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In-Box Review
172
Heinkel He-45
Heinkel He-45
  • 00154

by: Michael Spitler [ GOLDSTANDARD ]

The Kit
This short-run kit by the Czech company AML comes in a rather flimsy end opening box with two main sprues, one PE fret, one acetate sheet and a vacuformed pair of windscreens. Attachment points are rather heavy and will require considerable cleanup, and a few of them are in somewhat hard to reach places in between the alignment pins on the lower wings.

Detail
The kit comes with finely engraved panel lines, so fine that they probably won’t withstand much sanding. There are also some inconsistencies in the lines. Some are more heavily engraved than others, while others are so light they actually fade to nothing in a few places, so some light rescribing will be required in places. Also, one of the toeholds on the starboard side of the fuselage could use some reshaping, as the recessed inner area is filled in. One of the mounting holes for the exhausts on the starboard side is also filled in, and will have to be drilled out.

The radiator grille seems a bit simplified to my eye. In one of the few reference photos I have been able to find (thanks to Steffen Arndt) the grille appears to have a raised bar running up the middle, while the kit grille is flat. A thin piece of strip styrene should correct that. On the positive side, the instruments that will go beneath the rear instrument panel are crisply done, and should respond well to dry brushing.

The interior of the fuselage has most of the internal metal tube structure well represented, and along with the provided photo etch and acetate instruments should build into a nice cockpit out of the box. However, if you want to build the trainer version you will have to cast a copy of the front seat and build a new control stick, as only one of each is provided with the kit. In my kit, one of the vacuform windscreens has a corner that didn’t form completely, making it useless, so in this case the only real choices are the variants with a rear gunner instead of the trainers.

Test fit
Though a limited run kit, the fuselage does actually come with some alignment tabs to aid in keeping everything lined up. The halves are bowed out slightly at the front and back, but otherwise the fit is good, and will require only light seam filling. The vertical tail fin also has acceptable fit, though some filling at the seam will be needed as well. The trouble only begins when the horizontal fins and lower wings need to be fitted. The holes are too shallow and need to be drilled out, and serious amounts of flash need to be cleaned off the wing and fin roots to ensure the proper fit.

Instructions and decals
The instructions provided with the kit are decent, with seven steps all in exploded view format. The colors are given with their name along with the F.S. number and Humbrol color, if available. There are decals and painting instructions for 5 aircraft, with the most spectacular scheme of what appears to be free hand lozenge shown on the back of the box. However, the instructions on the back of the box don’t make it entirely clear just what color the propeller must be painted, while the instructions inside the box do specify the propeller color. Also, on step 3 of assembly, the instructions are rather vague on the positioning of PE part #7 on the gun ring, a problem compounded by the scarcity of good references. They also do not provide any rigging instructions other than what is seen on the box art.

The decals are in perfect register and appear to have been made by a third party company called Propagteam. I have not used decals made by this company before, but from what I have read in reviews of other AML kits they should work well.

Conclusion
This kit is far from approaching the quality of Eduard, but with intermediate or better modeling skills it should be possible to craft this kit into a good representation of the He-45. Some small details will need to be built from scratch, but with the photo etch provided you shouldn’t need any aftermarket parts. Lastly, at $15.00 you get a lot of value for your money.


Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AeroScale.
SUMMARY
Highs: Good details for the interior, lots of decal options and good value for your money.
Lows: Some oversimplification of details and panel lines disappear in places. Also, the necessary seat and control stick for the trainer version are not provided.
Verdict: I would recommend this kit only for the more experienced modeler, as the kit will require some extra work to create a well finished model. It provides the only injection molded kit that I know of for this plane and is good value for money.
Percentage Rating
80%
  Scale: 1:72
  Mfg. ID: 72 006
  Suggested Retail: $15.00
  PUBLISHED: Jul 03, 2007
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 85.00%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 85.75%

About Michael Spitler (goldstandard)
FROM: CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

I used to build model kits all the time when I was a kid. I stopped for a while after entering high school, but recently became interested in the hobby again. I am mainly interested in aircraft from the two world wars.

Copyright ©2021 text by Michael Spitler [ GOLDSTANDARD ]. 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

Hi J-L ... Shouldn't you rather try to get drunk instead of working? ... lots of Champagne I hope interesting aircraft .. hope Ruslan will get his 48 model out one day ... cheers Steffen
JUL 05, 2007 - 09:21 PM
Hi Steffen! That's exactly what I thought... Jean-Luc
JUL 05, 2007 - 10:14 PM
Hi Michael What an excellent Review! - informative and real help to anyone considering purchasing this kit! Many thanks for submitting it! For Steffen and Jean-Luc - the latest word from Ruslan (mastermind behind Rest Models' superb resin kits, for the uninitiated) will both disappoint anyone waiting for the He 45 and still have Luftwaffe enthusiasts' eyes boggling! "Hope that I'll be able to please u soon with Не112V3, Focke-Wulf Fw 159 (competitors of Me-109, and it urges me to think about Ar-80 )." Wow! All the best Rowan
JUL 06, 2007 - 09:16 AM
Thanks for the kind comments. I plan on trying out some of the other AML kits if I have a good result with this one after I build it. Once I get started I will take some notes for the full build review.
JUL 06, 2007 - 11:02 AM
Howdy Friends, do you know if the AMT He 45 Luftwaffe decals are for some Störkamfstaffeln (night harassment Eastern Front Squadron) or just for Jadfliegerschulen (Fighter-pilot School) Thanks.
JUL 17, 2007 - 12:59 PM
Honestly, I don't know. The three paint schemes with the rear gunner are all for the Condor Legion, and of the other two, one is definitely for flying school and the other is "serial no. 337 of A/B 24 Olmutz, summer 1941" from the instructions description.
JUL 18, 2007 - 12:14 PM
Thank You Michael,hoping AML soon surprise us with a Bücker 131 Jungmann!
JUL 18, 2007 - 01:10 PM
   
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