Roden

1/72 Heinkel He 111E model kit

Product Article by Mark Miller in 2004

 

 

I've been seeing these early versions of the He111 for a short while now. They're not brand new, but I had the impression that they were very recent kits. Roden makes a line of the early Heinkel 111s, from the B to the C to the D and the E (and maybe others, but I only know of these models). Why did they catch my eye? 1/72nd scale, of course! That, and they're the only "early" game in town.

Right off the bat I'm thinking maybe this kit is something special. The side panel of the box gives a little line drawing of some of the interior detail.

It shows what looks like the bomb area. Intriguing, no?  Perhaps a few details about the model itself are in order.

Manufacturer: Roden (made in Ukraine)
Skill level: 4
Kit # (I think): 027
Price: $29.98 (US) -- OUCH, pricy, but probably worth it.
Date:... Date:... Um, what the heck? Can't find a copyright of any kind, not stamped in any plastic and not on the box, the decals, or the instructions. Bah, screwy Ukrainians ;)
 # of parts: Estimated 150-200 (probably more towards 150 end) 

First Reaction on Opening the Box: OMG! OMG! I take back that screwy Ukrainians crack! The decals include swastikas!!
Dimensions: Not listed


On opening the box I find the instructions nicely packaged along with the decals (so nice when some factories dump the decals and instructions loosely in the box!)

Click on image below to see larger image

I had to cut open the instructions when I got it to check on the paint I needed, but the parts are just being opened as I type this.

The instructions detail many steps (I took shots of each page of the instructions, but I figured you don't want to see them! You want to see the meat and potatoes, as it were!) but also include 3 aircraft profiles. No those are not massive bombs, they are cargo canisters for the Stalingrad airlift, it tells me. Interesting but I'm going with the Condor Legion (my mind is set!).

Click on images below to see larger images

Looking at the parts, I can see flash on *everything*. My first impression is still, however, that this blows away the Monogram 48th He111H I have hanging from my ceiling. The sheer amount of detail is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! It's not the BEST detail, but it's not empty plastic! I also notice that I've gotten myself into a model with quite a lot of clear plastic parts.

Click on image below to see larger image

The rest of the sprues are examined in quick succession. I notice some flaws and some benefits to this model, and will cover them here. 

The interior detail is by far one of the best detailed interiors of a kit I've seen. There's just so much, and it's well done! Take a look at the fuselage and the cockpit (the cockpit molded separately, I suspect, so they can simply mold a new nose for later versions -- an interesting thought, and perhaps a hint into their future releases??)

Note that some of the lighting changes here because the flash washed out all shadows (and thus all perception of detail) so I had to move to a well-lit area and take more pictures. They speak for themselves, however. Note the boxes, wires, and ribbing all over the cockpit, and the ammo canisters on the walls of the fuselage halves, and the profuse ribbing there as well. You may think that's nice, but that's not all!  There are even more separate smaller parts (tanks and whatnot) that go ON these walls! Those panels in the cockpit picture are the roof and walls of the main gear wells, also. 

Click on image below to see larger image

The wings are fairly good too. I notice in the instructions that you have to carve off the heat-radiator-thinga-majiggies on each side of the engine hole. I guess those were on the pre-E versions.

Click on image below to see larger image

But then I notice something with the surface detail. The detail is very finely engraved, but some of it looks... almost... sloppy. I'm not sure.  I keep looking. Some parts here or there just look a little bit sloppy or poorly done, and I can't figure it out. Mainly on certain parts of the wings, where the top of the wing conforms to the rounded surface of the engine mount, and a few areas on the fuselage and underneath. Then I notice a little lip of plastic on the belly piece... It's an actual lip, and it seems almost as if the plastic were pulling up, but it's a single piece.

Note the shadow on the SW edge of the piece? That's the lip. Then I got to wondering.  I can't tell if they're being CLEVER, and modeling the inefficient methods of the time (where metal gets dinged, dented, and sometimes pulls away) or if they are just sloppy. I really honestly am torn about whether this was intentionally molded after a the way certain metals attached to each other or if it's sloppy like the profuse flash
would suggest. 

Please note that this does not make much difference to how I feel about the kit. I'm in love here, folks! I bring it up purely for the sake of debate, is all

Click on image below to see larger image

Down sides:

On that bomb bay you will notice all the doors are closed.  Well, the interior includes a fully detailed bomb storage system inside the completed model!  How will one see this, you ask? Open the bomb doors?  Right? NOPE!

Those side walls are thicker than you think. They extend well into the bomb bay doors. They would be very hard to cut through and the ruined doors would be hard to replace. I'm not building this model yet, but when I do I will have to draw up a plan on how I will show off the wonderful interior... Hrm... Perhaps my meager skills are ready for a
cut-away? No.... I don't know if I could bear to see this model cut up like so.

Click on image below to see larger image

The gear doors are molded shut. One must cut them along the middle to get each half and then glue them in place properly when ready. That's a small inconvenience, but still, for a relatively new model with such a nice molding, I see it as an oversight (ironic choice of words, no doubt).

Goods: 

The detail. The detail. The detail. Meaning the interior detail.  The surface detail (lines so finely engraved if you sneeze they'll be gone ACHOO! Oh no! My model is ruined! -- Oh, and heavy coats of paint are a no-no). The "little things" detail -- the MGs have shell capture bags on them, they have two sights (far/near) -- the rudder is a
separate piece as are the elevators and horizontal stabilizers... Although

For some inexplicable reason they molded ONE of the hinges on the elevators themselves, and the REST on the wings. So if you wish to reposition them, please take note of this lost little hing, and cut him off and reposition him properly, so that he can find his way home.

Not Good, Not Bad, the I Don't Knows: 

The top of each engine has a curved inlet and then an outlet after it. Some sort of oil cooler (I don't know what it cools, but it cools SOMETHING). The issue is this: It's a solid piece of plastic. It has a flat front and a flat back. Not hollow. Now I realize this is 1/72nd scale. It's not always easy to mold small things like that. On the other hand it's kind of annoying to have so much detail and not this. I won't call it "bad" considering the scale. I won't call it "good" considering the other things we get and the "why not that" question. This is the "I don't know" part.

Click on image below to see larger image

Also listed under here is the fact that the wheels are not weighted. 

All in all, considering the "goods" with the "bads" with the "huh?"s, I think that when I do build this kit it will be my opus, my grand creation. I'm going to enjoy the crap out of this kit, you better believe it!

But not just yet
I have to finish some nearly-completed kits I already have before I work on this one. Yeeessssss... My precioussssss... Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pat the box while you were looking. Now, the review is done, if you don't mind, my precioussss and me, we wantssss our privaciessss.....

Mark

Photos and text © by Mark Miller