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First Look Review
148
Arado Ar 234 B-2/N
Arado Ar 234 B-2/N
  • 00142

by: Jean-Luc Formery [ TEDMAMERE ]

History
In summer 1944, the decision was made to derive a night fighter version - the Ar 234 B-2/N - from the already existing jet-powered bomber Ar 234 B-2. The intention of this solution under the code word "Nachtigall" ("Nightingale") was to convert 30 aircraft into night fighter versions in November and December 1944. After removal of all equipment related to release of bombs, a Siemens Fug 218 "Neptun" radar with antennae fixed at the nose was installed, along with the FuG 120 "Bernhardiner", a Fug 350 "Naxos", a Fug 16ZY with flagpole antenna under the nose and a FuBI 2 instrument landing system. The semi-recessed space at the bottom part of the fuselage which had before been designed to carry one large bomb was fitted with a modified "Magirus" bomb and two forward-fixed MG 151/20 cannons. Delays in production made that the idea of fitting the nose with a two-seater cabin was dropped in favour of a backward-facing work station for the radar operator, fitted into the very small space behind the second fuel tank which had previously been scheduled to house a camera for the reconnaissance version.
By 10 December 1944, the first completed night fighter aircraft took off to its first flight which lasted 25 minutes. By 12 December, an experimental night fighter unit was set up: Sonderkommando "Bisping" was to test the first converted Ar 234 B-2/N. Hauptmann Josef Bisping and his radar operator Hauptmann Albert Vogl had achieved a couple of unsuccessful flights when they crashed to the ground while taking off in 13 February 1945. The evaluation process was continued by Hauptmann Bonow and he came to the conclusion that the pursuit of fast piston-engined fighters and high-speed bombers on high altitudes (such as the Mosquito) was not going to prove effective because the full view canopy caused reflection phenomena which dazzled the pilots. Furthemore, they would have been put in danger if during battle, debris of enemy aircraft would have hit their aircraft. Also, the antennae set on the nose reduced the maximum speed and the comparatively low endurance was another problem.

Introduction
First let me say that this Revell kit is a reboxing of Hasegawa's Ar B234 B-2/N kit released a couple of years ago (kit number JT085). It was the third version in a serie of new Ar 234 kits in 1/48 scale by the two cooperating manufacturers. The first one was the B-2 "Blitz Bomber" version (Hasegawa JT083) and the second one the C-3 four engined version (Revell 04501). This "new" revell kit is exactely the same as Hasegawa's "Nachtigall", except for the packaging, instructions and decal sheet of course.

The Kit
When I purchased the Revell Ar 234 C-3 kit two years ago, I remember having been surprised by the huge size of the box. I thought "wow! The Arado must be a big plane!" Well, the box was huge but almost 50% of the available space was not used in it! In fact an Ar 234 model is not that big and this time Revell were more reasonable and the "new" kit is packed within a more appropriate medium sized box. In it you will find two plastic bags for the injected plastic parts, one instruction booklet and one decal sheet.

In total, the kit is composed of 8 sprues of light grey parts and 2 sprues of transparent plastic parts. The latter are placed in a separate bag to prevent damage and scratching. The overall quality, as you would have expected from Revell/Hasegawa, is top class with delicate surface finish and crisp detail. I found no sink marks, no flash and no damaged parts in my sample.

Sprues A and B hold the fuselage halves, the thin horizontale tailplanes, two bulkheads, the landing gear bays, the semi recessed belly rack, the RATO rockets, the external fuel tanks and other smaller detail parts. Two round windows will have to be opened on each fuselage side for the radar operator's work station. This should not be a problem as the plastic has been prepared for this and is very thin in that area.

Spues C and D are basically for the wing assembly. The are composed of one upper part and two under parts. The panel lines are finely engraved and there are also subtle relief details on the top of the wing, were it meets the fuselage. The ailerons and flaps are nicely renderd but have not been molded separately though.

Sprues E, F, G and J are the smallest, but feature the most parts. Tree E is composed of parts for the pilot's cockpit (floor with nicely done side consoles), the forward landing gear (don't forget to add 20 gr of weight to your model!) and the engine nacelles. Talking about the nacelles, I must say Revell's box is a little misleading. It is written on the side that the kit features "Detailed engine gondolas". I thought I would get two complete Jumo engines but in fact they only meant the exterior. I'm happy to note that these parts are detailed... like everything else in the kit! thanks a lot, I didn't expected that! Spue F has three different periscope parts, so make sure you use the right one (F7), the other two are for the spare box. Sprue G is composed of parts typical for the night fighter version. It has the parts to do the radar operator's station (floor, side consoles and instruments), the ventral "Magirus" 2xMG 151/20 gondola and the antennas. The latter are protected by big plastic "walls" to protect them from damage as they appear to be very fragile. In my sample it worked quite well as nothing broke. The laste grey plastic sprue (J) is made of parts for the pilot's cockpit (instruments) and the landing gear.

The transparent parts (sprue M, N and Q) are very nice and clear. Part M1 is a fuselage insert with a big window for the radar operator station. The way it was designed will make painting easier but to the detriment of assembly. This is also the case for the forward four parts glazing assembly (N1, N2, N3 and Q1) which are molded with parts of the fuselage. The nose cap is new as it features four holes to accomodate the "Neptun" antennas. Unfortunately, the annoying seam right in the middle of the clear part which was noticable in the initial release of the kit, is still present and will have to be eliminated with delicate sanding and polishing.

The instructions are composed of four A-3 sized paper sheets folded so to make a 16 page booklet. Page 1 has some historical facts about this special version of the Arado as well as some Specifications related to the aircraft. Page 2 and 3 features some basic construction tips in 21 languages (!?) and some explanations on the symbols used. Page 4 is entirely dedicated to the colors that must be used for the kit. Assembly guide start with page 5 and continues until page 10. There are 39 steps in total so I don't think one can miss something. A parts layout is also present on page 5. finally, there are four pages (11 to 14) dedicated to painting and decalling at the end of the booklet which will help you to choose between four different aircraft:

1 - Ar 234 B-2/N, WNr. 140608, T9 GL, Kommando Bonow, Oranienburg, 1945.
2 - Ar 234 B-2/N, WNr. 140150, SM FJ, Kommando Bonow, Oranienburg, 1945.
3 - Ar 234 B-2/N, WNr. 140146, F1 CS, Kommando Bonow, Hptm. Kurt Bonow, Oranienburg, 1945.
4 - Ar 234 B-2/N, WNr. 140145, SM FE, Kommando Bisping, Hptm Josef Bisping, Oranienburg, 1945.

All the aircraft wear a RLM 75/76 upper camouflage with spots apart from the last one which wears a RLM 81/82 splinter pattern. All have RLM 76 undersurfaces except for the third option which was painted black. Hptm Josef Bisping's aircraft is also particular in that the lower front glazing wasn't painted over while it was the case on the other planes, probably to reduce the reflection phenomena mentionned above. It is to note that this kit offers four options while the initial kit only had two. The German manufacturer also includes full stencil markings while none are present on the Hasegawa decal sheet. So if you have the choice, pick the Revell kit!

The decals are nicely done with, as mentioned above, a complete stencil set and instrument dials for the various consoles. However, I doubt that the latter decals will conform to the heavy relief detail of the plastic parts. At least, they can be used as color templates for the painting of the instruments. The typical black joint lines for the plexiglas glazing are also provided but unless they are printed in reverse they will be useless as the joints were located in the inside of the cockpit, not the outside. And interesting picture about this can be found at Flightsim.com. No swastika decals are present in the kit as usual with Revell Germany.

Conclusion
This is a very fine kit of an interesting aircraft and while it was not on my "to buy" list I couldn't resist the temptation when I saw it on the shelve. At a price of 20€99 it is a bargain when compared to the Hasegawa kit, at least here in Europe. Once completed, the Ar 234 b-2/N will make a nice transition between the models of Luftwaffe planes that were use in combat and What if? projects, as it represents something in between. Highly recommended!

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AeroScale.
SUMMARY
Highs: Perfect moulding, high level of detail, interesting marking options.
Lows: Seam on the transparent nose cap part.
Verdict: Revell's reboxing of Hasegawa's kit represents the perfect model for late WW2 Luftwaffe enthusiasts.
Percentage Rating
90%
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: 04505
  Suggested Retail: 20€99
  PUBLISHED: Jun 22, 2007
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.63%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 83.55%

About Jean-Luc Formery (TedMamere)
FROM: MOSELLE, FRANCE

I'm mainly interested in WW2 aircraft and I build them in 1/48 scale.

Copyright ©2021 text by Jean-Luc Formery [ TEDMAMERE ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Do not forget this: Naxos cover and finished ... wanna see more of my model... Ar 234 B-2/N Bisping shameless I know cheers Steffen
JUN 21, 2007 - 11:39 PM
Hi Steffen! Not shameless at all! To the contrary, thanks for the heads up and the additional infos! By the way, was this naxos cover mounted on all B-2/N machines or only the one of Bisping? If I build this kit one day (I must say it that way ) I will go for a 75/76 camouflage... I have the Games Workshop product you mentioned in your build. I may try it as you did on your model. Does the product resist the test of time? No cracks, no shrinkage, no oil spots? Congratulations for your excellent B-2/N model! For those who don't read German here is the conclusion from Steffen: "Ein interessantes Modell für jeden Luftwaffenfan, welches kein typisch japanisches Shake-n-bake Kit ist, das aber auch Anfänger mit ein wenig Erfahrung bauen können." "An interesting model for any Luftwaffe fans which isn't a typical japanese Shake n' bake kit but which can be build by a beginner with a little building experience." Thanks again! Jean-Luc
JUN 22, 2007 - 12:03 AM
Hi Jean-Luc There are very few pictures of this special Arado 234 variant and those I have seen have the Naxos ... (I suppose most of the pictures available are from WNr. 140145, which is the first prototype and the machine in which Bisping and Vogl died). I do not believe in 76/75 camo and overpainted windows, but I do not have the Monarch and this is also not my favorite aircraft, so I might be wrong. This was just a test programme that failed, so there is no need for special camo. Black window framing: I think this is mostly inspired by the NASM restauration. I think it should be either brownish or grey (like rubber). I chose RLM66 which looks much too light in the pictures. As this is such a rare bird, there is some guessing and artistic licence involved .. so my approach can be wrong!!! Green Stuff was just the only sculping material I could get when I built the kit (it worked great!).. today I would choose Magic Sculp which is softer than Milliput or GreenStuff and thus easier to work with (for me!). The form is stable and the colour is still on (must be 4 or 5 years now) ... but still I did not add the entry window ... tell me about lacking motivation hope I got your questions covered, if not ... ask again best wishes Steffen
JUN 22, 2007 - 01:06 AM
Hi again Steffen! Yes, perfect, thanks! I especially liked this one: As this is such a rare bird, there is some guessing and artistic licence involved... Jean-Luc
JUN 22, 2007 - 02:36 AM
Rare or not, it is cool. Great build there also. I probably won't ever buy the kit because there is not much space in the stash closet. If I get just one more kit, I will need to unscrew the lightbulb to make room. But if I see it in the LHS, I probably will unscrew the lightbulb. Hey, I got a flashlight.
JUN 22, 2007 - 05:44 AM
   
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