Hasegawa 1/48 scale Arado Ar 234B-2

Kit: No. HA09083
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Hasegawa, distributed by Marco Polo Import, 532 S. Coralridge Place, City of Industry, CA 91746, 626-333-2328, www.marcopoloimport.com
Price: $39.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 162 parts, decals
Pros: Excellent detail and accuracy; bombs, drop tanks, and rocket-assist pods included; good decals
Cons: Locator pins cause wing parts to misalign, mold seam in canopy must be sanded and polished out

Parallel with the development of the Me 262, Germany also fielded the first jet bomber, the Arado 234. Although it used a straight-wing design, the Ar 234 had many novel features, including an automatic flight control to allow the pilot to act as bombardier during the attack run. The extensively glazed cockpit gave excellent forward vision but a periscope was necessary for rear view. This device was also intended to control rearward-firing cannons when installed.

The Ar 234 had potential; a reconnaissance version was used extensively, and a night fighter was being developed. A four-engine version was close to production status by the end of World War II.

Hasegawa's new Ar 234 has many features and appears to be designed for future versions. The flash-free gray and clear styrene parts show fine recessed panel lines. Drop tanks, SC 1000 "Herrmann" bomb, rocket-assist pods, and reconnaissance cameras are included. Revell Germany will issue a four-engine version (Ar 234C) of Hasegawa's kit soon.

Following the instructions, I started with the cockpit assembly. Hasegawa obviously worked hard to present the highly visible cockpit, as there is an impressive number of parts included for that area. I spent several hours painting and assembling the cockpit. To get the right canopy shape, Hasegawa used a multi-piece mold, resulting in a visible mold-parting line. I carefully sanded and polished this away.

I was concerned about how the cockpit details and canopy would fit, so I dry-fitted all of these parts. I decided to install the floor and side panels at this time, then add the clear parts and the top cockpit panel later.

The separate main landing gear bay installation looked a bit tricky, but it was easily accomplished. I had to remove the thick rod-like molding pins from the outside of the gear bays before they would fit into the fuselage. The main gear struts went into the bays, then the bays fit to each fuselage half.

The fuselage is a complex collection of sub-assemblies and individual parts. Some clear panels behind the cockpit (painted over in this version) didn't fit well and required filler and sanding. I also had to file down the cockpit bulkhead before it would drop into the fuselage recess.

The three-piece wing is a simple design, but matching the locating pins misaligned the lower wing in my sample. The tips ended up mismatched and gaps appeared at the underside wing root. Cutting off the pins to allow more adjustment helped the wing fit well to the fuselage.

The engine pods were easy to assemble. I found a bit of pressure was required for them to fit flush with the wing while I applied cement. No filler was needed.

The Arado's cockpit glazing was interesting, as there was no external framing; it was attached to internal supports with screws. With this in mind, I painted most of the black internal supports on the inside of the kit's clear parts. The nose cap was more difficult, so I painted the outside of the frame. It looks just as good as the internal frames. So much for accuracy!

I finished the model by adding the nose cap, top canopy, drop tanks, rocket pods, and bomb. All went on perfectly.

I painted my "Blitz" with Gunze Sangyo's late-war Luftwaffe colors. Decals are included for three bomber aircraft, and they went on well with decal setting solution.

My prime reference was Arado 234 Blitz by J. Richard Smith and Eddie J. Creek. The old Profile series number 215 is also useful. The finished model matches the dimensions in the references, and it looks right to me.

I finished my Ar 234 in 23 hours. Aside from the challenge of the complex cockpit assembly, I found Hasegawa's kit to be well engineered and a pleasure to build.

Jim Zeske