Here is my Monogram He-111 in 1/48th scale - a venerable kit which can compete with more recent releases with a bit of care. I had to spend some time filling and sanding to get the clear parts aligned and sealed and there were a few other fit challenges. The landing gear is quite a puzzle to construct and fits poorly, but I had good shots of museum birds to help with trimming and reshaping key parts. Mostly the kit was a pleasure to build and I am happy with the results. I detailed the interior with Eduard photo-etch and some scratch-building, especially for the bomb aimer's bench. The decals are from Eagle Cals for an He-111 H-6 of 6/KG 26 equipped with torpedoes and operating out of Southern France, probably around 1942. Paints are Gunze RLM 70 and 71 with Tamiya Flat Black undersides. Exhaust streaking on the lower wing was done with pastels.
If your are interested, you can check out the build and comments on construction in the Work in Progress- Aircraft GB:
https://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-aircraft/forum/topic/heinkell-he-111-revell-monogram/
I hope you like it.
great build with this classic kit!
Thanks, Lis. I am glad you like it.
An absolute beauty, Colin! Excellent in every respect!
Well done!
Thanks, Spiros. I appreciated your support and interest during the Group Build stage. There were some roadblocks but I am glad to get it done.
Looks great Colin! You really knocked this one out of the park. Paintwork is very good and the effort you put into the interior really paid off in a big way with all of that glass around the nose. Excellent!
Thanks, David. Photography with bright lights tends to hide the cockpit detail a bit. I am glad I took the time with it. One nice thing about the two piece clear parts that Monogram kit is that everything is sealed up and protected from dust early on in the build. I wasn't sure how it was all going to work out when the masks came off but it all stayed pristine in the end.
You’ve really brought this old kit up to date, Colin.
Thanks, George. It's really a great kit. I especially like the fineness of the engraved panel lines.
Great work on what really is a very nice kit. Monogram actually did a good overall job with the kit, and the Cockpit Glazing is pretty nice and whole hell of a lot easier to install then the ICM kit. I like the scheme, the yellow really makes it all stand out. You have a really nice looking build there!
Thanks, Walt. I have no experience with the ICM kit, but I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to each. I liked the simplicity of the Monogram approach and the excellent interior, in spite of the low parts count. As to the yellow highlights, I've always liked this scheme. Kind of adds visual interest to the standard 70/71 camo.
Very nicely done!
Thanks, Jeff. Kind of you to comment.
Nice job, Colin.
Thanks, Gary. Glad you like it.
Man...you nailed it, Colin. Beautiful work on what is one of Monogram’s most enjoyable kits.
Thanks, Eric. Monogram kits can be a lot of fun and are remarkably accurate, in spite of their age.
Excellent build, Colin @coling
The paintwork and interior are indeed amazing.
A torpedo bomber He111 is a not so often seen object.
Did you take the shots of these museum birds yourself, must be fascinated to see a 111 is real.
Thanks, John. I liked the look of the torpedoes and alongside the distinctive yellow highlights and black undersides this had long been a subject I wanted to do. I am happy it turned out. As for the museum references, those were photos I found on the Internet. I am not sure where they reside in museums but there are at least a couple.
Very nice result on this venerable old bird, @coling.
One small thing: those "rings" on the gear legs just above the axle are supposed to be rubber shock absorbers. The rubber was red. Not a difficult thing to catch even at this late stage with a 0000 brush and a steady hand. Then it's perfect.
Having done a couple of these awhile ago, you really got the most out of what was there in the box.
Thanks, Tom. I am not sure which part of the gear you are referring to. Do you have a picture? Of the pics I have from museums and built models, I haven't seen anything painted red on the landing gear struts.
Colin, this is the rubber strut cover Tom is referring to. In many kit directions the callout is for black, but that's probably a generic, fits the need, sort of thing. The Germans would have been using a synthetic rubber, so I'd go with a dull dark red unless Tom has a more specific recommendation. BTW, if you have a chance, it would help to add the link to your build article rather than leave us to search it out.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Thanks, Christopher. I appreciate the clarification. BTW, I added the link to the WIP thread. Thanks also for the heads up on that.
That's truly a lovely old bird! The build and the finish are excellent. I think the HE-111 kits rank among the best of Monogram, Congrats!
Colin
Thanks, Colin. I always enjoy your work and I am pleased you like my model. I appreciate your response.
What great job on a very decent kit. I believe you have inspired me to break out my Monogram He-111 for my next endeavor. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks, Bob. Very happy to provide some inspiration. I would definitely recommend the Eagle Cal decals or other aftermarket ones. The kit decals are really fragile. I had to use the big under wing crosses from the kit but they shattered and needed major repair with some careful painting.
Beautiful work @coling! ?
Thanks for commenting, Gary. I am glad you like the model.
You are much welcome; the cockpit glazing is just so good! Man, I'd love to get a result like that! 😃
Great job Colin! Looks superb! Mine has sat for some time because I was debating back and forth about fitting wide blade props, but I think I just need to accept that the one I want to build (desert cammo) had the narrow blades. I also came up against a lot of confusion on the fit of the torpedoes- but I think I have finally come to a conclusion on that too. The kit says to stagger them, but I am pretty sure they were hung as you have built yours. I really love that scheme that you chose- seriously wanted to drop the desert cam plan after seeing it two years ago on the decal sheet you mentioned- but I have held firm to sand and green blotches! I once built the 1/72 Italeri kit as a torpedo hauler with desert camouflage, so that image stayed with me from my mid teens until now. Hopefully you can see my completed build before the end of the year- thanks for the inspiration!
Dan from Bermuda.
Thanks, Dan. Happy to provide the inspiration. Funny that I had almost the same hesitations as you did regarding the color scheme and torpedo details. I was tempted to do the desert scheme in line with the Desert Air War GB but I decided I wanted to do my first 70/71 splinter scheme instead. As for the torpedoes, I couldn't find a clear pic of a staggered placement on a real aircraft. I did find quite a few pics of He-111 torpedoes with simplified tail fins, allowing symmetrical placement. The complex extended fins on the kit version require you to stagger them so the fins don't collide with each other - as I'm sure you noticed. Anyway, I elected to cut down the fins to the standard shape. That matches the period pics I've seen and makes the whole set up much easier. It's interesting what research reveals. I am also doing a torpedo equipped Savoia-Marchetti S-79. It seems the Italians ditched twin mounts all together in favor of a single offset torpedo, which kept the aircraft more aerodynamic and controllable.
Nice work, Colin. It really looks sinister with the black undersides.
Thanks, John. I agree with you about the black. Very menacing. It was the clincher for me in choosing this scheme, along with the yellow spinners, panels and trim.
Well done, Colin (@). I love building old Monogram and Revell kits, and you have truly brought out the best in this one. Now all you need is a big shelf to put it one.
Thanks, George. It is indeed a big model. After doing a lot of 1/32nd fighters, I was surprised by how it barely fit in my display cabinet. The twin engines take up a lot of space an the wingspan is wider than my 32nd scale P-47.
Very nice! The 111 is such a cool-shaped airframe - one of my favorites. Looks nice slinging a couple of torps!
Thanks, Greg. I also find the shape very interesting. The wings are swept almost as much as an Me- 262 or later model Il-2. It makes it look rather sleek in combination with the banana streamlining of the fuselage. The He-111s (or CASAs) in the movie The Battle of Britain were fascinating to see in action from inside and out. I am glad I finally got around to building one.
Great job on your Build. Awesome paint job, and sharp looking clear parts. A super nice looking He-11 bomber.
Thanks, Bob. It was fun to build. I took a lot of care with the clear parts and the cockpit details since the greenhouse canopy is such a focus of interest on the He-111. I was happy that the 70/71 camo colors didn't look boring and generic in the end. I really recommend the Gunze versions of Luftwaffe, RAF and USAAF colors, very good accuracy and really beautiful smooth application.