Huma 1/72 Henschel HS 132

HUMA 1:72 HENSCHEL HS 132
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Carlos Giani (carlos_giani2002@yahoo.de)
- A Built up review of this kit exists on this site - see the respective fully built kit review index to locate review

Kit: Huma 1/72^nd scale Henschel Hs-132 (Kit N° 2508). Produced in Germany

Aircraft: Due to the increasing setbacks by German forces in 1942 the need for a fast and manoeuvrable ground-attack aircraft became increasingly obvious. At the time concerned the dive-bombers and close support aircraft available were all obsolete and no longer met the required demands in terms of performance and manoeuvrability.

In July 1943 Henschel started work on a jet-propelled ground-attack aircraft. All experience previously gained from the Hs-123 and Hs-129 was combined with knowledge derived from trials carried out with the Berlin B-9 in 1937. The results of these tests revealed that a pilot flying in a prone position could better cope with the effects of high g-force as well as with the techniques involved in flying new high performance jet aircraft. It was in this way that the Hs-132, a small jet-propelled mid-wing monoplane of composite construction, was developed. Prominent features of design were the jet engine mounted on the back of the fuselage, a prone position cockpit and a positive dihedral tailplane with twin fins and rudders.

Construction of the first prototype (V1) began after testing of a model in the wind tunnel early in 1944. The almost complete prototype was finally captured by Russian forces in May 1945.

Parts: In a sturdy top-opening box you find a plastic bag which contains one sprue of light grey parts, one clear canopy, a small decal sheet and the instructions. Total parts are 33, and they are undoubtedly short-run technology. Surface quality is sleek but somehow crude at the same time, and the engraved panel lines are a bit erratic and of variable depth, so that rescribing will be a must. The are some noticeable ejector pin extrusions, but there's only a little flash to tackle with.

For the cockpit you only get a floor (which at the same time makes the front wheel well) with a sort of mattress molded on (please remember that the pilot was lying down). There are no other details, which is a pity since you can see enough through the very transparent canopy. The floor becomes a decal representing the instruments, which is placed below the pilot's „bed“; this is correct, since they were of inverse display and viewed through a mirror. Position of the floor should be dry-tested, since there's no locating help. The fuselage halves include the back-mounted engine, and there are two „discs“ trapped between the later, so that you won't see right through it.

The wings are one-piece, with adequate wheel wells moulded on them, and the join of the fuselage with help of a locating pin. The tailplane is one piece, and receives the fins butt-joined, although positioning can be seen clearly in the instructions. The landing gear is tricycle, so that every possible place behind the pilot and up to the engine should be filled with weight; the well's doors are nice and thin. Finally , you get a two-halves bomb; unfortunately, there's nothing like a bracket to support it.

Instructions: A four page A4-leaflet, printed on high-quality paper. Pages one and four brings an extensive historic / technical information in German, French and English. Pages two and three show the construction in four easy steps, a sprue diagram and a 3-view painting / decaling real-scale guide actually beautiful printed in „Metal Aluminium“.

Versions: The kit represents the only existing prototype which was „V1“

Decals: You just get 6 crosses, two stencils stating „V1“ and a little instrument panel. No idea who prints it, they look acceptable.

Detail: There are no prominent details, cockpit and wells could benefit from some basic scratch-build.

Options: Just wheels up, although the well's doors are a poor fit.

Impressions: Well, considering that Huma was a one-man enterprise, one can overlook the evident faults a bit. Quality of this kit reminds me of Czech short-run at the very beginnings. Nevertheless, I love Huma for its courage to fill an always ignored gap in German aviation history.

Recommendations: A must for every Luftwaffe ´46 fan. Not for an easy out-of-the-box build, and not recommended for beginners.

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