hi guys!
well i was at my local hobby shop (spair time hobbys)and saw a me-163 komit.it was cheap and so i decided to get it.well i also learned about lquid mask.so has anybody ever built 1?thanks-brad
http://www.modelingmadness.com/scotts/axis/luft/me/me163b.htm
Apparently, this was reviwed before the Acadmey kit came out. If you really want a Me-163, you should get the acadmey kit, as it’s only $10.
I built the Heller kit about 20 years ago when I came back to the hobby after college, and it was a little jewel at the time because the state of the art wasn’t so good as it is now. Then, I built the 1/48 Trimaster kit some years later, and it was a beaut, with the white metal and really well executed PE parts. Unfortunately, I had the now-rare Trimaster Me-163S unpowered two-seat glider version, which I lost in my fire before it ever got built. I hung on to it for about ten years. But, back to the Heller kit: I liked the very delicate ground handling equipment that came in it back then, the Schleppenkraft, or whatever you call that contraption, with the Y-shaped trailer for loading the plane on after it landed, and they even had the air-filled bags represented that the plane rested on to keep from damaging the wooden wings. Does that stuff still come with the Heller kit? Boy, was it tiny, though, and with that Heller pebbly surface too.
TOM
I just did the Heller kit for Mad Komet Day and it still has the Schlepper stuff in it. It is a good build considering it’s age. Go ahead and build it, just for fun. The Academy though is THE kit to get, however as it’s more modern tooling with recessed panel lines.
As far as 1/72 Komets are concerned, Heller was THE kit before Academy’s came out.
It still holds up well in spite of its raised panel lines.
Absolutely! Build it and have some fun!
I’ve posted this before, but here’s the Heller kit:
Like other posters have mentioned, it’s a good kit (the raised panel lines aren’t overdone, and the shapes are generally accurate) but the Academy kit is a whole lot better. I’d go ahead and build the Heller kit, then pick up a copy of the Academy kit to build as a follow-on.
Matt Usher @ FSM
In the process of finishing the Heller 163 and have the Academy 163 in the display case.
The Academy was built as the 163 S trainer and is on the “Y” shaped transporter. I replaced some kit parts (on the skid) with thin wire and it looks better. Dressed up the interior based upon some photo’s.
The Heller kit just needs the canopy attached. Built it as being towed on the ground on the launch wheels (saw a picture to that effect. Modified the little tow tractor included to have a third wheel for the tow. Only trouble was with the side windows, needed sanded to fit.