Hey gang!
As promised, here are a couple of shots of Revell Germany’s 1/32 scale He 162. This one will appear in the May FSM as a Workbench Review model. That’s a 1/35 scale Bego Kubelwagen in the second shot. Even in 1/32 scale, the 162 isn’t all that big.
In short: It’s a really really great kit.
Hope you like it!
Matthew Usher @ FSM
Pretty! I love that little plane.
When’s the kit due to hit the shelves in the US?
Good question! I haven’t seen them in shops yet, and the just-arrived February Squadron supplement still lists them as a “preorder” item.
My kit was an early production sample that came direct from Germany a while back without a box, etc.
Matt
Looks good Matthew,
I’ll be watching with interest for your May FSM workbench review, Bill.
Great build Matthew. When this kit arrives, I think it will be my first 1/32 build [:)]. BTW, Cutting Edge is taking pre-orders for a new decal sheet for the kit.
Regards, Rick
I may have to order the Cutting Edge decals. They have markings for one the aircraft the British captured – I love modeling captured equipment.
Matt @ FSM
Hi Matthew,
thanks for the pictures-great job! I was watching a programme about this one on the history channel the other night and it looks like Revell and your good self have produced a winner.
Regards,
Darren.
Looks great, I’m going to keep my eye out for that kit.
That’s a beautiful build, giving me a whole new perspective on what I thought was a butt-ugly airplane. It really isn’t.
I just recently got masks and a couple of different PE sets for that kit from Eduard, and seeing yours, now I want to build it, though the way things are going, the PE sets will be corroded by the time I get around to it. And now that I have a whole big box of PE sets sitting fallow for the most part, I wonder if they do tarnish or corrode over time.
Tom
Looks great Matthew, I’ll be looking forward to that review.
Butt-ugly?? I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion (and to change it[:D]).
Nice build really.
I gotta couple pics of that type out in Chino this last weekend
Jeff
cool!! thanks for sharing Mathew! [tup]
A preproduction kit was built up by the editor of Scale Aviation Models International in their December issue. The finished result was good, but judging by the in-progress pictures, the kit will need alterations & LOTS of added detail. For instance, the intake bullet is in the wrong place, the cockpit is very plain. There are u/c bay problems, cannon bay problems, etc. Hopefully it’ll be a lot better when it hits the shelves!
Pete
This was not my experience with the kit, and I believe we received a kit from the same preproduction run as SAMI’s. I didn’t get a box, and the instructions and decals arrived much later.
Frankly, I thought the SAMI review was overly critical and nit-picky, commenting more on what isn’t in the kit instead of concentrating on what is there. Their reviewer questioned the accuracy of several of the items, but to my mind really didn’t really provide resolution one way or the other as to whether they were really right or not.
Is the 162 as detailed as Tamiya’s new 1/32 scale F-16? No. But it’s also not $170 like the F-16. It’s $30, and while it may not be superdetailed straight from the box, I don’t believe the kit has any major accuracy problems, and even if it does have a few minor shortcomings, I’m sure there’s nothing that a modeler of moderate skills can’t improve with some aftermarket parts or a little detailing handiwork.
Matt @ FSM
Very nice!
Nice work Matt! How big is the finished product? Really nice work on the paint job.
Real nice, Matt !! Just noticed they are in at Squadron, so my preorder should be shipping soon!
Hi All, I also am in the process of constructing the Revelle 162 and are on the final stages of weathering and final detailing, so I thought I would chuck my 2 pence/cents (delete as appropriate) into the ring.
I believe I heard somewhere that this model has been made in conjunction with Hasegawa and if so then dont expect any fidelity in moulding. What you get for your money (just £19:99 here in the UK) is a good basic kit with sufficient indented surface detail. The cockpit is bare in parts, inaccurate in others, BUT does capture the feel of the 162. Check out the web, this aircraft is basic in real life, (go to the Hyperscale site they have a couple of walkarounds in their reference section.) The nose wheel has more than enough detail most of which is hidden when joining the fuselage halves, and the main wheels are a delight. The gun bay is a little basic as is the engine, but nothing that cant be worked up into an acceptable standard by the average modeller. MY MAIN GRIPE ARE THE PAINTING INSTRUCTIONS AND DECALS. The three versions which are provided for in the kit are shown on three generic three views (try saying that quick) that I found innaccuracies on so check your references. The biggest flaw were the decals that altho nicely printed (in Italy for Revelle) were rather on the thick side and needed copious amounts of Microstuffs to bed down and several layers of varnish to hide. I had considered painting the main markings but chose the easy route.
So what do you get for your money. For the price I found I had a visually accurate representative example of a interesting aircraft, in a scale that allows you to add as much detail as you want without filling the room. Maybe some of the parts are shown in the wrong place, maybe some need working on, but lets remember that our hobby is called modelmaking, if you want to just stick bits together join puzzlers anonymous. My final thoughts are what would you prefer a good basic kit that can be worked up into a real showstopper or something that costs a fortune but has little or no real challenge?.
I think it looks great and the price is right. You can add details for very little money from scratch, (we are modelers aren’t we?), and even pay for some aftermarket goodies and decals without breaking the bank if you wish.
Keep 'em coming Revell!
Joe
Just bought one at huddersfield ipms show .already started detailing the basic engine.Lots of scratch building for this one.a damn good kit for a damn good price.