The Little World

There are some models that you build with polystyrene cement – others with wood glue. And yet others that are joined with anxiety.

This is one such model – it was a superb bargain buy at a stash sale morning – and never better timed. I was on the lookout for 1930’s European airliners for my new airfield scene. What better than the high-speed civilian version of the Heinkel 70 ” Blitz “.

I’d built one before from a Revell kit – but it was an entirely different experience to this one – you see Revell Germany have this business model of repackaging kits from other makers in their own boxes. The pack in modern decals, thank Heaven, and an excessive amount of cautionary instructions, but often just repeat the previous kit sprue tree for sprue tree.

The other Blitz was built as a military version for the RRAAF in their characteristic brown/silver scheme. It had originated from an ICM moulding and was quite fine in all respects. Fine moulding, good fit, and a spindly undercarriage. This was not the fault of the Ukrainian company – Heinkel had an ungainly cage of struts under the real one. It was a feat to get things where they needed to be.

This kit promised worse – because it started life as a Matchbox PK132 kit back in the day. I do not decry MB, but you have to realize that they are what they are – or were… I was not sanguine about the chances.

It actually went together fairly well, considering. The attachment of the wings was complex, but extremely strong for cemented joints. The tail fit perfectly. The engine cowling was a four-part juggling act even before the ill-fitting exhausts went on.

But gradually it came together and Spue Goo smoothed the way. I was able to use Mr. Color Super Duralumium for the finish and conquer most of the surfaces. The side painting to allow the flash to show through the black decal was a bugger to do – a better alternative would have been to just make the decal as silver as possible and leave it at that. But bless the printers – the complex sides went on neatly.

The landing gear was no better than the ICM version, and a little worse for being less precisely moulded – but it eventually did prop together with a deal of superglue.

And the canopy came out very well indeed.

Overall, I was pleased to display it at Luftplatz Strelsau last year. The finicky will not be invited to fly with me.