1:72 REVELL HEINKEL HE 219 'OWL'
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NIGHT OWL!
Moulded by Revell (GB) of Potters Bar in 1967, this near-mint 1:72 scale Heinkel HE-219 'Owl' night-fighter is moulded in Revell's trademark pale blue plastic with a single transparency for the tandem cabin. This is a well-detailed and easy to assemble model although it is inevitably a tail-sitter' without nose weights: although a clear plastic 'prop' under the rear fuslage would do just as well. The decal sheet, whilst uncreased, may not hold together unless the entire surface has been pre-lacquered in clear acrylic. That aside, the contents are in first class order and include a sheet of 1:72 scale German WWII fin crosses that we are not able to illustrate here!!!
ORIGINS of the HE 219 can be traced back to 1940 when Heinkel engineers developed a fast twin-engine fighter-bomber that featured a number of innovations:a tricycle undercarriage; remote-control armament and a pressurised cabin.Passed over at the time,the aircraft was re-purposed as a night-fighter later in the war to combat Bomber Command's nocturnal predations over Germany. In early June 1943 one 'Uhu' shot down five Lancasters in a single frenetic sortie.At the war's end Heinkel had produced over 290 of these successful interceptors.
One of the first plastic kits was issued in the UK during 1967,as kit No.H-160, moulded there by Revell (GB) Ltd.Our example is in near mint condition and contains four pale blue frames with all 64 parts,bar one,still attached.The single cockpit transparency is individually bagged as are decals for G9+AB-bereft of the dreaded hakenkreuze. Mouldings are clean with zero flash with surface detail being very finely rendered. Fuselage joint is lateral and smoothing the inevitable joint lines will decimate the rivet detail in the process. Gimmicks,popular at the time,include rotating wheels and airscrews,optional position landing gear and removable panels to reveal the somewhat basic engines inside their nacelles.Lichenstein radar array is reasonably thin but begs replacement from HSP or fine wire if it's to look really convincing.As with other Revell (GB) kits of the period,stunning box art was the work of Brian Knight (well-known to our DATAFILE readers!) and he really excelled himself with this one!
BONUS DECAL SHEET!
We have included a crisp decal sheet of various hakenkreuze in 1:72 scale sizes-you know the image we are not supposed to use of those crooked crosses that were painted to Luftwaffe aircraft fins in WW2....