1/72 ICM Heinkel He 51 FINISHED

Thanks Joe! 

Very nice! The camo turned out great. She's going to look really good on the shelf

Joe

It’s been a bit since I’ve been on the forum, and I come back to you folks with good news. I completed my Heinkel a few evenings ago! This kit was somewhat simple to put together, but when it came to attaching the wings and struts, it was a bear. Still, this kit was a good learning experience. I painted it with model master enamels (flat white, rust, flat black, RLM 62 and RLM63),  and weathered it with craft acrylics.  The inner sections of the propeller were painted with artists oils. Rigging was achieved using size 16 guitar string and 8 pound test fishing line.  The decals were very thin, and the black crosses for the tailfin split upon removal from the decal paper. So, I found my trusty roll of yellow tape and painted on the crosses. Other than that the decals provided went on superbly. Despite fighting to put the wing struts and top wing on (there are practically NO attachment points on this kit!),  it turned out to be a great model and I am quite proud of it! 

It's lookin' all right so far, so keep up the good work! Good luck with your machine and have a nice day

Paweł

Paweł , 

I wish I had seen your comment earlier, I would have taken your advice! The good news is, no one will really be able to see inside the interior. The fuselage is glued together, and the cockpit opening is so small  I don’t think anyone will notice! Besides, I’m not trying to win any awards with this plane...however it’s a good thing to remember when I do muster up enough courage to enter in a local IPMS competition someday.  Still, thank you for the advice!

 The building is gone together with no major issues, except for the exhaust manifolds and engine housing. These parts were absolutely atrocious to try and glue together. I had to do a lot of sanding and I will probably have to use a bit of filler to get the desired results. The horizontal stabilizers are also a bit tricky, As there are no attachment points. I will have to carve out the openings for them on the fuselage a bit more in order to slip them inside. These issues are nothing that I cant handle, they’re just annoying. I’m not gonna let it get me down. I just keep thinking about the end result and how good this thing is going to look when I’m done with it!

Hello rocker286!

Now that kit doesn't have too many parts, does it? Not that it needs more.

Forgive me saying that, but in my opinion the dry brush you did is too rough. I'd recommend re-doing the cockpit, using lighter colour for the dry brush, softer brush and removing more paint from it before starting.

I'd also like to wish you good luck with your build and thanks a lot for sharing! Have a nice day

Paweł