Dragon Models Ltd

1/48 Heinkel He 162D

Kit Number: 5552 (Master Series)

Reviewed by  Randy Colvin, IPMS# nn

MSRP: $34.95 Background: The He 162 has been a popular kit with many modelers over the years and this version will probably be just as popular. There was only one "D" model ever made and it was found at Schwechat at the end of the war intact as far as I know. Contents: This kit comes packed with four clean, gray plastic sprues, one clear sprue and one photo-etch fret. It contains over 95 parts, all of which crisply molded with engraved panel lines and zero flash. The photo-etch fret contains interior and exterior parts. The neat thing is that Dragon also provides a photo-etch hinge system for the engine covers that are already somewhat bent to shape. There is only one decal version even though the box says, "…decals offer a variety of markings". A two piece canopy is provided so it may be displayed in the open position if desired. Detail over all is very good as with the original He 162A release from Dragon some years ago. Another really neat thing that Dragon did was they simply added the parts for the "D" model (forward swept wings, "V" tail) to the original "A" release without taking anything away, so you can build either version from this kit. The instructions contain only ten steps to completion followed by a painting guide for one version. My only complaint, at this time, is that there are no seat belts provided with the photo-etch. This kit is a perfect fit into the "Luftwaffe 46" category and pretty much the sky's the limit when it comes to markings. There will be a build review and photos at a later date. References: Article on www.vectorsite.net .

Construction: The build begins with Step 1 (obviously) and it's all engine. There are 15 parts that make up the engine and that includes two photo-etch pieces as well. It builds up pretty good, but there are obvious indentations molded into the sides of the engines block for wiring and piping, and none of these parts are included with the kit. This is somewhat of a disappointment. After consulting some references I found on-line I added some wiring and piping to my engine and am happy with the results. Next came the cockpit, which included about 22 pieces including a photo-etch instrument panel. It is somewhat empty when complete but I believe the real thing is probably just as empty. I replaced some of the handles and detail with brass wire on my example as I believe the original parts are way too thick (part #'s E8 and E7). I also added some photo-etch belts from Eduard. Next came the main gear bay. This is made up of 18 pieces, and includes five photo-etch parts. This is a very tight space to work with the photo-etch and being extremely patient really helps to complete these steps. Once the engine, cockpit and main gear bay are complete the rest of the build is pretty quick. There are no wing halves, only left and right as they are molded in one piece to include the "V" tail sections. After the fuselage was assembled and sanded down, the tail section was added and this is where most of the filling and sanding took place. Parts C26 and C18 make up the pointed tail section, but do not fit well to the fuselage. It took some persuasion,super-glue and sanding to get it to fit perfectly, followed by a little rescribing. Once these steps were complete the wings were added and the cockpit and gear bays were masked over for painting of the exterior. Painting: I chose to paint my example as if "Assi" Hahn was assigned to JG 53 in 1946. I sprayed the lower surfaces with RLM 76 followed by RLM 81 and 83 on the upper surfaces. I decided to paint the entire tail section Yellow to add some color to the scheme as well as a Red nose and intake. Most markings came from the spares box. All interior cockpit parts were painted Dark Gray with the engine and gear bays painted in RLM 02. All colors were Model Master. Painting was followed by a coat of future, followed by decaling, followed by pastel weathering and then another flat coat to seal it all in. Conclusion: It took me about 30 hours to complete this kit and that was at a slow pace. I don't think this kit is worth the $30+ most retailers are asking for it, having the extra parts to build an "A" model are a nice touch, but you are only using about 70 percent of the kit for whatever version you decide to do. It was relatively an easy kit to build and one that can be made up into almost any markings you wish to do. Recommended for any Luftwaffe fan and especially the "Luft 46" folks. Thanks to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review the kit, and to Dragon USA.

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