There is no
question that Blohm & Voss built some interesting aircraft for Germany
during the Second World War...remarkable floatplanes such as the Bv 222 and Bv
138, strange prototypes such as the Bv 141 and almost, but not quite, the Bv
P-194 attack aircraft combining both piston and turbojet powerplants. It never
saw the light of day but would have certainly have been one of the stranger
designs to see service in the conflict if it had! Revell released a series of
interesting Luft 46 subjects in the nineties in 1/72 scale that were really
quite nice kits. Many of us wondered why they spent so much time and effort on
such obscure subjects when so many important WW2 aircraft are still ignored by
manufacturers...why not a 1/72 A-20 or a nice Devastator for example? I decided
I needed to build at least one of these odd-balls and found an example of
the Bv P-194 in a local hobby shop...off I went with it!
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The kit is very
nicely molded with recessed panel lines, detailed interior and optional position
bomb bay doors. There are decal options for two aircraft, but I chose my own
scheme and markings using decals from the spares box. Hey, its a hypothetical
a/c so why not use a little imagination! The kit fits well overall
with no real problem areas though you need to be careful to get all the wing
sections aligned properly. I added some minor details including photo-etch
seat belts to the cockpit. I also added I little detail to the decking just
behind the armored headrest. Other minor improvements included the whip
antenna on the top of the stub fuselage and brake lines from copper wire added
to the main landing gear.
I pre-shaded the
model and began to do the camo work. I decided to go with a scheme of RLM 84 by
ModelMaster on the belly and RLM 82 Dark Green by Pollyscale and RLM 82
Light Green from Gunze. My aircraft was on the Russian Front in 46' so the
yellow theater markings were applied with Pollyscale RLM 04. Weathering/chipping
was applied using Prismacolor pastel pencils and pastel chalks. Exhaust stains
were airbrushed using a 80/20 thinned mix of Pollyscale black and Rust. My
spares box decals went on well after a coat of future and then finally a coat of
Testors Flat coat sealed the job.
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I enjoyed
this project though I can't say I'm burning to do another Luft 46' model again
any time real soon. There are just too many "real" aircraft I need to
get done!
Joe
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