Henschel Hs P 87

[kitnut617]

Well, I needed to make something and as I've received some new kits this last couple of weeks I decided to build one.  While moving some boxes into the rental we're using I found my box of tools but couldn't find any of my paints though.

The kit I decided to do is the Planet Models 1/72 Henschel Hs P 87.  I saw Sisko's very nice job he did on his and bought one as soon as I had found one.  This aircraft was supposed to be a fast bomber with a three or four man crew all grouped in the nose (surprise-surprise) with the bomb-aimer right in the forward nose, followed by the pilot then the navigator all sitting one behind the other under a one piece canopy which looks like the Owl's canopy.  The overall size of the aircraft is about the size of a Me-410.  I've decided to build mine as a two place night fighter as I think this would have been a more logical step had the aircraft been produced and considering what was going on at the time too.

The parts go together quite well, the main parts not needing much clean up but the casting blocks do need to be cut off, I used a new blade in my utility knife and scored between the part and the block and after a couple or more passes the part comes off.  I started with the fuselage sections and glued in the cockpit tub.  As there is lots of room to get into the cockpit I decided to glue most of the airframe before I paint inside.  I glued the outer wing panels and then fabricated a spar out of 1/8 round tube with the ends tapered down to fit inside the wings.  I then glued everything to the lower fuselage section, you can see here how the spar works:



I've left the top half of the fuselage off for the moment just in case there's something that needs to be got at in the cockpit.

I decided to put the contra-prop together while the super glue really set itself.  Looking at the props they look really nice but there is a bit of clean up to do as the are cast in a sheet of resin along with a bunch of other small parts.  Once I got them cleaned up though I realised what a disaster they are.  Each prop is cast with it's corresponding spinner section, the front spinner having a larger diameter at the front of it than at the rear (the aircraft is a pusher contra-prop) but the prop blades are all the wrong way around.  The flatish side of the chord profiles are facing towards the front (if it was for a tractor prop it would be great) and the pitch is the wrong way around too.  The rear prop though has the chord profile the right way around (flat side to the rear) but the pitch is set in full reverse thrust.  See here:



I was going to just leave it but it looks so odd I'll just have to break them all off and try to set them right.  Oh well !!

A couple more pics:





The top part of the fuselage isn't glued down yet.

Robert

[Sisko]

Looks like you are making good progress.

Yeah I noticed the props too but couldn't be bothered.

Watch the tiny vacform window at the front.

It is a prize bitch to get glued in without getting glue all over it.

[kitnut617]

Watch the tiny vacform window at the front.

It is a prize bitch to get glued in without getting glue all over it.

Yeah I saw that, but as I'm doing mine as a night fighter I'm fillling in the bomb-aimers position because that's where the equipment would have to go.  I've already filled in under the cockpit floor and I thing I'll make up some little black boxes or something to put in where the bomb-aimers seat would be.  I've got a couple of AMT Ju.88 nightfighters and there's spare parts in the boxes so I have lots of aerials etc. to use.

I think that the prop blades should be on the opposite spinner to what they are, it might not be such a problem.

[Howard of Effingham]

looks good so far robert.

oh! btw, surgical spirit seems to be good for removing the mould release agent from
resin parts. thats as well as the option of using washing up liquid.

[Mossie]

Mmmm, nice looking machine!    And a pusher as well as a contra prop, you'll be having raptures with this one Robert!

[kitnut617]

Mmmm, nice looking machine!    And a pusher as well as a contra prop, you'll be having raptures with this one Robert!

Yup!  it has all the things I like in one aircraft  

One thing that comes to mind, either someone has dreamed this up and called it a Luft46 or Rutan got his information on canards from German research.  It's very much like Rutan's designs, very modern looking with all it's compound curves and amazing that they could do that without composite materials !

Edit:  Well I was going to use the cannon pack that is on one of the Ju.88's to make this into a night fighter but I've hit a snag, the radiator duct is right where I want to put the gun pack.  I've had to rethink what to do and I've got a solution, I can get the Airies Mk-108 30mm cannon set and I'll put them in the nose where the bomb-aimer sat. Plus I'll use the 'Schrage Musik' installation too.