Heinkel He 112B-1/U2

Construction & repair notes

This model was damaged in March 2026 and had to be repaired. The following description reflects both the original construction as well as the repair process. Pictures of the model in its original condition are here.

The Heller kit is old but accurate when it comes to measurements and shapes. It is rather crude, however, in its details (or rather lack thereof), so I needed build up both the cockpit and the wheel wells. I removed the flaps and built new ones from plastic sheet; I also cut out the ailerons.

When the model was damaged, its wing had broken off and there were several pieces to be fit together. Fair amount of putty and sanding was needed.

There are many opinions of what the actual color scheme was on this aircraft. Most reference sources seemed to disagree with one another. I painted the model in what was my best guess about the colors. I used Tamiya acrylics: XF-23 Light Blue (a good approximation of RLM 65), XF-25 Light Sea Grey, XF-10 Flat Brown, XF-13 J.A. Green, and XF-3 Flat Yellow. When retouching after repairs some priming was done using Mr.Color flat white.

I had planned to use decals from the AeroMaster sheet #72-135 "He 112 Collection"; it seemed like a nice sheet with many options, but ultimately I was only able to use the Hungarian chevrons for the wings. The sheet's tail number, while the right size, uses completely wrong typeface. I made my own art, based on photographs of the actual aircraft, and printed them on clear decal sheet.

I originally finished the model with Testors' "Dullcote" and made an antenna wire from EZ-Line. After repairs I used Alclad II Klear Kote Semi Matte. Exhaust stains were sprayed using highly diluted Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black at low pressure.

Wheel well walls installed and gaps filled

Finalized wheel wells and a new flap

Paint work finished, waiting for decals

Hungarian chevrons applied

References used

1. Avions Janvier 96, Février 96, Mars 96, Avril 96, Mai 96, Juillet 96
2. German Aircraft Interiors 1935-1945, Vol.1 (Merrick); Monogram Aviation Publications 1996
3. German Aircraft Landing Gear (Sengfelder); Schiffer 1995
4. Heinkel 100, 112 (Hirsch & Feist); Aero Series 12; Aero Publishers 1967
5. Heinkel He 112 (Dabrowski); Schiffer Publishing 1998
6. Heinkel He 112 in action (Bernád); Aircraft in action 159; Squadron/Signal Publications 1996
7. Hungarian Air Force (Punka); Squadron/Signal Publications 1994
8. Hungarian Eagles - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierö 1920-1945 (Sárhidai et al); Hikoki Publications 1996