Tank Buster from Hasegawa: Modeling the Hs 129B

Kit: HE09071 Modeling the Hs 129B - Tank Buster from Hasegawa 1/48 Scale

When Hasegawa announced they were releasing a 1/48th-scale kit of the Henschel Hs 129, a lot of modelers asked, 'Why?' A lot probably even asked 'What?' From Hasegawa's point of view, the obvious answer to the first question is to make money. The answer to the second is the Hs 129 is a very early version of the dedicated airborne tank killer and general all around 'air to mud machine.' The Henschel Hs 129 was an important aircraft in the development of ground attack aircraft. The Hs 129 employed all sorts of revolutionary adaptations for its day. The pilot was enclosed in a small, armored capsule with excellent visibility over a sloping nose. The cockpit was so tight that the gunsight had to be mounted outside in front of the windscreen and the engine instruments were mounted on the engine nacelles. The lower cowling of each engine was also armored. Nevertheless, the engines were the biggest headache and most vulnerable part of the aircraft. The French Gnome-Rhone radial engines were generally temperamental and lacked the power needed for an aircraft even the Hs 129's small size. Nevertheless, the less than totally reliable Gnome-Rhone engines were a considerable improvement over the earlier Argus in line engines which powered the early Hs 129A-0 versions and these aircraft were better than the prototypes, whose test pilots had nothing good to say of the Hs 129. These early machines were difficult to fly even under ideal conditions, not to mention during combat maneuvers. Only after much modification did the first 12 Hs 129A-0 aircraft and 16 A-1 versions enter service in 1940. These first production aircraft carried a standard armament of four guns mounted in the fuselage behind the cockpit and firing through channels on either side of the cockpit. Two 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns were mounted in the lower section, while two 20mm cannon were mounted above.

I've always wondered how noisy these guns must have been for the pilot. This basic arrangement of armament continued throughout the Hs 129 series. The Argus engines were the primary cause of the Hs 129A's poor performance, prompting the Germans to install the more powerful Gnome-Rhone engines which were available in numbers after the fall of France. Thus was born the subject of the Hasegawa kit the Hs 129B. This aircraft carried a variety of weapons, including several types of bombs, on racks under the fuselage centerline and under the wings. It also carried some impressively large bore cannon carried in pods mounted under the fuselage. The Hasegawa kit offers two 30mm ventral pod choices: a Mk 101 or Mk 103 cannon. A later version (not yet offered by Hasegawa) mounted a 7.5cm cannon. Quite a can opener! Hasegawa has produced some really fine kits recently and I think this is one of their best. The fit is good, the detail is clean, and the engineering is excellent. The kit is produced in the ubiquitous gray styrene and has some nice thin clear parts, which are easy to get off the runner and clean up. The only clear pieces are the windscreen, sliding hood portion, and a landing light. Parts and decals are included to produce either a Mk 101 armed machine of 8.(Pz)SG1 or a Mk 103 armed veteran of 8.(Pz)SG9. Both are in Eastern Front markings of RLM 70/71 (Black Green/ Dark Green) splinter camouflage over RLM65 (Light Blue), with a Yellow fuselage band and yellow V on the wing.

The proper placement of the windscreen was achieved using the sliding canopy as a guide during assembly. The instrument panel was painted and dry-brushed, while the kit decals were used for the side console panels. The Hs 129's weapons fired through the channels on the side of the nose.

Seat belts were made with lead foil taken from dental X-rays, while the photo etched buckles came from Eduard's set of German WWII seat buckles. The white aiming lines on the canopy are a decal applied to the inside canopy surface. The gunsight was mounted in front of the windscreen.

Soft vinyl caps are provided to hold the propellers in place which seems to be the current vogue among Japanese manufacturers these work superbly - I like them. Construction of the kit is straightforward. It begins with the cockpit, which holds no surprises. Just be careful of the parts C-28 & 29 which are the inside portions of the 20mm gun troughs. I used the kit decals for the side consoles, although I painted and dry-brushed the instrument panel instead of using the decals supplied. I like to do this step with my instrument panels, although I also enjoy making individual decal instrument faces using a punch. The kit seat is in a reclined position (so the pilot could get in or out easily); however, there is no articulation indicated on the seat. There is a separate upper armor piece. Unfortunately the nice detail of the armor plate behind the seat practically disappears when it's assembled. Be aware the shoulder straps are fastened to the bulkhead behind the armor and pass through easily opened slots. I used individual buckles from Eduard and lead foil from dental X-rays for my belts. I painted the belts light gray. The cockpit tub and seat installed easily between the fuselage halves.

Be absolutely sure you install the two radiators on the underside of the wing before you add the engine nacelles, otherwise, you'll never get them to fit. Follow the instructions and the fit will be just fine. I had a little problem getting the lower nose cap (part A6) to fit well, however, a little putty around the edge of the cap and some careful sanding meant little detail was lost. The assembly of the kit from here on is pretty basic except for the separate ailerons. Those mounting 'hinges' are not all the same so be careful they are the correct ones before you glue them in. I used Testor's liquid cement here since it dries somewhat slower than Tenax and allows me to correct the alignment. If they aren't aligned right, the aileron won't fit, so be careful. I decided to add a floor to the engine nacelles over the carburetor intakes so I couldn't see through. You can't see much so it's your call. It is an easy job with a little Sheet Styrene. The two propellers each built with separate blades and hub turn in opposite directions. This looks good when completed. I painted propellers overall Black Green, which is the standard color for most Luftwaffe propellers. I used the same color for the two small bombs I added after painting the wing.

The ends of the engine exhaust pipes were further opened up by the author. The two white flap indicator lines straddle the wing and flap, instead of going on the wing only according to the kit instructions.

Each propeller blade is individually molded and separately attached to the hub. Fly fishing no-lead wire was used for the added brake lines, which were held to the strut by strips of lead foil.

I had an excellent fit with the wing and fuselage, with only a little cyanoacrylate (CA superglue) used on the aft section to eliminate the joint. After I had sanded it down and matched the two surfaces, I rescribed the panel line over the CA joint. I found the two engine cowlings fit well, although I had to do some trimming of the alignment slots to get them to sit right over the engines. Two exhaust systems are included in the kit, although the longer pipes are shown in the instructions. My records show some of the Hs 129Bs had the short upturned exhaust pipes. I also chose to drill and file out the end of the exhaust pipes. To get the windscreen in the right position, I used the sliding canopy as a guide. The fit of both clear pieces is right on, although mistakes can be made if you aren't careful. I dipped both pieces in Future floor wax a couple of times to get more clarity and protect the plastic. I used some fast setting cement to secure the windscreen when I was sure it aligned with the sliding section. It worked fine and there was no fogging.
The tail wheel has an oval shaped boss, which fit into a recessed depression. I would recommend cutting off the small peg and making the part fit the recess. You may have to thin it slightly for a good fit. I completed the kit in, what is for me, a pretty short time - couple of weeks. I had no major problems and hope to build another of these little gems. You will be amazed to see how small the completed model is, especially when compared to a P-51 or a Sturmovik.

I even used the kit decals and they worked just fine with a little Micro Sol. Here is another hint. The little decal going on the canopy window is applied to the inside. If you can see the decal film after it dries, just give it a coat of Future and the film will disappear. There is a slight error in the instructions regarding where those two little white lines go on the wing. These are flap indicator lines and should go across the wing/flap line, not on the wing alone according to the instructions. Just move them back a bit. My last step was installing the antenna mast, which I didn't want to break off since it extends out at about a 30° angle from the fuselage. Check your references to see if your model has the antenna mast or the loop; it shouldn't have both. One of the best available references on the Hs 129 is the publication from MBI, which has both English and Czech text , along with ample illustrations. Other than the seat belts, I added brake lines to the kit using fly fishing no-lead wire with strips of lead foil wound around the gear strut to hold it in place, all held together by CA. I think the brake lines add to the 'personality' of the little model. I used Future for a glossing agent and Clear Flat Overcoat for a final finish. This was a fun kit to build and I recommend you try one. Even a beginner can turn out a great model when building this kit. Milton Bell