as well.
Thanks John @johnb!
Good to hear that you found Patafix useful! You came up with a fantastic result at your Defiant scheme, demarcation lines included, which means you used Patafix in an excellent way!
Thanks again for following, your "modeling fellowship presence" is a great motivation!
@fiveten Nicely built, Spiros. I would not attempt something so small and challenging! I wonder if any of those designs would actually fly reliably?
Thanks Robert @robgenev665!
It was my first resin kit and, it was kind of unchartered territory, I have to admit. The choice of a paper project allowed for some degrees of freedom, regarding building and mostly painting: there was no reality for comparison, so I made it looking "right" to my comfort!
Regarding flying characteristics, I bet that it, and similar designs, would be challenging in possible flights. I have spotted many benefits in their designs, though, that made me wonder what if "fly-by-wire" was available back then...
First resin kit, good for you! @fiveten
Thanks again Robert @robgenev665!
A fine work on a both obscure subject and model Spiros. I really like your camouflage idea, simple but eye catching. I suppose this is a rather small size kit right?
Thanks Pedro @holzhamer.
It is smaller than a Spit, its span being the only "big" dimension. A minuscule beauty she is!
Thanks for liking the camo! Simplicity was a major factor on choosing it!
Spiros, @fiveten
This model was an absolute joy to follow as you built it. I especially like the final paint scheme you came up with. These Luft 46 kits leave a lot to one's imagination... I like what I see here. I really enjoyed reading your article as well. The paint scheme you used kind of reminds me of what has been used on the F-15 and F-16 US Air Force planes. Nicely done !
Well done my friend, and I pressed the "liked" button too.
Now we need to start our 1/32 scale Revel He-219's. Start a build journal for yours, and I will post mine on it together with you. This should be fun ! I just brought out the Hasegawa Ki-45's so watch for updates on that one too.
Stay safe... 🙂
Thanks Louis @lgardner!
As usual, it was a pure joy for me that you followed my build!
I too find this scheme absolutely eye-catching!
Roger about the Uhu, I am starting it, waiting for you to join at your convenience, to evolve the thread into a dual build one! This is so exciting!
I am also planning on finishing the "intersecting spaghetti-looking" tac onto my Toryu this weekend, in order to apply the topside green!
A definite "Like" here @fiveten. Great work and a very interesting result. All your extra effort really paid off.
Thanks Tom @tcinla!
Tackling a paper project as my first resin, with a clean aerodynamic design and fictitious (to my preference) camo was a plus for a resin-rookie!
Could my second resin be a bit more complicated (prop driven), less (but still) fictitious (a mockup might having existed)?
Did I mention a Me-329?
Those wacky Germans! Lovely little build Spiros, 1/72 scares my fingers and eyesight, beautifully done mate, she looks like a sports machine!
Thanks Jimmy @hetstaine!
Those German designers with their daring designs!
Should fly by wire have existed by then, some interesting flight characteristics might have been experienced!
Well done Spiros, especially since this is your first resin kit. Nice camo scheme as well, really looks good on this model. Nothing like being a little creative with paint for a what if A/C.
Thanks Tom @tom-bebout!
Hey Spiros this is great my friend , I really like it well done.
Neil
Thanks my friend @neil-foster!
Joining the chorus, the model reminds me of some of the more current designs with bent wings and the wing tip arrangement with no tail. Which is popular with stealth aircraft designs. The B-2 and the new B-21 bomber have the swept wing no tail arrangement. The kit looks more current with the paint job.
Two thumbs up Spiros.
Thanks Stephen @stephen-w-towle!
I will not deny that the idea of finishing the P.1078 in a "current" scheme was swivelling in my mind all the time...
That is one wacky looking plane but you've done a cool job with it. Love the paint scheme. . Congrats on your first resin plane. Almost has a hand carved look to it. Looks like you had fun.
Thanks Eric @eb801!
Looks something in between a bat and an alien hybrid seagull?
I love this weird posture!
I had a lot of fun building it, and the "whatif" allowances provided extra building and, especially, painting pleasure.
Very cool! Such a unique subject, and the scheme sets her off nicely. Well done.
Thanks Greg @gkittinger!
Spiros (@fiveten),
Great photos of an excellent model.
I enjoyed watching the build unfold, bit by bit.
Now, if someone were to release a 1/48 kit...
We have seen subjects released lately that we would have never even dreamt a decade ago, Michael @michaelt! So, you never know!
Thanks a lot my friend, for liking and even more so for following along my build: there's no better motivation than that!
WOW, that's some fantastic work Spiros !
Thanks my friend @ianfoulk96!