Pro Modeler 1/48 He 111H-22
Due to the restrictions placed on Germany after WWI, which prohibited, among others, the maintaining of an air force, Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke designed the He 111 in 1934, essentially a bomber presented solely as a civil airliner.
An iconic sight, easily recognizable, especially due to the distinctive, extensively glazed front greenhouse of the later versions, the type was the most numerous Luftwaffe bomber during the early stages of the war.
The plane was used in a wide variety of roles on many fronts: as a strategic bomber during the Battle of Britain, a torpedo bomber in the Atlantic and Arctic and a medium bomber and transport aircraft on the Western, Eastern, Mediterranean, Middle East, and North African Front theaters.
Constantly upgraded and modified, it nonetheless became obsolete by the latter part of the war, continuing to operate until the end of it solely due to the failure of the “B Bomber” second-generation high-speed bomber project and by September 1944, with the German bomber force virtually defunct, all flying examples were used for logistics.
Production continued after the war as the Spanish-built CASA 2.111. The design differed significantly only in the powerplant used, eventually being equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, remaining in service until 1973.
The H-variant was the most widely produced and the one seeing more action during World War II among the series. Basically featuring Jumo 211 engines in place of the DB 601 which were becoming less and less available, the H-version was evolved in many sub-variants through upgrades and/or change of roles.
Monogram came with their 1/48 He 111H family in 1994, reboxing and occasionally updating them with new parts till 2010. Considering their old origins, the series are by all means good, solid kits with nice engraved panel lines, sufficient overall detailing and are mainly accurate (being sort of a collage of subtypes, the kits might not be 100% accurate and I will leave the rest to the Experten).
The specific kit is the 1995 Pro Modeler H-22 version that contained some extra parts, mainly for the V-1 flying bomb and its pylon (but also some nice figures, among others) and built nicely, but the decals, being way past their useful life, exhibited too much silvering, or, better, a clouded appearance at their transparent sections that could not be treated with the "usual" method of slicing and flooding them with decal softening solution, so I resorted in carefully removing as much transparent sectors as possible with my hobby knife, doing a less than perfect job there, oh well...
Should you wish to read the full build review, you might do so by visiting my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/luft/he/pen111.htm
Happy Modelling!
Great job, Spiros. That's a nice size kit!
Thanks a lot, my friend @gwskat!
Outstanding Spiros
Thanks so much, my friend @blackadder57!
🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
Nice looking He-111, it has been quite some time since I last saw one .
This model is very well - done Spiros.
Very good work on the smooth demarcation lines on the camouflage and the gentle weathering.
Thanks so much, my friend @de4ever!
Very well done, Spiros. You've done an excellent job of aligning and smoothing those oh-so long seams! I also like the low-contrast greens rather than the stark contrast some brands offer. You decal work turned out quite nicely for all the trouble the old sheet caused you. Did you try exposing the sheet to sunlight, as that sometimes removes yellowing of the clear coating and might have helped the clouding you experienced? Congratulations on completing this large warbird to such a fine standard!
Thanks kindly, my friend @brummbaer! I did not expose the sheet to the sun, as it looked nice, non-yellowed and shiny. Problems started to arise after drying on the model surface, as I noticed severe silvering-like looks. Did my usual "trick" of carefully slicing the decals ad flooding them with decal softener, then the "silvered" areas became foggy and yellowy...
My only plausible explanation was that the transparent base film was well due its useful life.
Coming to think of it afterwards, exposing it to sunlight might have helped...
Thanks again, always great to hear from you!
Well done Spiros, @fiveten. That is a really great looking build of what I think is one of Monograms better kits. The fit is really good all around, the shape looks right and it is a fairly trouble free enjoyable build. I understand that panel lines a kind of a homogeneous mess of many variant, most people don't know or care. I really like how your paint work came out, it looks really good. Always nice to see a buzz bomb hanging under the wing.
Thank you so much, my friend @luftwaffe-birdman!
Excellent work, as usual, Spiros !
Thanks a lot, my friend @ssgt!
Nicely done Spiros.
Thank you so much, my friend @blackmopane!
VERY nice work! I bet it take sup a lot of space on the shelf.
Thanks my friend @trod348! Yes, it takes a lot of shelf space.
That is some really fine work, Spiros! 👍 The paint looks perfect, another great @fiveten scale model! 🤩
I've got the old Monogram boxing, offering either a He-111 H-4 night intruder or an He-111 H-5, with torpedo. I'm getting a mask set made for it and hopefully get it in queue for building. Thanks for the inspiration! 🥂
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum (https://cavflight.org/) in Dallas has a Spanish-built Casa version in their collection, and we visited there a few years ago. I only have this one photo of that bird:
Thanks so much, my friend @garybrantley! Looking forward to your build! Will look awesome as a torpedo bomber!
Fantastic work @fiveten
Thanks my friend @michel-verschuere!
Great job Spiros @fiveten I have a odd affection for the He-111, I'm looking forward to building my ICM H-6
Thanks so much, my friend @beauslx! Looking forward to see your ICM H-6 built!
Very nicely done Spiros! I've always liked the way the He 111 looked, the shape and flow of the wings in particular. Hinkle used it on many of there planes during the '30s. This is a kit I have in my stash, and your beautiful build is great inspiration.
Thanks a lot, my friend @curtidshawk! Looking forward to see yours built!
Excellent model Spiros. Cutting the carrier film certainly helps a lot. The flying bomb adds a considerable amount of interest to the kit and is very nicely executed.
Thank you very much, my friend @christopher! Yes, cutting off the carrier film is the way to go.
Good history lesson, Spiros, and great work on this classic kit, it’s been around the houses a bit but, as you’ve shown, can be built up nicely in the right hands.
Thank you so much, my friend @chinesegeorge!
Looks great Spiros! I built the H22 a while back and have it posted here on Imodeler. If you don't know much about the He111, maybe enough to wonder what "The Monogram He111 is a bit of a mix of subtypes" means, then the Revellogram He111 is pretty good!
I am finally pushing ahead on my 1/48 H-6 and hope to post it here before the end of the year. I am a teacher that is looking forward to Christmas break!
I find it annoying that Revellogram decided to have the broad blades in the H-22 but only the narrow prop blades in their H-6 boxing!
Anyway, I am not trying to detract from your very nice build, by talking about what I am doing. Your kit looks great! congratulations!
Thanks so much, my friend @danfrombermuda! Yes, I take the words of the Experten on accuracy, usually correcting what can easily be corrected. Of course, this means that my model is compromised...
Looking forward to your H-6, which, since I know your work, I know from now it will be SUPERB!
I know that is a big kit Spiros (@fiveten)! I've never built it, but I have built the old Italeri 1/72 scale kit and it was big enough. I like how you've done the subtle shade differences between the two camo colors. Great work. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, my friend @clipper!
Spiro, congratulations on a fine looking model!
Thanks a lot, my friend @seawinder!
A great looking build, Spiros! I like how all the different colors of the camouflage blend so well together. The V-1 rocket under the wing is icing on the cake. (@fiveten)
Thanks a lot, my friend @jdtruby!
What more to add to the aboven compliments, Spiros @fiveten
A superb result on this He111 and I do like the combination with the V1 a lot, not so often seen.
Last summer I fortunate to be able to see a real one in London and I must admit that this is an amazing bomber.
Two thumbs up.
Thanks so much, my friend @johnb! Indeed, a rarely seen, very interesting combination!
Absolutely brilliant Spiros. It looks stunning with that combination with the V-1. Also very interesting information. Congratulations on such a nice model.
Thank you so much, my friend @milantesar!
G'day Spiros,
Nicely done, as usual.
I have one of these in the stash, along with a correction canopy and I think a few other pieces and aftermarket decals.
(That's because I'm an accuracy nut, and usually can't just build things out of the box.)
It has taken a bit of research to figure out what the late He-111 cockpit was like and I'm not sure I have a complete view.
And then ICM came out with a new tooled version - although without the V1 as far as I'm aware.
Still, yours is built and mine is still in the planning stages...
I also have a H-4 with a bunch of aftermarket (photo etch bomb bay and other things) that I picked up cheap second hand a few years ago.
One day I'll get around to building one or the other (or maybe both at once).
Still, yours is built and mine are still in the planning stages...
It really does look good and up to your usual excellent standard.
And yours is built...😊
Thanks so much, my friend @michaelt! Despite their size, these kits are quite pleasant to build. Looks like your extras are more or less add-ons, not requiring many mods, so a pleasant build might also be ahead of you.
True, the ICM offering is the latest and greatest, but this one is not that far behind.
Looking forward to your builds!
Really great job @fiveten. I love the amount of detail you include in your articles. I aspire to be at your level. Bravo!
Thank you kindly, my friend @greenterrorz!
Lovely build. You’ve done a great job on the kit. Congrats.
Thanks so much, my friend @alfred!
Very nice! The 111 is my favorite of the German bombers - just a unique planform and shape. Great job on this!
Thanks a lot, my friend @gkittinger!
Congratulations on a beautiful build, you definitely did justice to the kit.
Thank you very much, my friend @gelleb18!
Cracking job Spiros! I have this kit which is currently languishing unfinished in its box as I just couldn't get into it. You've inspired me to revisit and maybe get it done.
Thanks very much, my friend @davecope109! Looking forward to yours!
That is one outstanding looking He 111, Spiros @fiveten. Your crisp photos really show it off! It’s a real shelf hog isn’t it?
Thanks a lot, my friend @eb801! Oh yeah, she's big!
Did I completely miss this build, Spiros (@fiveten)? Awesome model. Add me to the list of those who have already praised the great camo. Well done.
Thank you so much, my friend @gblair! No build thread for this one, having been started long ago, only lately receiving some corrections and finishing touches.
Beautiful Heinkel, Spiros!
Thank you very much, my friend @j-healy!
Well done! The 111 is one of my favorite builds, I did a Pro-Modeler H-4 many years ago, they made some great kits!
Thanks so much, my friend @chasbunch!
Spiros, that is very nice work to achieve such a convincing result. Did you use any oils after painting? I did read the MM article and saw the paints described there. Your comment about the actual aircraft underside paint struck a chord with me. I remember visiting the Museum of Science of Industry in Chicago where a Spitfire Mk. II hangs in the entry pavilion. Though I am fairly certain it’s paint was not applied with a broom, observing the uneven paint on the underside struck me as unusual.
Thanks so much, my friend @russjurco! For weathering, I did not use any oils, just a black wash, followed by dark brown and black dry pastels. Yes, I was amazed too about the underside color information, looks like those birds' undersides were initially painted RLM65 light blue, than that very dark paint was field applied by hand.
Such a lovely build.. fantastic work Spiros @fiveten !
Thank you so much, my friend @juan2six!