The He 111 was essentially a bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing", since, due to the known restrictions placed on Germany after the First World War prohibiting bombers, it was presented as a civil airliner, although from conception the design was intended to provide the nascent Luftwaffe with a heavy bomber.

 
The type evolved through constant upgrades to serve in a variety of roles till the end of the war, even though it had become obsolete well before, being kept in service only because there was no successor, due to the failure of the “B Bomber” second-generation high-speed bomber project. The H-22 variant, emerged from re-designated and modified H-6, H-16, and H-21 sub types, was used to air launch V-1 flying-bombs via a dedicated pylon.

Monogram came with their 1/48 He 111H family in 1994, reboxing and occasionally updating them with new parts till 2010. Particularly considering their 1994 origins, the series are by all means good, solid kits with nice engraved panel lines, sufficient overall detailing and mainly accurate (I have read that, being sort of a collage of subtypes, the kits are not 100% accurate and I will leave the rest to the Experten). Apart from Revell-Monogram (and Pro Modeler) these kits have even been twice reboxed by Hasegawa and, as a note, the kit must not be confused with the 2019 H-6 edition of the “New Revell” era, which is a rebox of the ICM offering.

The specific kit is the 1995 Pro Modeler version that contained some extra parts, mainly for the V-1 flying bomb and its pylon (but also some nice figures, among others). A nice Pro Modeler poster and ditto badge was also included in the big, top opening and relatively flimsy box, which carried a very attractive box art of 3./KG 3 5K+RS machine having just released its V-1 over a most hostile environment, presumably a big English city.

Upon opening the box, I was greeted with 112 medium gray styrene parts arranged in four big and two small (for a total of six) sprues. General shapes of parts look correct, panel lines are nicely engraved and molding is very good with minimal, if any, flash. Detail at key areas (cockpit, gondola, landing gear, aerodynamic surfaces and so on) is certainly sufficient. The V-1 also looks quite accurate and the crew members provided look equally good.Transparencies, an absolute key element especially for this glazed nose, are nicely molded and crystal clear.

Instructions are typical Pro Modeler, meaning excellent, coming to the form of a 22-page b/w booklet, containing a short history of the type, a color chart, with the construction spread in 15 main steps, of which, apart from the de rigeur drawings, a hefty amount of precise and detailed text is included in the form of numbered “sub steps” which the modeler has to follow. Color callouts are given where applicable, together with various “modeling tips” (like, say, fitting the wheels at earlier or later stages, according to your style, and how to deal with each situation). Typically (and wonderfully) for Monogram, all parts names are mentioned in the instructions, meaning you know the exact description of the part you are dealing with. The provision of a plethora of Bert Kinzey’s “Detail & Scale” b/w helpful pics for many areas is the icing of the cake. Really, instructions could not get better!

Two schemes are provided, for a 3./KG 3 5K+RS machine and a Stab./KG 53 Legion Condor A1+GA example. Both feature the classic RLM70/71 splinter topsides with black gray undersides (the latter paint typically having an uneven appearance due to its field application with brushes or even brooms. The Legion Condor aforementioned machine featured RLM76 blotches on the topside camo. Decals are beautifully printed by Scalemaster and, though looking in good condition, nice and shiny, one should bear in mind that they were printed in 1995 and their behavior might be justifiably compromised when used after almost 30 years!

Instructions start by having you assemble and paint the figures provided (if you plan to use them), then assemble the cockpit and top turret. The fuselage halves are then prepared by attaching the side, ventral and gondola transparencies and the very nice front and rear bulkheads which feature spars to strengthen the wing to fuselage joints. The fuselage halves are then joined, trapping the top turret and the rear wheel between them (but not the cockpit, which is to be attached from the front opening later on).

The tail assembly and attachment is next, followed by the main wings assembly. Since the gear doors are one piece with the sidewalls, once attached during this relatively early stage, care should be taken in order not to bend or knock the door part off during construction. Main gear, including the weighted wheels, is then to be fully assembled and attached, but, personally, I would leave it off and attach everything after painting. The engines are next assembled and attached, with the completed wings glued to the fuselage.

Next step is to finalize the gondola, followed by cockpit attachment to the front. Then you are instructed to assemble the V-1 bomb and attach it underneath, onto its dedicated pylon, followed by the front glazing preparation and attachment. The props are then assembled and press-fitted into place (I liked a lot the ingenious press-fit “mechanism” , followed by the usual final bits (antenna mast, pitot and landing light cover), ending a build which, though certainly not uncomplex, does not seem too complicated, especially for a twin engine bomber.

Though superseded by the better ICM He 111 family of kits (which appeared in 2017 and the fact that Revell reboxed their H-6 version in 2019 says a lot…), this seems to be nevertheless a very good kit of the iconic bomber and still (as of 2023) the sole option for a reasonably accurate out of the box H-22 V-1 carrying variant. Molding is great, general shapes of parts look correct, panel lines are nicely engraved, details offered are certainly sufficient at all areas, transparencies are nice and clear, instructions are second to none and decals are well printed (I would consider going for a fresh aftermarket set, though).

 
Out of the box a decent rendition of the type can emerge and the build itself, though definitely not to be tackled by a beginner, looks not that complicated (for a twin engine bomber).

The kit, together with its more recent reboxings, can yet be found nowadays at prices (if properly researched) notably lower than the ICM offerings and can still hold its own, especially as a cheaper alternative.

Definitely a kit worth tackling.

Happy Modeling!

Spiros Pendedekas

November 2023