Revell of Germany Heinkel He 177 Greif in 1/72 Scale

The Heinkel He 177 was Germany’s attempt at fielding a heavy bomber during WWII.  It was powered by two DB 606 24 cylinder in-line engines, which were constructed by mating two DB 601 or DB 605 engines to a common gearbox.  These engines were recessed into the wing structure to reduce drag, a decision which lead to constant over-heating issues and fires.  By the time these and numerous other development and technical issues were resolved the deteriorating war situation forced Germany into the “fighter emergency”, where fuel and other all aviation resources were devoted to bolstering the Jagdwaffe.  Of the 1,135 He 177s produced, most ended the war grounded due to lack of fuel on various airfields throughout the Reich.

This is the Revell of Germany kit with the Eduard PE set.  It represents an He 177A-5 of 4./KG 100 operating the Fritz-X wire-guided missile in the anti-shipping role from Toulouse-Blagnac France in the Summer of 1944.  The kit is sharply molded with recessed panel lines and assembles without drama.  A nice kit of a large but rather lesser known type which carried several interesting camouflage schemes.  Recently Revell has reissued this kit, so if you missed it the first time you can still pick one up.