Arado Ar 234B-2

by Chris Wauchop

images by Brett Green

Hobbycraft's 1/48 scale Arado Ar 234B-2 is available online from Squadron.com

Here is Chris Wauchop's 1/48 scale Hobbycraft Arado Ar 234B-2.

Chris built this model sometime in the late 1980s. It was the first time that he started adding scratchbuilt details to a kit. The cockpit was the main beneficiary in this respect.

Chris commented that, although he details such as the RATO packs and the 1,000 KG bomb were nicely done, the kit suffered from very poor fit in a number of areas. Most notable were the lower join for the fuselage halves; and the wing to nacelle fit.

The model was painted using a Holbein airbrush with a mixture of Tamiya paints to achieve the RLM 81Brown Violet and RLM 82 Bright Green. The rough overspray of RLM 76 Light Blue is very effective.

Markings are from the old Xtradecal sheet no. X008.

Hobbycraft vs. Hasegawa - Comparison

The models were compared and photographed together. The overall dimensions are similar, but the Hasegawa kit is more accurate in terms of shape, sit and details.

Specifically, the engine nacelles are different at the intake and even moreso (much shorter) at the rear. The overall profile of the tail is also wrong on the Hobbycraft kit. The contours of the clear nose is another area of discrepancy, and the Hobbycraft wings have no anhedral "droop" at all. The undercarriage on the Hobbycraft kit also sits lower than its Hasegawa counterpart.

Hobbycraft's Arado 234 was the only injection moulded offering in 1/48 scale for a long time and, apart from the accuracy issues, Chris got a great looking result out of this kit.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model by Chris Wauchop
Images and Text Copyright © 2002 by Brett Green
Page Created 28 October, 2002
Last Updated 28 October, 2002

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