Print Scale 72221: LeO 451

The LeO 451 was the most modern bomber in French service at the start of WWII, however, like most modern French military aircraft, it was too little, too late. This was due to the constant issues within the aircraft industry that made it difficult to supply components to finish aircraft. After the armistice, the plane continued to be built for the Vichy government with the type eventually being used for several years post war.

The Heller 1/72 kit is pretty much it in terms of injected plastic kits of this plane. It was tooled in the late 1960 so is not state of the art though the outline is pretty accurate. Many of have this kit and if like me, have had it for decades. This means that the kit decals are toast so it is nice that PrintScale has this nice aftermarket sheet for the plane.

There are six options. The first is a captured version used by the Luftwaffe as a transport and painted in the standard RLM 70/71/65.

Next is one captured by the US in Sicily and painted up as a hack with yellow undersides. The upper colors were RLM 70/71.

The next four are all French. Three of them are Vichy with the two sporting red/yellow markings being with the French Navy in 1942. The one with just the large yellow areas was based in Syria during mid 1941. The fourth opton is from march 1941. All of these four have the standard French paint colors and are all painted in a different pattern.

On the back of the instructions are some pattern options, though they are all French. The Luftwaffe pattern will have to be left to your imagination.

I've used Print Scale decals and other than their earliest sheets, they are well done and fairly opaque. Well worth picking up if you have had this kit in your stash for a while.

November 2021April 2018

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