Henschel Hs 126 A-1 “Superpava”

Brengun, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Graham Carter

From Wikipedia we find that "the Henschel Hs 126 was a German two-seat reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a protected cockpit under the parasol wing and the gunner in an open rear cockpit. The prototype aircraft frame was that of a Hs 122A fitted with a Junkers engine.

The Hs 126 was well received for its good short takeoff and low-speed characteristics which were needed at the time. It was put into service for a few years, but was soon superseded by the general-purpose, STOL Fieseler Fi 156 Storch and the medium-range Focke-Wulf Fw 189." It was later adapted for glider towing and over several years served in small numbers in the air forces of Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Croatia besides the Luftwaffe.

Previous kits in this scale have come from Airfix, Matchbox and Italeri and Brengun has released two versions of the Henschel Hs 126, the 'A-1' and 'B-1' versions. It appears that only the undercarriage legs differ ( both types are provided in the kit so the modeller only needs to use the relevant ones in each kit) Apparently the  A and B variants had different engines but this difference is not catered for in the kit and, anyway, so much is hidden inside the large cowling it might not matter to anyone but the most fastidious.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

This one comes in Brengun’s familiar end-opening box, which seems a bit sturdier than previous ones, with a nice rendition of a bomb-laden Condor Legion aircraft on the top and the four decal choices on the rear. Inside is a clear plastic sleeve containing the fourmifd-grey sprues holding the 78 parts; two clear canopy parts and a PE fret of 11 parts.

The six-page folded A5 instruction guide has no information about the aircraft but thirteen stages of construction in B&W sketch form with rudimentary colour call-outs linked to a name-only list of colours. Parts are nicely moulded and surface detail and finesse of smaller parts is very acceptable. Flash appears minimal and any seams will be easily got rid of with a sharp blade. 

Oddly, construction starts with a nicely detailed engine before going on to the well-furnished interior, although I suspect the the moulded detail inside the fuselages might be a bit too indistinct - I have heard that Brengun will be doing a photo-etched fret to enhance this.

The cowling is provided in five pieces so take care to get it suitably circular. Canopy parts are commendably thin and clear, and can be posed open. The instrument panel has a decal for the dials and switches. The pilot has a seat that hints of a need for a narrower girth than average! Like most short run kits there are no locating pins for major components so the usual ‘take care’ warning is given.

The parasol wing, separate flaps and ailerons and associated struttery (both plastic and PE) will require some care as well, and I would suggest a home-made jig will help line everything up here.

A large bomb and cradle goes under the port fuselage.

Markings

Decals are on a 100x75mm mid-blue backed sheet which makes it so much easier to find the white decals ( other manufacturers take note!) and are nicely printed with good density and register.

There are markings for four Spanish Civil War (SCW) aircraft, all from the same unit of the Condor Legion, the 5.a/88 in1938:

• 19.3, finished in that challenging three-colour early SCW scheme on the upper side, RLM 63, RLM62 and RLM61, with RLM 65 undersides,

• 19.1, finished as above,

• 19.6, finished in the standard Luftwaffe finish of RLM 70 and RLM 71 uppers, with RLM 65 undersides, and

• 19.5, finished as above.

Two pages of colour camouflage and decal placement drawings are provided.

In summary, this is a very nice kit that well-and-truly exceeds the efforts of the early manufacturers and which will find a welcoming market with Spanish Civil War and Luftwaffe modellers, especially since the later variant provides even more possibilities.

Recommended.

Thanks to Brengun for the review sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2021 by Graham Carter
Images Copyright © 2021 by Brett Green
Page Created 3 November, 2021
Last updated 3 November, 2021

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page