Aoshima's 1/72 Focke-Wulf Ta152H-1

By Chris Bucholtz

History

By 1943, it was clear to even the most optimistic among the Luftwaffe that control of the air was slipping away. On the eastern front, a tactical war of attrition fought at treetop level was sapping German strength, while in the west high-flying American bombers and their escorts were whittling down the Luftwaffe. It became clear that a high-altitude fighter would be needed if the Luftwaffe was to preserve control of the air over its very homeland.

A year earlier, Kurt Tank and staff had been working on the Fw190Ra-1 through Ra-6 program, an effort that involved adapting the Fw190 for high-altitude performance. The principal change involved a new center section to the wing, which expanded the span to as much as 48 feet six inches. The cockpit was moved aft one foot, four inches, and the chord of the vertical fin was extended, as was the aft fuselage. When go-ahead was given to the new fighter, the result was an aircraft that only superficially resembled the Fw190 of 1941.

By the time the air ministry had decided on a standard, the Ta154H in mid-1944, wingspan had been slightly reduced to 47 feet 4 1/2 inches. Its role as a bomber buster was borne out by its armament: one 30mm MK 108 cannon firing through the propeller hub, and two MG 151 20mm cannon in the wings. By October, the Luftwaffe Erprobungskommando Ta152 had been formed, flying a motley collection of Ta152 prototypes and the first 20 Ta152H-0s, which still lacked power boost systems. This omission was corrected when the first Ta152H-1s arrived.

The H-1 model was heavy – 11,501 pounds – because of the boost systems and extra tankage. Thanks to the long teething time needed to perfect the plane and the pressure exerted by the Allies, only a dozen H-1s (and one prototype) were completed. These were assigned to cover Me 262 bases, where they flew and fought at low altitude, completely negating any gains made by Tank and his engineers in the previous three years of work. In the end, the Ta152 actually helped the allies by diverting German industrial resources at a time when it could be afforded least.

The Kit

Aoshima's kit of the Ta152H-1 is certainly more effective at its mission than the real machine! The third of Aoshima's new-generation kit families (the N1K1-J and N1K2-J 'George' series being the first two), the kit is broken down to accommodate the release of other variants, but test-fitting showed no ill effects of this. This already gives it an edge over the DML/Dragon Ta152s, which were renowned for their catastrophic fit.

Panel line detail is recessed and restrained, with slightly overdone fabric covering on the control surfaces. The moldings are crisp, flash-free and well laid-out; this is the kind of kit that practically begs you to drop what you're doing and start building it.

Cockpit detail is limited to a tub, seat, instrument panel and control column, and instrument detail of a fairly crude nature is provided on the decal sheet. Once the fuselage is joined, a long upper cowl panel goes over the nose, and an optional pair of cowlings-one with cowl flaps open, the other closed – goes over a plug that goes where the engine would go. The wide-bladed paddle propeller and spinner goes into this assembly, and an armored headrest piece goes atop the cockpit shelf. A two-piece intake scoop fits neatly onto the fuselage side. These simple steps complete the fuselage.

The wings and landing gear are a bit more challenging. The detail in the wheel wells – including the see-through nature of the wells – is terrific, and the detail on the landing gear struts and wheel doors are equally good. There are ejector pin problems, however, on the tires and inner gear doors; these are in hard-to-fix spots and are somewhat frustrating, given the otherwise brilliant engineering of the rest of the kit.

The transparencies provide a one-piece closed canopy and a separate windscreen and canopy. Again, these are rendered quite well.

The decals provide serials for all 12 H-1 models, and a 'number jungle' of yellow, red and green Luftwaffe numbers. Unfortunately, the instructions provide data on just one plane, and that aircraft is hypothetical! A good decal sheet and a well-researched reference book are recommended companions before you paint.

This model is easily the best Ta152 out there, beating the DML and Frog kits by an immense margin. Novices should have few problems achieving a pleasing result; with an aftermarket cockpit set – the Cooper Details set fits nicely!– and some research into markings, the Aoshima Ta152H-1 will build into a show stopper.

Our sincere thanks to Kitlink.com for this review sample.