Like most people, I had always assumed that the Revell versions of the Heinkel He-115 were repops of the Matchbox kit so I wasn’t that surprised to find one in the secondhand corner of Mr Models. It was in an older style Revell box though so I used the magic of Scalemates to look it up and find that it is actually a totally different kit released within a year or so of the Matchbox one.
Of the two, I think I prefer the Revell….
It has a different cockpit configuration to the Matchbox kit and the 15mm or 20mm barbette-mounted cannon under the nose. While the boxart shows two figures seated in the nose, the kit only allows for a single prone figure. Neither kits features a bomb-bay or any ordnance.
Molded in pale blue-grey plastic, the parts look simple yet robust but there is no stand or ground handling trolley provided, also a hassle with non-amphibious sea/float-plane models. The only optional parts are for the two different types of nose armament. Apparently Brengun do a very nice etch detail set for the Revell -115 that would tart it up quite nicely…The only flaw I could see in the design is that doesn’t appear to be a place in the rear canopy to mount the provide MG but that’s nothing some quick blade work won’t fix…
The kit provides parts and marking for either early (1940) or later (1942) versions of the -115, the main physical difference being the under-nose armament.
Apologies for the state of the plans image…ye olde scanner has fallen crook and I have no means to scan at the moment so handheld from a distance it’ll have to be…
