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Planet Models 1/48
Jim Sanderson & Gary Webster
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Jim Sanderson
I am about four hours into the He P1077 Julia by Planet Models. I
was very surprised at the poor fit, both at the wing and fuselage joint
and for the halves of the cockpit area. I can understand that the front
is modular so as to simplify the kitting of both a Julia and a Romeo,
but the front section, especially the top, is going to need more work
than I would have liked. Aside from the matter of fit, the wing is
symmetrical, delicate and nicely detailed. Overall the finish is smooth
and there is petite recessed detail. The tail section consists of two
very fine vertical sections and a thin horizontal section, each with
adequate locating pads. The rocket nozzles are a pair of lumps with
rather little recess.
I was also dismayed by the total lack of detail in the cockpit- even the "floor" is just lumpy resin. There are, however, a pair of spindly handles, reminiscent of the items I saw in several of the Huma treatments of prone pilot position cockpits. In addition to the Plexiglas "dome" in the front (which is represented with a vacuformed piece), there seem to be two or three other "windows" in the cockpit area, but these are indicated by scribed lines in the resin, which might go hand in hand with the lack of cockpit. I equivocate because the drawing on the box clearly shows windows on either side of the cockpit; there is a third outline on the top, the entry hatch, which may or may not have been clear. On a more petty note, the landing skid is represented by a square sided pair of long lumps sticking off of the bottom of the fuselage. I think these will be best handled by simply removing them and hitting up the spares box for a likely pair of skis.
Admittedly, this is a paper project; I don't believe that
there was
ever
any prototype built, and it may well be that there never was any more
consideration to the details of the actual aircraft than are offered in
the kit. Still, a little more "kit" would have been nice. I confess
that I bought this from SMO for $39.99 back when it first came out, so
I
fear my expectations were as high as the price.
History:
This was the first design for the Heinkel P.1077 Point of Defense Intercept. The Julia was to powered by a Walter HWK 109-509 C Rocket motor and designed for vertical launch much like the Bachem Ba-349 Natter with the use of 4 solid fuel take-off assist booster rockets. This design featured a prone cockpit layout to afford minimal target area.The Kit:
This is what I call a basic kit. Consist of 9 resin pieces, 1 clear vacuformed nose and decal sheet. Castings are very clean with little or no flash.Cockpit:
You get a basic cockpit tub with no detail. The only provided instrumentation is two control arms and a small gauge panel. This leaves a lot for the imagination. I'm planning to take parts out of the Czech Models BV 40 which has a wonderful resin cockpit that includes prone pilot seat with straps detailed chin rest and foot pedals and upscale the detail on the Julia. The top of the cockpit is cast in a nice thin resin. This will allow you the ability to cut out the entrance door and side widows if you want. The glazed nose is not as clear as I'd expect, but within acceptable standards. You will have to cut out and supply your own clear parts for the side windows since none is supplied with the kit.Body:
Three pieces total - cockpit bottom, cockpit top and rear fuselage. One thing I do not like about the kit is the fact the landing skids are cast in the body. No chance to display the kit with landing skids extended unless you make your own modifications.Wings:
Rest of the kit consist of wing (cast in one piece) and tail (cast in three pieces). I did dry fit the wing to the fuselage. Make sure you have a tube of putty and sandpaper ready, for there's a bit of work required to fit this up. I've found this fit problem is common for most short run resin kits.Decals:
Basic as you can get, but the quality of Propagteam is always good.Detail:
Overall, fine engraved panel lines . You will need to fill in the appropriate air bubbles here and there, but nothing to bad.Disappointments:
Cost. This kit is way overpriced for what you get. I've seen some of Planet's other kits in 1/72 scale like the Gotha P.60 and you really get your moneys worth. Details: Like I said earlier I was disappointed with the lack of cockpit and landing skid detail. I'm also disappointed that they do not supply the 4 booster rockets with the kit. I've made resin copies from the DML Bachem Natter kit to finish the Julia off the way I'd like.Heinkel P.1077 Romeo
Planet Models - 1/48th
Gary Webster
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