Does anyone know about the Hs-129? I’m building a kit in 1/72 by Airfix and can use all the information I can get. Thanks!
I have very lttle knowledge of this aircraft as far as anything in the modeling dept. Backround on it I have some. The HS-129 was an attempt at producing a tank buster aircraft with more punch and better protection then the Ju-87. The RLM wanted to use different engines then the ones currectly in production for other luftwaffe aircraft, due to the strain on production. The 129 was considered a flop. It was underpowered, overweight and like the Ju-87 lacked manueverability and was easy pray without fighter support. Two unusual features of this plane were the gun sight was mounted outside the cockpit in front of the windscreen and it has the armored steel tub around the pilot for protection (Can you say A-10). something like 800 in round numbers were built. This aircraft was the only aircraft designed and built for the sole purpose of destroying armor in WWII. The only other aircraft built like this to date was the A-10. I think the 129 saw service on the estern front.
None of this info will help you add detail or build it, but you asked for any info. I also shot this off the top of my head so I could be a little off. I didn’t even know anyone made a kit of that plane.
I can’t tell you much about the real thing, but I can try to give you a heads up about the kit, as I’ve buillt one myself.
- Don’t worry about an interior one bit. You may be tempted- resist it. The canopy is too thick to see anything, and the space is so small you won’t notice anyway. Just put in the pilot figure and be happy.
- Don’t sweat the raised panel lines. When you glue it all up and sand the seams, just run over the lines with a sharp knife blade. It will raise a furrow and look just fine.
- I built mine with the cannon attachment, so I have no experience with the bombs. Just make sure that when you glue the cannon to the mounting tray, you dont accidently bust it off. Just trust me on this one.
- Speaking of the cannon tray, it doesn’t fit together very well at all. Be prepared for some interesting sanding experiences, especially along the backside.
- Decals are thick, so a decent gloss coat or some decal setting solution is a must. Also, depending how old your kit is, be prepared for some yellowing. To rectify this, just tape them to a window with exposure to the sun. After a few weeks, it should bleach them out and they will work wonderfully.
- Be prepared to trim the yellw theatre band decal. Mine was a bit too big.
Now this may sound like a lot, but it’s all pretty minor. I really enjoyed my example, and with just a little bit of work, it builds up pretty nice.
Good luck with the kit!
Thanks!
Although the majority of the B model served on the Eastern front, a 1/2 dozen or less were sent to North Africa near the end of that campaign. (the A models were only used for training). Apparently the French engines installed were very tempermental and didn’t take to the African sand and dust, resulting in only two or three missions being flown and the engines were worn out and useless.
The 129 had several problems that were never eradicated - Underpowered and tempermental engines, lack of visibility from the small canopy and lack of manuverability (sp) caused by weight and a very, very short control stick. (there were only a dozen or so B-3 models w/the 75mm cannon built because of the weight and manuvering problems). Despite these problems, when everything was working right, they were were a very effective anti tank weapon. Early in the battle of Kursk an Hs-129 equipped Schlagtgruppe destroyed an entire Soviet tank regiment by themselves. The Hs-129 soldiered on until they were grounded by the lack of fuel near the end of the war.