DML(Dragon) 1/72 He-219A-0 Uhu

The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It was also the first operational military aircraft to be equipped with ejection seats and the first operational German World War II-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear. Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect on the strategic night bombing offensive of the Royal Air Force; however, only 294 of all models were built by the end of the war and these saw only limited service. Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow was the leading night fighter ace on the He 219. Modrow was credited with 33 of his 34 night air victories on the type.

This is another of Dragon's early 1/72 kits, first released in 1991. Prior to this, the type was released in this scale by Frog, Lindberg, and Revell. Both of those are typical of the time, while the Dragon kit is modern in terms of detailing. Similar to their other early kits, this one does have a photo etch fret that provides the radar array. Probably not the most accurate method, but one that works.

A fairly complete cockpit is provided with the tub also forming the nose gear well. This is then trapped between the fuselage halves. One thing that the modeler will find challenging is finding room for what will be quite a bit of forward weight to prevent tail sitting.

Once the main gear assembly is done, this needs to be installed in the lower wing upon which the upper wing is attached. The engine fronts, props and exhaust are then blude in place, followed by the gear doors, lower fuselage section, and gear doors. Note that the gear doors are molded closed and need to be cut apart. With the tail assembly built, this is attached. Two different radar options are provided and one has to choose the marking option to match the array.

Instructions are well done with Gunze paint references. There are two markings options with the box art option being overall RLM 76 with, I believe, RLM 75 mottles. The other is in overall RLM 76. Both are with I./NJG 1. The decal sheet is printed in Japan so the white areas are off white. I'd recommend replacing those decals. The rest are probably still viable, but one should have some others in mind just in case.  

I am pretty sure this is the most recent tooling of the 219 in 1/72 scale. The Platz kit is a reboxed Dragon version. It does make into a very nice model, but also requires a bit of skill to ensure all the parts fit correctly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_219

March 2023

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