"Takom Wings" new pair of 48th scale Hs 129 on the way...

Two variants of the Hs 129 in 1/48th scale are on the way from Takom's "wings" division. These look full of neat features, which we will look at in our preview...

"Takom Wings" new pair of 48th scale Hs 129 in development...

The Subject: The Hs 129

The Hs 129 was conceived as a dedicated tank-hunting and close-support aircraft. Despite being flown by highly skilled pilots, including record-setting aces such as Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer—credited with the destruction of 80 enemy tanks—the aircraft failed to fulfil its intended role effectively and struggled to exert a decisive influence on the course of World War II.

The rapid deployment of the Henschel Hs 129 was hindered by a series of problematic design decisions and operational constraints. Its development progressed slowly, production was fraught with complications, and it was never manufactured in sufficient numbers to achieve a meaningful impact on the battlefield.

Specifications (Hs 129 B-2 version)

Henschel hs-129B.svg

Crew: one, pilot

Length: 9.75 m (31 ft 11¾ in) / Wingspan: 14.20 m (46 ft 7 in)

Height: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in) / Wing area: 29.0 m² (312.15 ft²)

Empty weight: 4,020 kg (8,860 lb) / Max. takeoff weight: 5,250 kg (11,574 lb)

Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14M 4/5 14-cylinder radial engines, 522 kW (700 hp) each

Maximum speed: 407 km/h (220 knots, 253 mph) at 3,830 m (12,570 ft) (clean)

Range: 690 km (372 nmi, 428 mi) / Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,530 ft) / Rate of climb: 8.1 m/s (1,595 ft/min)

In accordance with Adolf Hitler’s vision of swift and overwhelming military advances across Europe, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) issued a specification in April 1937 for a heavily armoured, compact aircraft equipped with multiple weapons systems. The design required specialized engines and a cockpit shielded by 75 mm-thick armoured glass to protect pilots from small-arms fire.

However, these requirements significantly restricted the aircraft’s overall effectiveness. The RLM mandated the use of engines that were not employed in any other aircraft models to prevent disruptions to existing fleet production. Among four competing firms, only Focke-Wulf and Henschel were deemed suitable for further consideration, with the latter ultimately securing the contract.

The Henschel Hs 129 B-2 aircraft was powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14M-4/-5 radial engines, each producing 700 hp (515 kW) at takeoff and 660 hp (485 kW) at 4000 metres. These engines were air-cooled, 14-cylinder, two-row engines. The Hs 129 B-2 was known for its armoured cockpit and engines. 

The single aviator was seated within the armoured nose behind a windscreen 3 inches thick, with armour all around the cabin. The triangular-section fuselage stored self-sealing tanks, weapons in the sloping sides, and a hardpoint for a bomb below.

Test pilots at Rechlin damned the A-0 pre-production planes as ridiculously underpowered; however, these planes went into action on the Russian Front by the Romanian Air Force. The newly designed B-series applied the huge quantities of French 14M motors that were on hand and in manufacturing by the Vichy authorities for the Me 323. 841 B-series were produced and used with significant impact on the Eastern Front; however, they had considerably less successful results in North Africa.

Variants:

- The B-1/R1 had 2 x 7.92mm MG 17 and 2 x 20mm MG 151/20, in addition to 2 x 110 lb. or forty-eight fragmentation bombs.

- The R2 was built with a 30mm MK 101 attached below and was the first plane ever to employ a 30mm weapon during battle.

- The R3 had a ventral box of 4x MG 17.

- The R4 carried up to 551lb of bombs.

- The R5 had a camera for vertical pictures.

The HS 129 B2

The B-2 models switched the integrated MG 17s for MG 131s, and other subtypes had several types of weapons; for example, the 37mm BK 3.7 of the Ju 87 G. The best innovative armament made use of versus Russian tanks with outcomes that were commonly destructive was a battery of 6 smooth-bore 75mm tubes shooting recoilless shells down and to the rear with automatic activation as the plane flew over enemy armour.

The Hs 129B outfitted the 3 squadrons of the 8th Assault Wing of the Royal Romanian Air Corps - here is one shot down by the Soviets on the Eastern Front.

HS 129 B3 variant:
The most ambitious variant was the B-3, which was equipped with a 7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 anti-tank gun adapted from the Junkers Ju 88P-1. This led to the development of the BK 7.5, which was lighter than the PaK 40 and featured a new hydraulic recoil-dampening system and a more aerodynamic muzzle brake. An autoloader system was fitted within the rear half of the wing root area, with the gun and its recoil mechanism housed in a substantial gun pod under the fuselage.

This weapon weighed 1,500 kilogrammes (3,306 lb) in its authentic ground-based kind and fired a 3.2-kg (7 lb) tungsten-carbide cored shell at 933 m/s (3,060 ft/sec). Even at a range of 1,000 m (3,280 ft), the projectile could pierce 133mm (5 1/2 in) of armour if it hit square-on. Changed to the PaK 40L, the cannon had a larger muzzle brake to cut back recoil as well as electro-pneumatic function to provide following shells mechanically. Placed in the Hs 129B-3/Wa, the enormous weapon was supplied with twenty-six shells, which could be fired at the cyclic rate of forty rounds per minute, so that 3 or 4 might be shot during one attack. Generally, just one hit could wipe out a tank from head-on.

In May 1944, this Hs 129B-2 was fitted at Travemünde with a mockup of a 75mm BK 7.5 (Pa K40) cannon installation for testing.

Perhaps the biggest issue was that the PaK 40L was too impressive a gun for the plane. Rather besides the extreme muzzle blast and recoil, the massive weight of the cannon made the Hs 129B-3 nearly uncontrollable, and in critical situations, the entire installation could be jettisoned.

Takom's two new kits:

Both of these Hs 129s will be made in 1/48th scale, with the B-2 and B-3 variants the initial subjects. We say "initial" because of two reasons: we live in hope for more, and there might be more to make out of these moulds in variant types. 

We will look at the features promised on these two kits now...

Henschel Hs 129 B-2

From Takom

1/48th scale

Kit No# 48001

Plastic kit with optional partial clear fuselage

The first in their new Wings 1/48th scale series, this Henschel Hs 129 B-2 kit closely copies the lines that are seen in some of the drawings in this article. 

The kit features an optional (we think initial release at least) partial clear fuselage for the modeller to choose from, with the internal structure of the aircraft given to the modeller if they so desire. This looks like something like the ZM series, but hopefully a bit less complicated to put together. You can, however, choose not to display your kit opened up, of course.

Takom includes two full Gnome-Rhône 14M-4/-5 radial engines that can be exposed under opened panels, a pull-down pilot's ladder, and a choice of two types of wheels that can be depicted retracted on the aircraft or down in field position.

Henschel Hs 129 B-3

From Takom

1/48th scale

Kit No# 48002

Plastic kit with optional partial clear fuselage

The menacing B-3 variant of the Hs 129 is seen in the second release in 1/48th scale from Takom Wings. This kit has all of the same features as the first kit, with the main point of difference being the big gun under the fuselage.

Again, we have the clear fuselage parts on the port side, enabling you to show off all of that interior work that is supplied with the kit.

You can see in the CADs here the armoured cockpit, the retracting wheels and pilot's ladder, and the full Gnome-Rhône 14M-4/-5 radial engines that only look like they may need some engine wiring harnesses. The main change here is that big 75mm BK 7.5 cannon, with the fairing around it (We wonder if this has a clear option also, none that we can see yet.)

That is all we have on these kits for now. Keep tuned for more info on the kits soon...

You can see more about Takom's kits on their Facebook page.