DONE @p.2 +++ 1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2; Stab II./AufklGr. 122, Finland, 1943

[NARSES2]

The worn winter white wash is a master move.

Absolutely 

[Dizzyfugu]

Photo session eventually finished - I really lack the right mojo for this kind of work at the moment (esp. the final editing ), three finished projects are queuing up... 

[flappydaffy]

nice looking floatplane 

[Snowtrooper]

I found hints about Petsamo in literature that it was used by Luftwaffe units during WWII - and it was directly located at a large lake?

https://www.google.com/maps/search/petsamo+airfield/@61.5154478,23.7681367,5150m/data=!3m1!1e3

Petsamo the city quarter of Tampere is named after Petsamo the town on the Arctic shore; Pechenga / Пече́нга in Russian, modern maps have it under this name instead of the old Finnish name after it was ceded in 1944, but since it was part of Finland at the time, would have been called Petsamo by the Luftwaffe. Luftwaffe units were stationed at the latter, but I've never heard of Luftwaffe units stationed in Tampere though.

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of Luftwaffe bases in Finland - note that Petsamo referred here really is the Arctic port town.
http://www.elisanet.fi/fmp/fmpg_lwland.html

[Dizzyfugu]

Interesting, thank you for the input! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Finally... 


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Henschel Hs 126 was a German two-seat reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that was derived from the stillborn Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a protected cockpit under the parasol wing and the gunner in an open rear cockpit. The first prototype was not entirely up to Luftwaffe standards; it was followed by two more development planes equipped with different engines. Following the third prototype, ten pre-production planes were built in 1937. The Hs 126 entered service in 1938 after operational evaluation with the Legion Condor contingent to the Spanish Civil War.

By the time the Hs 126 A-1 joined the Luftwaffe, the re-equipping of reconnaissance formations was already well advanced. By the start of World War II in September 1939, the Hs 126 served with many reconnaissance units. They were used with great success in the attack on Poland where it proved itself as a reliable observation and liaison aircraft. Its use continued after the end of the Phony War in May 1940, but with more and more Allied fighters appearing over the theatre of operations, the type's main weakness became apparent: the Hs 126 was rather slow and could hardly avoid or even escape from fighter attacks. The losses were dramatic: alone twenty Hs 126s were lost between 10 and 21 May 1940!


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Hs 126 was initially produced in two versions, which only differed through their engines. 47 squadrons equipped with Hs 126 A/B participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, and the Hs 126 was also successfully used in North Africa. However, low top speed was the Hs 126's main weakness. To rectify this deficiency, the Hs 126 was in late 1940 experimentally outfitted with a more powerful BMW 132K which replaced the Hs 126 A's Bramo or the B's BMW 9-cylinder radial engine, which delivered around 625 kW (850 PS) each. The new powerplant delivered up to 809 kW (1,085 hp) with 96 octane fuel injection at take-off and as emergency power, and 705 kW (960 hp) at normal military power. This extra power, together with an aerodynamically more efficient cowling, pushed maximum speed to 400 km/h (250 mph), and after successful tests in the 1940/41 winter the RLM accepted it as the Hs 126 C for production and service.

Beyond the new engine the serial production Hs 126 C-1 did not differ much visibly from its predecessors, even though the internal structure was simplified and lightened by roughly 50 kg (110 lb). Various Reihenbildgeräte (reconnaissance cameras) could be installed in a compartment at the rear of the cabin, and the defensive armament was upgraded with heavy 13 mm MG 131 machine guns instead of the former 7.92 mm weapons. Sometimes, a MG 81Z 7.92 twin machine gun was alternatively fitted in the rear cockpit instead of the MG 131, which offered a higher rate of fire.


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


An interesting sub-variant of the Hs 126 C was the Hs 126 C-2, a dedicated observation and liaison floatplane for theatres of operation with difficult terrain where sufficient airfields were rare or hard to install and where alternatively bodies of water could be used for landing. Around thirty Hs 126 Cs were modified with twin floats instead of the type's standard spatted fixed landing gear. They were, however, unlike the Arado Ar 196 shipboard reconnaissance floatplane, not capable of catapult starts and not intended for operations at high sea. Other changes included a ventral fin for improved directional stability, additional fuel tanks in the floats that compensated the loss of range through the floats' drag, and the land-based Hs 126s optional shackles for light bombs under the fuselage were deleted to compensate for the floats' extra weight, and there was no free space left to ensure a safe bomb release.
Another feature that was developed for the Hs 126 C after field experiences with the aircraft during winter operations was an extended cockpit glazing to better protect the observer from the elements. It covered the while rear section of the cockpit opening but still was open at the rear. It was mounted on rails and could be pushed forward, under the original glasshouse for the pilot. This canopy extension was offered as a Rüstsatz (field modification kit) for older Hs 126 variants, too, and modified aircraft received the suffix "R1" to their designation.

Only 150 Hs 126 Cs (32 of them C-2 floatplanes) were built between early 1941 and 1942, production of the Hs 126 A/B had already ended in 1941.  Most of them were operated in Denmark and Norway, even though a few were also allocated to Aufklärergruppen in the Mediterranean where they operated in the Adriatic Sea.
The Hs 126 was well received for its good short takeoff and low-speed characteristics which were needed at the time. However, it was vulnerable and the Hs 126 A/Bs were already retired from frontline units in 1942, the better-performing Hs 126 Cs only a year later. The type was soon superseded by the light general-purpose STOL Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, which was simpler and cheaper to produce, and the medium-range two-engine twin-boom Focke-Wulf Fw 189 "flying eye" with a fully enclosed cockpit and a better defensive armament. However, many Hs 126s were still operated for some time in areas with little Allied aerial threat, or second-line duties as glider tugs or liaison aircraft.


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General characteristics:
    Crew: Two (pilot and observer/gunner)
    Length: 10,90 m (35 ft 7 in) fuselage only
                   11,52 m (37 ft 9 in) overall
    Wingspan: 14.5 m (47 ft 7 in)
    Height: 4,61 m (15 ft 1 in) from waterline
    Wing area: 31.6 m² (340 sqft)
    Empty weight: 2,030 kg (4,480 lb)
    Loaded weight: 3,090 kg (6,820 lb)

Powerplant:
    1× BMW 132K air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine with 809 kW (1,085 hp) emergency power and 705 kW (960 hp) continuous output

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 360 km/h (223 mph) at 3,000 m (9,850 ft) with floats
                               (C-1: 400 km/h (248 mph) with wheels)
    Travelling speed: 280 km/h /174 mph)
                               (C-1: 300 km/h (186 mph)
    Landing speed: 115 km/h (71 mph)
    Range: 998 km (620 mi)
    Service ceiling: 8,530 m (28,000 ft)
    Rate of climb: 550 m/min (1,800 ft/min)
    Time to height: 4,4 min to 1.000 m (3.275 ft)
                            14 min to 3.000 m (9826 ft)
    Wing loading: 97.8 kg/m2 (20.1 lb/sqft)
    Power/mass: 0.21 kW/kg (0.13 hp/lb)

Armament:
    1× forward-firing 13 mm (.511 in) MG 131 machine gun
    1× flexible, rearward-firing 13 mm (.511 in) MG 131 machine gun




1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Henschel Hs 126 C-2, aircraft 'F6+DC' of the Stabschwarm II./AufklGr 122; Petsamo Airfield (Tampere/Finland), February 1943 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Well, not a spectacular what-if model, and mounting the Hs 126 on floats was trickier than one would expect at first glance. Pimping the rather dull Luftwaffe standard livery with whitewash was a good move, though, adding an interesting and individual twist to the aircraft. And the resulting whole "package" looks pretty convincing?

And best regards to ericr for the inspiration! 

[comrade harps]

Works for me 

[Wardukw]

Awesome Dizzy  ..another great build and i agree with the lads the white brings the whole thing together and works great in the pics..bloody nice build matey 

[Tophe]

wow!

[PR19_Kit]

That doesn't look the slightest bit Whiffy at all......

Which is EXACTLY how it should look of course. 

Brilliant job Thomas. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot, glad you like it! 

[kitbasher]

What Kit says, Dizzy  , epecially like your final B&W picture.

[zenrat]

Just like a bought one.
Good job Dizz.

[ericr]

 

the floats struts / legs from the Ar196 have to be adjusted indeed, which I didn't manage as well as you did

[stevehed]

Excellent. A real world look that would fool me.