Those who like early, pre-war Luftwaffe will like this sheet for the He-51. There is only one kit out for this plane in 1/48 and that is the Classic Airframes version. It is not an easy kit to build, being one of Classic Airframes earliest releases, but once done, it does look the part.

There are three sets of markings on this sheet in various camouflage schemes. First is a Spanish Civil War aircraft from 3./J 88 of the Condor Legion. It is the plane of ace-to-be Adolph Galland and is in RLM 61/62 over 65, a rather unusual scheme to say the least. It also has a red tipped spinner. Galland did not score any victories during this conflict as he was engaged in ground attack duties with it. By the time he arrived in country, it was obvious that the He-51 was a poor fighter and the Bf-109 quickly took over those duties. It is unsure if the black dots were part of the insignia at this time so they are included just in case.

Next is a plane of 3./JG 233 in late 1938. It is in overall RLM 63 with a blue spinner and trim. There has been much talk about the actual shade of RLM 63. Some state that it is closer to RLM 02 while other state it is truly a light grey. Actually, the light grey camp seems to be edging ahead somewhat according to the latest findings in the 2002 book 'Luftwaffe Colors' that was reviewed here recently. It only goes to prove that to be dogmatic about color is bound to make you look like a fool!

Finally a nice 2./JG 132 plane with its red forward section, upper fuselage and fuselage stripes. This particular plane is also in RLM 63 light grey. Unlike the previous plane that had the red stripe with swastika on both sides of the fin, this one had the red, white and black stripes on the right side. This was standard in 1937. It may also have been worn on the previous plane, but no confirming photos have been found.

Not shown is a smaller section of sheet that has another pair of crosses and the JG 233 fuselage band.

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