Did I say how much I like building Pepelatz resin kits? No? Ok, I like building Pepelatz resin kits very much indeed. They are limited run subjects of German Luftwaffe projects from WW2. This is Kit no 7201 – the Henschel P130- but it was released after 7202 which is the jet-powered Henschel P135.
1/72 Henschel P-130 Pepelatz Model Kit
The HS P130 was designed as a heavy tail-less piston-engined fighter powered by a Daimler Benz DB603 engine. It would have packed a punch with 4 MK108 30mm cannon in the nose. These were an inverted V12 so the exhausts exit under the trailing edge of the wing. The intakes at the wing root feed cool air into the radiators. Detailed grills are supplied in the kit and exit flaps can be fitted open or closed. The kits resin exhausts are nicely moulded with hollow ports. I fitted mine after the painting was finished.
I shaved a bit off the back to get them to sit in more snugly. This resin kit builds and feels like a plastic kit with the thin-walled fuselage.
The undercarriage and cockpit inserts are well detailed as are the inside of the undercarriage doors. I drilled and pinned the propeller blades and spinner so I could use Araldite to ensure all 3 blades were accurately positioned. The undercarriage legs have superbly positive locating sockets and the legs just popped in giving a firm confidence-inspiring fit so the model sits just right. No more battling with ghastly resin legs with no sockets. The transfers at by Begemot and work fine, snuggling down to panel lines and contours with a brush of decal sol.
My only gripe here is the poor printing of the Geschwader emblems. I went for a pair from an old 1970’s sheet by ABT. The fuselage could do with some ejector chute ports. Being 30mm the ports would be a large feature, similar to a Me 262. I going to fit undercarriage retractor struts using pins and some electrical insulation. I also made my own DF loop out of flattened wire.
If the Luft46 genre grabs you check out.
The Facebook page Luft46 Streng Geheim. It’s here that you will find Pepelatz announcing new kits. No 7203 will be the Blohm und Voss P207. It will be a superb kit, just like this one. For sales Google Pepelatz 😉
