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The glider:
Evolving from the superb Habicht aerobatic glider designed by Hans Jacobs which had been presented for the first time during the 1936 Olympic Games, the short spanned Stummel versions F and G sported an eight meters and six meters wingspans. The idea was to train NSFK pilots for the upcoming Me-163 rocket fighter. The prospective pilots would train on the standard 13.6 meters Habicht and then progress to the 8m and 6m versions so they would get the experience on how to handle a high speed glider during final approach and landing. The reduced wingspan didn't affect badly what was already a superb flying machine, and the excellent control characteristics were maintained, even if a much higher landing speed was achieved, the rugged structure taking the stress without further issues. Some of the normal and clipped Habichts received a 9mm MP-40 sub-machine gun on the nose to give the pilots a basic idea on aerial gunnery. The Habicht program and training ran until the very last stages of the war, when the Komet units were disbanded. Sadly, no Stummel Habicht remains today.
The 6 meter Habicht under construction. In order to keep the structural strength due to the higher speed requirements, both F and G wings were fully covered in plywood, while keeping the fabric covered ailerons.
Few schemes are as sober as the customary RLM 05 cream / ivory finish for gliders in use since 1935. The six meter Habicht model G.
The standard blue radiating pattern was kept on the upper horizontal surfaces and the wing roots. Quite strange for the time, the pre-war fin markings were reinstated on these series.
The eight meter Model F.
As per other gliders near the end of the war, many Stummel Habicht were quickly painted by brush or spray gun with blotches and squiggles of paint and modified markings over the original RLM-05 scheme. Here, two F models in a spray-painted squiggle pattern and what looks like a solid green painted G model in beetween.
The model: Warlord's Stummel Habicht in 1/72nd.
What is there to be said? A gift from my old friend Raúl Hrubisko, who's RAF collection is famous worldwide, Warlord's only modeling venture that I know of came in a flimsy little box labeled as a 1/48th double kit. It was actually 1/72nd and with the two versions of the Stummel Habicht, it brought the Blohm & Voss BV-40 fighter glider too. It was crude by any standards, and quite similar to the early AZ kits: large injection gates, thick profiles, burrs and flash being the menu of the day. On a personal note, nothing to be troubled about. Not much in the way of detail, but little to be seen as well.
Work started by thoroughly cleaning the very few pieces on the kit. If you have this kit, attention must be paid to the rather thick wing halves and thin them down quite a bit.
One of the characteristics of the Habicht are its large rudder and trim tabs actuators. So this were made with stretched sprue and plastic card. The wing roots were very nice, though a bit different in cross section. So that was rectified. Even so, a fair amount of sanding and filling had to be done so the wings could be faired in to the roots.
The missing tails skid and fairing were added from varius bits of plastic and wire sanded and bent to shape. Work of a moment, joy of a lifetime. And still the wings gave trouble.
Everything was fixed with superglue
Another look at the tail section before trimming the stretched sprue.
Painting was started by the blue flashes in Tamiya X-4 and the fin flash in Humbrol's H-19. when dry, it was all covered in Tamiya masking tape so the entire model could be sprayed with H-41 ivory. Personally, I like this colour over the more common ones used since it's lighter and less yellowish, it doesn't "kill" the model in such a small scale.
Two coats were required to cover the tiny model, but this colour never lets you down.
After the first and second coat, there was some damage to be repaired when the mask was pulled. Next time a sunburst pattern has to be undertaken, I will reverse the masking and painting process, for I'm not happy with the result.
Touch ups to be done. The interior was then painted in H-63 Yellow Ocher, Faber Castell water colors for the wood grain and satin varnish to protect it. Prior to it, a bulkhead was cut to shape and added to attach the headrest in scratch. Simple cutouts from a plastic sheet, that is. But they add to the overall look.
The Bruhn pitot tube was added, using to sections of stretched sprue and syringe cut to length and shape.
It's all in the small details, they say. I have to agree. Crappy sanding, worst painting. In spite of that, the added detail to the cockpit and pitot tube raise the kit a bit in term of quality and look. Italian Red Brown by ModelMaster was used for the leather cockpit coaming and headrest.
The launching and towing hook under the forward nose was cut to shape and installed.
Not the best...
The wood grain on the skid was tackled in a different way to the one in the cockpit. Humbrols H63 was used and then an acrylic layer of burnt sienna by local manufacturer Renoir was applied by brush over it in order to give it a grainy, length-wise look with darker and lighter spots.
Even if the acrylic dries fast, it still gives you time to work on it.
The almost finished skid. It was then sprayed with Humbrol's H135 Satin Varnish. The prototypical yellowing of it will not affect the looks of the skid, so you can use it without hesitation.
With the skid attached, a light wash was given to all the crevasses with highly diluted Humbrol's H-27 Blue Grey.
Some dirt was applied by drybrushing to the rear fuselage, with H-118 Light Earth.
The decals were not that few. Since the kit was made in Germany, the cross on the vertical surfaces was split in four "L" shaped pieces. Tiny pieces to say the least. When the white disc applied, the underlying red bled through the white decal... Yes, I sweared a lot at the time. At least I got one of the crosses right. The other one looks like it was run over by a truck in the australian outback. Then Humbrol's superb Satin Cote was airbrushed over the airframe.
With all that out of the way a tiny windshield was cut to shape out of clear plastic sheet and attached with Clearfix.
And here's the finished model.
Not one of my best, I reckon. Sometimes the need to kick a kit out of the way is stronger than the will to fix all the tiny flaws of it. And it's alright. I still have the 8 meter wings, so there may be a scratch-building project in the future for a camouflaged machine.
In the meantime, have a great start this 2020.
Take care and good luck,
TMU
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