Dragon/DML 1/72 Heinkel He 162A-2 Volksjager

DRAGON/DML 1:72 HEINKEL HE-162A VOLKSJAGER
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Myself (rec.models.scale)
- A Built up review of this kit exists on this site - see the respective fully built kit review index to locate review

Kit Details: Dragon #5001 1:72 Golden Wings Series - He 162A-2 Volksjager - the kit has also appeared under the DML label.

Aircraft History: Developed to meet the specifications of the People's Fighter competition, in late 1944, put forward by the Reich War Ministry, this aircraft was designed to be made of non-strategic materials, and to be made by unskilled labour. Powered by a BMW003A turbojet, sitting on its back, it reached speeds of up 840km/h, but it never got to use that capability in combat. Some sources say a few were encountered by British fighters near the end of WW2, but this is unconfirmed. By the end of the war, about 150 were completed, with another 800 in production..

Kit Parts: Three sprues (one main and two much smaller ones) of 42 light grey injection molded parts come inside a plastic bag. Surface detail is quite good with reasonably heavy panel lines engraved into the surface but there are some minor mold imperfection/ejector pin stub marks and a tiny bit of flash, which will mean careful removal from the sprue. The wings, for instance will need a scrape along the edges with a trusty #11. There are four clear parts which are reasonably thin and clear, on their own sprue in its own separate plastic bag with a small decal sheet. For additional detail there is also an etched fret with around a dozen parts, mainly catering for the cockpit and external antenna/aerials. Partly due to my success rating using frets, I am not a big fan of these in kits, other than for cockpit detailing, the two dimensional principles of etched parts to me detracts from the detail they could otherwise be there to replicate.

Instructions: A nicely detailed fold out booklet provides the information needed to put this model kit together. There are 10 assembly steps and construction starts off with a myriad of small sub assemblies, in fact you don't put the fuselage halves together until step 8! Painting information is provided on the back page in a table format (not dissimilar to what Hasegawa do) from the Gunze Sangyo/Mr Color range and during construction painting information is given to detailing the smaller parts with the use of shading which helps to identify which parts are painted the same colour, something I think is very useful. The assembly steps are reasonably straight forward to follow and probably only leave a couple of areas where some interpretation is needed. The instructions also provide a history overview, explanation of symbols used in the kit, B&W artist drawing of a Mistel 5 (to inspire you to use this kit to build one of those I presume), three view diagrams of the two versions the kit produces and a numbered sprue map.

Colour Options: Two - firstly one from 3/JG1 flown by Oberleutnant Emit Demuth and the second is an example from 2/JG1. Both versions feature an upper dark green scheme over Light blue undersides, however, the tailplane and starboard wing upper sides are painted in a lighter olive drab for the second example, according to the instructions. This will need further consultation with the references when I get around to building this aircraft.

Decals: A smallish decal sheet is provided which looks a little on the glossy side and is of medium thickness, and they actually make me immediately think of Hasegawa type of decals so I presume they will go on quite well. Unit badges, serial numbers, arrows, Luftwaffe crosses are provided along with one or two written stencils. Swastikas are provided also, but have been cut in halves and the usual reference of a diamond on the instructions for their placement is shown. I don't mean to offend anyone but I do wish all kits would produce swastika's now, it is part of history and given the passage of time I don't see why this is still so taboo in model subjects, so it is nice to see them included here.

Cockpit, Engine and Wheel Bay Detail: With the etched fret there is actually a nice amount of detail for the cockpit with some very faint structural sidewall stuff on the inside of the fuselage halves. There is a console, clear part for the HUD, two-piece seat and a stick to serve as the main part of the cockpit as well as a frame with rudder pedals and dashboard, all of which are from the injected plastic. A nicely rendered etched instrument panel completes the interior. The main wheel wells are a myriad of bulkheads and struts and also contain internal structural detail so looks quite busy. The engine is very nicely detailed and will be a shame to lose it inside the nacelles which is all the more reason why it should be displayed open. Etched parts provide additional material such as an upper console panel. With a bit of skill and patience, it looks like the engine could really be done up nicely.

Optional components: There are a few options that the kit provides, most of which is thanks to the etched parts in the kit. There is a strut to display the cockpit open and the gear doors are molded in the closed position (so will need to be cut along the lines to have the doors in the open position). The engine can be displayed in the open or closed (which means eliminating much of the need to use the etched parts) position, although if the former, a study of the instructions is needed just to work out how to do this..

On the Sprue Impressions: Apart from the areas mentioned it is not the most detailed and quality kit I have seen in the Dragon range, it actually feels a bit more like a limited run type of engineering to the mold, perhaps similar to Zvezda, Huma or later MPM offerings. I have often heard the "Dragon Fit" sufferings of many kits and trying out a couple of components such as wings, fuselage and engine into nacelle there are indications that some challenges are ahead in this project! Not major ones by the looks, but a bit of test fitting and adjusting will be needed first it seems.

I do like the engine, wheel bays and cockpit detailing and it certainly provides a basis for the modeller to do something special in these areas. The etched fret provides additional detailing possibilities and the instructions and other components of the kit are all pretty good.

The major components breakdown consists of one piece wings, fuselage halves, engine nacelle split vertically, a one-piece tail-plane with separate tail fins. The nose probe is already molded onto the fuselage which is just asking to be snapped off during construction. There is a separate front one-piece engine ring intake and rear exhaust cowling which is split vertically, and this is where I think some fit issues will come into play (since these are obviously separate parts so the engine can be displayed open).

Conclusion: Overall it is a nice little number and certainly worth its place in the modelling cabinet as a late war Luftwaffe subject. Given the anticipated fit problems along with some minor amounts of flash and the use of the etched fret/superglue it is probably a kit that needs modellers with intermediate and above skills to tackle. No doubt some more accurate limited run kits are on the market nowadays but this looks like it will still produce a solid little replica. Recommended!

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