Part 2: The Build, Completed

This kit builds into a nice representation of the He219B-1. Overall, I would consider it a normal build with a few minor issues here and there. Overall, the parts fit was fairly good, although filler was required on most of the major seams. The seams at the point where the horizontal stabilizer attaches to the fuselage required the most work. No matter what I did, I could not get the panel lines to align on the fuselage top surface. The ones on the bottom of the fuselage lined up perfectly. I also added a sheet styrene shim where the ventral cannon bay cover attached to the fuselage.

There is no attachment point for the rear of the main gear well floor…it just hangs inside the nacelle. I added a strip of sheet styrene inside the lower wing to support the part (see photos below). The main landing gear seem a little fragile…be very careful with the joint of parts C4 and C8. The instructions show the rear landing gear door installed closed, so I did that. However, the reference photographs that I found later show it open. I was disappointed at first, but if the kit part were installed in the open position, there is no floor in the gear bay. You could see straight through into the back of the fuselage behind the cockpit.

The instructions also show an antenna (A27) to be attached to the canopy, but there is no attachment point. It is not depicted on the box art and does not appear in the paint & markings diagram. I left it off. Also, there is a machine gun, for the rear seat position, on the instructions and the box art, but none in the kit. Before painting, I filled the hole in the rear of the canopy with Testors Clear Part Cement & Window Maker. The mounts for the front radar antennae needed to be dry fitted to determine which part goes where. If there were installed as in the instructions, the alignment pins would have them angled incorrectly. I attached parts C2 to both top points, and parts C3 to both bottom points to get the angles right. Part C7, which attaches to the tips of the radar antennae seemed over scale. I "replaced" them with drops of white glue for a better appearance. The photoetched parts fit nicely…but they are tiny. But, even with my limited experience, they are a really great addition to the model. The Cartograf decals were really nice. They responded well to Microset and Microsol, but were a little stubborn over the panel lines. I finally had to slit the decals on the panel lines, and use several applications of Microsol to get them to settle in. I chose the overall flat black aircraft because the decals were more colorful. NOTE: Weight will be needed to keep the nose gear on the ground, but there isn't much room in the nose of the model. I put small lead weights in front of the cockpit, and larger ones in both nacelles, behind the cowlings. After I attached the landing gear, I turned it over … and the model still sat down on the tail! I had to cut up small lead weights, drop them into the nacelles through the main landing gear bays with tweezers, and chase them with white glue … I added three more weights to each nacelle. Moral of the story … add the weight that you think you'll need, then add more.

This kit was fun to build. I would recommend it to any modeler with a moderate level of experience. If you're already skilled at filling seams and re-scribing panel lines, this kit would be a great starting point for learning how to work with photoetched detail parts. It is a great kit, and where I've just made a mess, our more experienced modelers will certainly be able to create a masterpiece. Again, I would like to thank Dragon USA for this review sample.

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