1/72 Heinkel He 100 (a.k.a. He 113), Lindberg kit 435-39
Crikey! This kit is almost as old as I am!
Scalemates shows that the Lindberg Heinkel He 100 Kit 435-39 was first released in 1965. Lindberg put the kit out again several times over the years, Revell also issued the kit in 1984. Considering that the kit is almost 60 years old, the kit is not all that bad.
I started this kit a while back and then forgot all about it. It was not until I recently read R.S.Tucks biography, 'Fly for your Life' that the kit got my attention again. The bio book actually mentioned that the ‘He 113' was seen in the British skies as a night raider.
After the He100 prototypes broke world speed records, German War Propaganda lead the Allies to believe that the He 100 was in production and in service as the He 113.
The main reason I initially put the kit down was the issue of the triangular windows behind the canopy were molded in solid plastic and not liking the look of painted glass panels with silver paint. Picking it up again, I figured I'd get a sharp X-Acto blade and try to carve the rear panels out and fill them in with MicroScale Krystal Klear. I think it turned out better than expected. Some additional craving was required for the belly radiator.
After spraying the plane with Tamiya Spray primer and highlighting the panel lines with black paint, the underside RLM 65 was done with Model Master Acrylic. The top surfaces were done with Mr. Hobby Aqueuos RLM70 and RLM 71, using Hr. Hobby 400 Thinner to thin the paints down for the airbrush. I really like the Mr. Hobby Aqueous paints, they paint very well and no mixing required getting the RLM shades.
Decals were from the spare decal box, with the Aircraft ID #12 borrowed from my MPM He 100 kit. The ‘White 12' looks a bit bigger than expected. The forward ‘Lightning Arrow' was done with some white decals cut up from the spare decal box.
I really like the look of this little gull winged speedster, raised panel lines and all.
Thanks Paul Lindberg!
You did a really nice job building this old classic … it looks great !
Thanks Jay (@ssgt),
I always get a sense of satisfaction after building one of these old kits.
Excellent result, George! You certainly took the most out of this 60 years old kit!
Thanks Spiros (@fiveten)
I think I could'a squeezed a little more out of it if I paid more attention to the cockpit or the landing gear, but I had to stop somewhere.
Great result on this oldie, George @georgeswork
The splinter camo came out really nice.
Comparing both boxes, I think Lindberg did a much better job than Revell to present this aircraft.
Thanks John (@johnb)
This is one of three builds that I painted together, each RLM70/71 using the Mr.Hobby paints, I'm liking the paint.
Nicely done George.
Thank you Allan (@kalamazoo)
Nice, lovely vintage kit! Well done George!
Thank you François (@friga)
Excellent job on that old kit. I built the MPM version in 1:48 eons ago - and enjoyed seeing the full scale replica at Chino. A rare bird.
3 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Thank you Chas (@chasbunch) and thanks for the photos, they look great.
I'm looking forward to getting my MPM 1/72 kit done, but I think it'll be fun and frustrating all at the same time.
Nice work, George. Those Lindberg German kits were nice models and I think I built all of them as a kid.
Thanks John (@j-healy),
I do remeber building the Lindberg Arado AR-234 and Heinkel He-162 kits. This definitely brought back memories.
Well done, George
Thank you Gary (@gwskat)
Nice work on the model.
Unfortunately, none of the 12 He-100s, re-designated "He-113" for propaganda purposes, ever ended up over enemy territory. The German propaganda machine was so good that the RAF was completely bamboozled, and around 50 pilots claimed to have shot one down (very likely they were "friendly(?) fire" incidents involving Hurricanes). Heinkel did employ them as the factory air defense flight after the week spent photographing the "three squadrons newly equipped with the He-113".
Thanks Tom (@tcinla).
It's amazing how effective the propaganda was. The RAF must have had it's pilots all hyped up 'looking out' for the fighter, so much so the pilots were convinced the He 113 was real.
It was a surprise for me to see it mentioned in the bio book, even if it was only mentioned once.
Great job George @georgeswork. I love seeing these old kits built up with today's know-how. Your rear window fix looks spot on! I will keep this in mind when I do build my He-100 and the Me-163.
Thanks Bob (@v1pro).
I have a soft spot for the older kits, they may be simple but with just a little work they can produce a nice replica when completed.
Just a note on the window - I lined the inside of each side with a little piece of clear cellophane tape to keep the initial Krystal Klear coat in place, the tape stayed in place and I added a few thin coats.
Excellent work! I believe I have this in my stash as well, and really like its racey lines.
Thanks Greg (@gkittinger)
It would be nice to see you work your magic on this kit, it'll look even better with wheels up.