Revell Germany 1/72 scale Heinkel He 177A-5 with Fritz X

Manufacturer: Revell Germany, Postfach 2609-2620, D-4980, Bunde, Germany
www.revell.de
Kit: No.04616
Scale: 1/72
Price: N/A
Comments: Injection-molded, 224 parts, decals
Pros: Beautiful recessed panel lines, great interior, good overall fit
Cons: Multipart interior is a tight fit in fuselage

The development of the Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin) started as early as 1937, but its advanced design features delayed production until 1942. The Greif was the answer to Germany's need for a long-range heavy bomber, but instead it was flown most often as an anti-shipping weapon onver the skies of Western Europe. Crews appreciated its excellent flight characteristics, but it was plagued with numerous engine fires due to its unusual pairing of engines in each nacelle - four engines driving two propellers. More He 177s were lost to engine fires than to combat. The A-5 variant (565 built) was designed to carry the Fritz X radio-controlled bomb.


Revell-Germany's He 177 Greif is molded with excellent recessed panel detail. The cockpit detail is unbelievable - 27 pieces! You may find as I did, that the interior was a tight fit, so take your time and test-fit everything. I also liked the intricate detail in the bomb bay. The detail on the landing gear is nice too, but there isn't much to see in the main wheel wells.


The fit of the parts was good, except for installing the glass nose section. I had a little trouble here, probably due to not fitting the interior just right. The 67-step, 23-page instruction sheet is daunting, but go slowly and you'll understand the directions.


Revell's decals provide stencils and markings for two different aircraft, one assigned to 4./KG 100 based at Chateaudun in 1944, and the other assigned to 2./KG40 based at Bordeaux-Merignac at the end of 1944. I choose the former because of the interesting over-water paint scheme. I used Model Master enamels, Grau RLM 02 and Graun RLM 73 for the topside, Hellblau RLM 65 for the underside. The decals went on fine over a coat of Future floor polish. No swastikas are provided, and I didn't have a chance to obtain an aftermarket swastika decal sheet.


The model took me about 25 hours to build. Despite the large number of parts (for a 1/72 scale kit), it was easy to assemble and it looks great when finished. If you have some building experience, you'll enjoy this one. It measures to scale according to the dimensions in the World Air Power Journal's Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. This is the third Revell-Germany kit I've built recently, and I've enjoyed every one.