Henschel Hs 129. Hasegawa 1:48

This is a 1:48 Hasegawa kit which I made many years ago. This small twin-engine ground attack aircraft has always been one of my favourites and deserves a place on any aircraft modeller’s bench. Besides, my Luftwaffe collection needs building up! I wanted to make it look more weather beaten and worn than it was when I originally made it. I am not 100% sure but I believe this is the B-2 version. The aircraft has the most unusual triangular shape, rather like a Toblerone bar! I believe the technical term is ‘trapezoidal’. This was to help deflect shells or bullets but it made for a very restricted space inside the aircraft and there was hardly room for the pilot’s instrument panel some of which was located outside the cockpit! Even the gunsight is mounted outside on the nose. The cockpit was encased in a heavily armoured ‘bathtub’ to protect from ground attack fire.

The aircraft was progressively upgraded to mount heavier ordnance including a cannon under the belly. Although it was not a very successful design with poor performance it was used to great effect as a tank buster on the eastern front.

North African front
30mm MK 101 cannon I believe
This is what I want to own one day. The Zoukei-Mura Henschel Hs 129 B-2 in 1/32. The ultimate in injection moulded scale modelling. A snip at 22, 472 yen or £150 sterling. One can but dream!
Doing what it did best as a ‘Panzerknacker’ destroying Soviet tanks. 1 minute and 29 seconds of pure joy this video!

2 thoughts on “Henschel Hs 129. Hasegawa 1:48”

  1. Great to see this very unusual designed Aircraft up on your site, it was certainly an oddity. Nice diorama,sets it off very well ,great job on the Hs 129. Weathering looks great .Treat yourself to Zoukei Mura kit it looks stunning .

  2. Thanks for kind comment glad you like. It is a strange shape indeed but somehow looks right. You probably remember the old Airfix 1 72 kit which first inspired me though I dont recall building. But I do have an Italeri 1 72 which I forgot to add! The Zoukei Mura is the equivalent of kit heaven but sadly beyond reach at the mo. Still, like I said, one has to dream….

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