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Planet Models Reviewed
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This 1:32 scale resin kit from Planet Models of the Czech Republic seemed to quietly creep onto the modeling scene about a year ago. Perhaps there was some fanfare that just didn't cross my path (32nd scale) till I saw it on Squadron.com and Great Models Webstore and then several times on eBay; finally, my curiosity kept gnawing at me and could no longer be stymied. Perhaps some kit review on the web would have satisfied my curiosity, but then, nothing quite satisfies the senses as opening a box to the aroma of fresh resin! History For me the Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister
was pretty much a mystery; there is so much aviation history to explore
and so little time! In brief, I didn't know what to expect except
the published box art somehow suggested to me something of the size
of a Boeing F4B/P-12. Much to my surprise and delight the Bü
133 is smaller having a wingspan of 259.8" and a length of 237"
making it more the size of a Pitts S2B or a Christian Eagle II. And
in researching some of its history, demonstrations of the Bü
133 in the US did indeed contribute inspiration to Curtiss Pitts in
producing the legendary Pitts Special. Carl Clemens Bücker, coming from a
long involvement in early aviation, including service as a German
naval pilot in WW I, established Svenska Aero AB in Sweden after WW
I. Soon after Hitler's rise to power and Göring's charter to
establish an Aviation Ministry, Bücker returned to Germany to
form a new company, Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH in October 1933.
Six months later the Bücker Bü 133 Jungmann was brought
into production. (Planet Models via Squadron.com has recently introduced
this kit in 1:32). The Bü 133 Jungmeister was introduced in 1935 and rapidly established its reputation as an exceptional aerobatic aircraft. The Bü 133 served its two-part mission very well-to promote dominance in aerobatic competition and to sharpen the skills of future Luftwaffe combat pilots. In the former the Bü 133 dazzled the world with spectacular aerobatic performances and in the later it succeeded in preparing thousands of pilots for Germany's soon to emerge military air force, a deception violating treaties signed ending WW I. For the aviation modeler, the Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister stands at the crossroads of a significant new chapter in aviation and world history. The Kit
The kit comes in a sturdy box with its
37 resin pieces individually sealed in plastic (greatly reducing shipping
and shelf-shuffle damage). Aside from the resin, there is a clear
vacformed windscreen, one sheet of decals and instructions. The instructions come on two A4 size sheets printed on both sides. One sheet devotes a paragraph to some of the early history of the Bü 133 (Czech and English) and a pair of 4-view drawings for decal placement of the two variations, training aircraft of Jagdfliegerschule 2 and JG 101. Color call outs are for RLM 70 and RLM 02 with equivalent FS 595a colors provided. The second page, being strictly pictorial, includes an identification of parts and the assigning of numbers and then proceeds with 7 exploded assembly views and two rigging views. And, in my humble opinion, the boxtop art is an exceptional piece of work, not only for the quality of the rendition, but is packed with very good detail information useful to a modeler. It portrays the aircraft in its 'Jagdfliegerschule 2' scheme.
The one-piece resin fuselage
is solid with a cavity to receive the cockpit tub assembly. The fuselage
has a slight texture continuous over 'fabric' and 'metal panel' areas
of the fuselage (maybe mold release?). Fuselage panel lines are sensitively
engraved; one may want to deepen the two vents in the cowl area. On
the empennage, some raised detail is provided for control cable fairings
and a 'v' shaped 'zippered' access panel. The bottom displays a raised
zigzag-stitching pattern along the centerline. Always a troublesome
decision in mold making, where to put the mold parting line. On this
fuselage the mold parting (and mold distortion) resulted in a split-level
side panel. Care is required to blend the two surfaces without destroying
the subtle rib line just above it.
The upper and lower wings
are each molded as solid pieces. Each are finished with the same slight
texture mentioned regarding the fuselage; the ribs are expressed and
the 'valleys' appear convincing for a fabric-covered wing. Their trailing
edges are very thin. Indications are molded in for placement of struts,
bracing wires, and cabling (no wires or cables were included in my
kit). The bottom wing continues the zigzag-stitching pattern established
on the fuselage. Also molded into the wing are various handhold grips.
These will require some work to refine, but a nice touch and reminder
to the modeler to detail. The wing parting lines are on the edges
and easy to clean-up (why couldn't the fuselage part on the lower
edge?). Ailerons are incised and can be easily cut if repositioning
is desired. With resin wings the issue of warpage is not uncommon.
The type of resin used in this kit can be reformed quite readily in
hot water. I don't know what kind of resin it is (and other resin
kits I've seen from Eastern Europe have used the same type) but it
seems to be softer than many of the resins commonly used in aircraft
kits, but fortunately responsive to the hot water re-forming.
The empennage is assembled
from two resin pieces, a horizontal tail and a vertical tail. The
surfaces of each have the subtle highs and lows of fabric covered
surfaces. Molded with the vertical stabilizer is a small piece of
fuselage fairing, which appears will easily blend once mounted on
the continuous horizontal stabilizer. Locations for the empennage
bracing wires are molded in. The rudder and elevator can be easily
trimmed for repositioning if desired. On the business end of the
fuselage, the kit supplies a one-piece cowl and 10 engine pieces.
7 of those pieces are the engine pushrods pre-formed in a 'v'. These
miniscule parts will require tedious clean-up once trimmed from the
'flash' carrier; much better to find some fine rod/wire and scratch
build the pushrods. Photo reference suggests there should also be
3 'v' supports running from the crankcase to the cowl front lip-these
will need to be scratchbuilt.
The 'crankcase /cylinder'
casting seems to be quite serviceable with a little clean up. Compared
to the reference, this piece seems to be a good representation of
the 7-cylinder Siemens radial and not something borrowed from some
other source-quite daring to cast a piece like this in resin. However,
visually significant to the Siemens is an exhaust collector ring that
mounts on the front of the engine. The kit's cylinders have both intake
and exhaust ports on the rear of the engine; the Siemens Sh 14 has
its exhaust port on the side of the cylinder.
The exhaust from this manifold
connects to a single pipe that cuts through the bottom of the cowl
and runs aft below the fuselage. The box art very well illustrates
how this assembly should appear as it runs through a heat collection
boot before it is finally vented; the supplied resin piece doesn't
quite capture the idea.
Bü 133 had a wood prop
with a unique cone shaped nose-mounting flange; the kit part nicely
captures these details. Some references show a laminated wood prop,
some others show the prop in a solid color (painted?).
One fairly serious shortcoming
with the kit is the transition from fuselage to engine and cowl. Through
study of reference on the internet, it would appear the last bulkhead
selected for the model should actually have occurred some 14 scale
inches further aft. From that bulkhead, a contoured fairing covers
all structure clear up to the rear of the crankcase and inside the
cowl. In the photo below, a fairly sizeable styrene block has been
added to bridge the area from engine to kit's fuselage bulkhead. The
rear of the cowl never touches the fuselage, but in fact is supported
by tubular rings braced from within the fuselage and the engine crankcase.
The cowl clearance is not constant because of the fuselage shape being
blended into the circular cowl, but the cowl is supposed to be clear
of the fuselage all around.
The cowl is a single piece
of resin and will slip snugly over the engine, but, not surprisingly,
once it is aligned with the rocker-cover blisters, the fit is quite
loose. When the fuselage to engine fairing is addressed, the final
attachment of the cowl will also have to be addressed. The blister
shape is unusual and nicely done.
A detailed Bü 133 cockpit
would start with a fabric covered metal tube spaceframe. With its
6 resin pieces the kit approaches an appropriate 'look'. The kit's
integral floor and rear bulkhead make the basis of the tub. The floor
has some nicely done straps and buckles holding down control rods
with foot pedals unfortunately molded against the forward stub-bulkhead.
The rear bulkhead expresses some tube frame, which aligns with tubes
molded into the side panels. Completing the tub assembly is an instrument
panel with nicely detailed raised instrument bezels and switch plates
(but no instrument dials). A delicate, thin-sided, seat with cushion,
lap and shoulder belts mount to a block molded into the rear bulkhead
for proper angle. The shoulder harness, with a little nudge, aligns
with a fuselage cross tube molded into the rear bulkhead. A resin
control stick rounds out the cockpit. The tub assembly slips into
the cavity in the resin fuselage, but bear in mind, some of the interior
of the fuselage casting will require some finish as it can, in part,
be seen from the outside.
Two clear vac windscreens
are provided, an nice extra effort on the part of the manufacturer
that might as easily been cut from flat clear stock and bent to shape
(all 3 facets being flat).
Similar to the landing gear
struts, the wing attachment is also with resin struts. Although appearing
accurate in size and section, they are far too fragile in this application
and should be replaced with something stronger (shaped wood or metal,
maybe even styrene). The box art is invaluable for clear rigging (BYOWire).
Decal markings are for two training units; 'yellow 271' of Jagdfliegerschule 2 and 'white 209' of JG 101, and for one aircraft, five pairs of small 'maintenance' signage, an octane marking and one tail number. Historically a 'swastika' appears on the tail of training aircraft and the decals are arranged in a clever way to allow you to use a 'place-holder' or to assemble a swastika. Fuselage and wing crosses are common to both aircraft. It is unfortunate that one or more of the early German aerobatic team or Olympic team or Swiss Air Force markings were not provided. The plane found service in many countries. Although historically significant, the RLM 02 gray trainer is quite uninspiring in appearance. Conclusion Planet Models' Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister is a well designed resin kit with many features that allow a progressive build whether you do it out of the box or elect to enhance its detail. It has a few shortcomings, but no difficulties that a resin modeler cannot overcome. From the wide range of prices I have seen this kit offered at, it is difficult to understand its value and due to its extreme esoteric nature, value is strictly personal. If you are building a collection of aerobatic aircraft, this aircraft should be in the collection as well as Planet Models other offering of the Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann, which is the Bü 133's progenitor and quite possibly more significant historically. References A great reference site, all in German,
a few key words will get you around: The Fantasy of Flight Museum in Florida
(not too far from Theme Park Land) has one of each of the Bücker
'Jungmann', the 'Jungmeister', and the 'Bestmann'; their Bü 133,
registration YR-PAX, is in 'Olympics' markings and has been in flying
condition. More of an owner/operator site, but lots
of great information on Bücker aircraft: Die Bücker Flugzeuge [anniversary
edition in German with English] Bücker - Flugzeugbau [German text] Other aircraft that used the Siemens Sh 14: Arado Ar 69 © Gene Nollmann 2003 |
