Henschel Hs123A-1, GasPatch Models 1/48

Henschel Hs123 was a german biplane that was used during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, until 1944, while the last planes of the Spanish Air Force were withdrawn from service in 1953.

This is the second kit of GasPatch models, after their Salmson 2A2 also in 1/48^th scale, and is offered in two editions, one for the Hs123 A-1 and one for the B-1. The kit contains 167 parts in medium grey coloured plastic, three clear plastic parts, one fret of 44 photoetched parts, one die-cut cardboard alignment jig for landing gear and markings for five aircraft, with the decals printed by Cartograf.

We started the construction from the cockpit, which was painted with RLM02 and weathered with dark washes and lighter drybrushing. Nothing was added here, but the kit seatbelts were a little tricky to adjust! Another difficult part of the kit is the engine cowling, consisting of nine (9), parts which must be assembled on the already painted engine, as the cylinder heads are very close to the cowling, like in the real plane! Another controversial issue of the kit is the feeding points, which are a little thick, but they assure that all the parts are flawless. The construction continued without many difficulties, and almost no putty was needed. We decided to replace the two machine guns in front of the cockpit with a pair of metallic ones from Master for more realism.

The painting of the model was a little headache, as the three colors of the upper surfaces are a bit difficult to replicate and also to be found ready and correct. We chose a combination of Modelmaster’s enamel 2076 for the RLM62 and MrPaint’s of Slovakia MRP55 and MRP57 for the RLM61 and RLM63 respectively. The demarcation lines were done using the company’s vinyl masks that are sold separately. The undersurfaces were painted with RLM65 using Gunze’s H67. All the colours were sealed using several light coats of Future floor polish to prepare the model for the wash and other weathering which was done using various shades of artists’ oils and dry pigments for the areas stained from soot or from the crew’s feet. The decals were applied without any problems, and then the whole model was given a final coat of Winsor & Newton’s Galeria matt varnish. The assembly of the upper wing is very easy, and there is almost no need for rigging, which make this kit appropriate for those who want a biplane but are afraid of these two factors! In conclusion, it is a very welcome kit from a quality company and the construction is pretty straightforward, even for modellers with little experience on biplanes!

http://www.gaspatchmodels.com/products/henschel-hs-123-a1-1-48.html