Page 46 - Tamiya Model Magazine - Issue 292 (February 2020)

KIT PREVIEW: WORLD WAR TWO LUFTWAFFE AVIATION
ZOUKEI-MURA 1:32 HENSCHEL HS129 B-2/RIII ● KIT NO.SUPER WINGS SERIES NO.17

I
have like the Henschel Hs129 for
many years. There is something about
its purposeful design that appealed
to me; it's not a pretty aircraft by any
means, but often, the less good-looking
a subject is, the more effective it
looks in model kit-form. I built the
Hasegawa 1:48 a log time back (some
readers might remember it in TMMI?)
but haven't had another '129 since
then, so when Japanese manufacturer
Zoukei-Mura announced they were to
issue a kit in 1:32, I just had to have
it! The company chose to launch the
model at the Scale Modelworld (Telford)
show last year and I was able to take
a few quick photos of it, which further
whetted my appetite! Now the sample
has arrived at Tamiya Model Magazine
and I have had a chance to look through
the box, I am not disappointed. It comes
in a beefy 530mm x 330mm box which is
packed to the brim with sand-coloured
(plus clear) sprues of parts. A slick
instruction booklet (fifty-two pages!),
plus a sheet of decals will also be found
inside, but no photo-etched parts. The
model's parts carry so much moulded-in
detail, there is simply no need for any.
Well almost no need; oddly, for a kit
of such delicious complexity, no seat
harnesses are supplied, so the modeller
HENSCHEL'S will need to make their own, or adapt an
Eduard ‘STEEL’ set.
The kit comes with two full renditions
of the Gnôme-Rhône 14M radial engines
and it is with these that the instructions
FLYING TANK begin. I gave up counting how many
parts go into each one, but let's just say
it's a lot, from the propeller spindle all
the way back to the rear ancillaries and
exhaust collectors, it's all there. The
modeller may wish to add their own
ignition harnesses using lead solder
Marcus Nicholls declares his cus Nicholls declares his wire or similar.
Mar
The instruction booklet is tightly
love for the Henschel Hs129! packed with assembly illustrations

Henschel at Telford

Back at last year's SMW at Telford, we took
some snaps of the ZM Hs129 in various states of
assembly. Note the B-3 variant on display, below

44 February 2020 TMMI 292