INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Mike Grant wages a not-so-civil war with Roden’s 1/48 Heinkel He 51
HEINKEL He 51B-1
The Spanish Civil War holds a special appeal for many modellers. Not only was it a proving ground for the fledgling Luftwaffe, but such a wide variety of aircraft types were flown on both sides of the conflict. Several were developed successfully to devastating effect in World War Two, but the Heinkel 51 was not one of them. Entering service in an era when biplanes were fast becoming obsolete, its initial success as a Condor Legion fighter was short-lived, as it suffered losses against Soviet-built monoplanes. It did have some success later in the war as a ground-attack aircraft, however.
Perhaps the real aircraft’s mediocre career is reflected in its lack of attention from kit manufacturers, at least until fairly recently. Hasegawa’s 1/72 kit was produced in the early 1970s and remained the only injection-moulded version until Classic Airframes released its (original) 1/48 version in the late 1990s. However, Ukrainian manufacturer Roden has never shied away from esoteric subjects and released its He 51 in a Spanish Civil War boxing, as well as a Luftwaffe floatplane.
First steps
It’s not the role of a…
