Kit: Me-328B

Scale: 1/72

Kit Number: Who knows with Huma

Manufacturer: Huma

Price: $29.98 (!)

Media: Injected plastic

Decals : basic crosses (with swastikas and this is a German kit!)

Accuracy: seems ok

Overall: see review

Comments: Huma's always made interesting kits and I have enjoyed them all. Many have called them the Cadillac of the short run kits and this one is no exception. When you open the huge box you will find two tiny little aircraft. Since there are so few parts in each one (probably less than 20), I only built one of them for a quickie project.

The one I picked was the `bomber' version, the 328B. Both kits are `powered' by a pair of Argus pulsejets as used on the V-1 flying bomb. There is a tree of delicately cast plastic detail bits that in an MPM kit would be made of brass. The difference is that these are three-dimensional and can be glued without resort to superglue. You need to see these parts to appreciate how truly amazing they are. I did not break a single one removing it from the tree. The bits are mostly for the interior and add a lot to the kit.

Do I have a gripe about the kit. Well, yes and no. Since the aircraft were designed to be quickly built and air launched, they have no landing gear other than a landing skid. The `fighter' version Me-328A has a nice trolley for display. The `bomber' version was to carry a 550kg bomb on the bottom of the landing skid so no trolley was provided for the B version. I display the aircraft by having drilled a hole through the skid and placed on a wooden base. Not a major problem, but a bit of a hassle.

This is an aircraft that is smaller than a 109. I decided to do the `Luftwaffe 1946' route and painted mine 71/65 with an overall squiggle scheme in 76. I coded it U5+FE for 8/KG 2 and swiped a unit badge from Modeldecals sheet with the Do-217E.

It is a great little kit and I am now thinking of ways to decorate the A version. Highly recommended to Luftwaffe fanatics.