Oh dear! It's a 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.

A vac beauty! Messerchmitt Me-261 ”Adolfine”, V2 Prototype (BJ+CQ), Airmodel, 1/72

It is in my plans to have an ongoing resin and a vac kits as "Work in Progress". So here is this little beauty of a kit: There are some nice cast resin parts and a vac canopy. All are excellently packed in 4 separate sections of a common base bag, to eliminate the risk of breakage of those delicate resins. Instructions are good, providing a detailed history and specs of this never materialised project, a 3-view diagram and a two step construction process. I think they will be sufficient for most of the potential resin kit builders (meaning not beginners). Decals are not included, but any moderate decal dungeon will come up to the task. As this was a paper project, you can go as wild Luft '46ish camo styled as you like. I think I will try to restrain myself and finish it as an emerged prototype...in RLM02 with some visible different shade panelling maybe? I love this kind of kits; upon viewing them in the box, a mysterious urge to build them surpasses me! Next session will be unpacking and cleaning...maybe some glueing also? All the best, my friends!

Thanks George @gblair! Indeed it is very small in 1/72!

This will be awesome, Spiros (@fiveten), especially when your supervisor also approves. I like planes with a nose intake that is oval rather than circular.

Just visited a very good friend yesterday and we had a look at some resin kits. Not being brave enough to go the full length yet, I shall be strapped in for this build my friend @fiveten! Who knows what inspiration may come from this 🙂

Spiros, @fiveten
What a tiny little jet... This one has slipped under the radar. It does look like a great little plane to build. I personally have never built a complete resin kit. I commend you for doing this. The pictures you posted as a "What If" looked promising. Can you imagine B-29's encountering these over Europe ? Things "could" have been much different... had not the Allies been victorious when they were.

History... You gotta love it.

Interesting project Spiros, I'm not a big fan of resin but sometimes it's the only option !

I agree with the previous comments, Spiros (@fiveten). I have always steered clear of resin kits, basically because you have to cut the parts from the casting sprues and the lack of attachment points. The hazardous nature of the sanding residue is also a concern. But as I watch your build I am starting to think that I might try a full resin build in the future. Looking forward to the rest of the build.

Hi everyone!

With so many projects "in work", I left this lttle fellow untouched for a week.

So, here is an update!

Glued a cockpit floor (that had been vanished after the intake deepening) made from a piece of my sons' party plates.

There were no side consoles provided, and the semi bulbuous vacanopy looks wonderfully clear, so...two small side blocks were glued (to be decorated accordingly in due time).

The wings were glued. Dihedral and general appearance are ok, but the root/fuselage gaps are big. Nothing that multi session gap filling cyanoacrylate cannot handle.

All it takes is a bit of patience...