WWII AIRPLANES
Luftwaffe 1946
FW Ta-183 "Huckbein" (GE-052)
While the western Allies deploy only one new jet to their 1946 arsenal (and the Soviets none!), the Luftwaffe player is able to fly 4 different bomber jets and 8 fighter jets and rockets. Some are those that flew operationally in WWII while others were prototypes. The Huckbein or Huckebein (a cartoon raven that traditionally makes trouble for others) is one of the latter. Scheduled test flights in May/June 1945 were interrupted when the British army overran the Focke Wulf facilities.
These jets are definitely “cool” with their sweptback wings and tail; they almost have a MiG-like appearance. Like the L46 P-58 model the Huckbein is cast from a single piece of white metal. It has fewer detail lines (and was my first attempt at this technique) but do not mistake that for a lackluster model. These planes are elegant and my favorite of the group! Using Polly S and Model Master paints, I painted the planes in standard late war fighter colors of RLM 82/83 over 76; RLM 02 with 75 as a highlight were used to stipple the sides of the planes. Lining was a very quick and easy task.
Sold in packs of two, you get a rotte that is easy to prepare, fun to paint (you can really use your imagination when picking colors - a good enough reason to try these jets out), ready to play and look great. These is tons of info online including color drawings (http://www.luft46.com/) from three different artists displaying what they thought the Huckbein would look like in flight.