Author Topic: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing  (Read 33686 times)

Offline Second Air Force

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Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« on: April 01, 2012, 06:52:23 PM »
The winner of our earlier poll is this Ho-229. Don't ask me who manufactured this vacuform because I don't remember :-think......all I do remember is that it is green. :-green This was a VERY basic vacform kit and consisted of nine parts, six wheel halves, two wing sections, and a clear perspex canopy and spine. My modeling skills, and especially my vacuform skills, were far from advanced in May of 1979 when I built this the first time. The engines are from a Monogram 1/72 B-52 and I think the nose wheel was once from a 1/32 kit of some kind. This series of pictures just shows the beginnings of this project.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9611.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9610.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


It split apart very easily, something I didn't anticipate happening. Only a little trailing edge damage occurred, which isn't a problem because the trailing edges were about six scale inches thick anyway! :-roll :-red
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9612.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


I've often painted the "date of manufacture" on the inside of my old builds (it looks like I may have been drinking when I painted this.....). Dig that superdetailed cockpit!
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9642.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


The paint having been removed, the surfaces don't look too bad but I will need to deepen the scribing to sharpen it somewhat.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9640.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


Now, some of you may wonder, why don't I just throw this pile of junk away and get a Dragon Ho-229 kit? The answer is that I already have this one to restore. And a large quantity of stuff to add to it this time around. Let's see if I can do a better job this time! ;)

To add to the fun, I'd like to entertain some ideas as to markings and configuration for this. Since none saw actual service and the Versuchs machines barely got to the flight stage we should be able to use imagination on the final product. I'm more than willing to do single or two-seat versions so a night-fighter or Zerstorer concept is an option. Suggestions?

Scott

Offline Sall

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2012, 06:59:32 PM »
Excellent!! Go forward mate! This will be great build!! :-clap :-clap

Offline No.1

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2012, 07:01:18 PM »
This one will be so nice ;) Maybe to try to dig some files about :))

Offline Second Air Force

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2012, 07:09:55 PM »
My "secret weapon" on this rebuild is that I have an unstarted Tamiya Me-262 here. I've made RTV molds of the engine intakes and exhausts and some cockpit parts. So, there will be more accurate bits on the Horten than originally! Probably the most difficult part of this will be the canopy/cockpit spine. The kit transparency is very unlike the shape of that on the V3 machine that is in the Smithsonian collection. I might use some artistic license on this since it looks like mass-producing the Horten canopy would have been very difficult in late-war Germany.

Offline Ernie

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2012, 04:22:19 AM »
Very nice Scott, looking forward to seeing what you do with this! :-ok Seeing that green plastic makes me think this is an old Airmodel kit, as they often used a green plastic for their kits ( I have several in that weird green plastic).
Ernie

Offline Second Air Force

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2012, 04:34:45 AM »
That is certainly possible, Ernie. I can't recall where I bought this kit but I think it was through the original Squadron Hobby Shop. Airmodel does ring a bell, though.

Offline Second Air Force

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2012, 12:22:30 AM »
I have gotten a little start on the Horten but felt so sorry for my Komet...... So, I cleaned the old model up and the decals mostly fell off during the washing. I studied the model a bit and decided that it doesn't look all that bad other than a few areas. I even found the tailwheel in a box! Rather than disassemble it fully I simply cleaned it, remounted the wings and polished the canopy. A dig through the spare decal boxes located the original decal sheet that came with the model so I just re-marked it with II/JG 400 decals. The entire process took about two hours.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9691.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9697.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9693.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9694.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


This was a Testors reissue of the old Hawk Me-163 kit that originally came out in the 1950s. Although there is not much in the cockpit the shape is generally correct and the surface detail isn't all that bad considering the timeframe of its original engraving.

Now, back to the Horten! :-salut

« Last Edit: April 03, 2012, 12:26:19 AM by Second Air Force »

Offline Sall

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2012, 12:30:26 AM »
Haha,this is very nice! Fast work! :-clap :-clap

Offline Ernie

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2012, 03:09:32 AM »
I agree with Sall, very nice result for a little work :-ok
Ernie

Offline No.1

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2012, 06:08:53 AM »
Great work mate :-clap

Offline Second Air Force

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2012, 03:25:42 PM »
Thanks, y'all. I remember buying that Komet kit at an apothecary-type drug store for $2.50 plus tax. It's really not all that bad, either.

Offline Second Air Force

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2012, 04:54:06 AM »
Finally I cleared off enough space on the bench to continue with the Horten. First a couple of photos of the engine parts I resin cast. This part of the model will be by far the most difficult to accomplish as there is nothing but open holes in the wing halves. All of the intake and exhaust ducting will have to be fabricated and proper inlets and exhaust nozzles in the actual wing.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9800.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9801.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9802.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


Next was to start thinning the trailing edges. Thankfully I left these surfaces way too thick the first time I built this so I had plenty of material to work with. The photos don't show it very well but I'm achieving a nice, sharp trailing edge with patient sanding. There was so much material to start with that I used a belt sander to remove most of the styrene.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9797.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_9798.jpg
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing


Even this very basic vacuform gives one a good impression of the genius that the Horten's offered to aviation.

Offline No.1

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2012, 06:25:40 AM »
This will be perfect when complete half's :-clap

Offline Sall

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #13 on: April 06, 2012, 12:20:15 PM »
I agree!! Very nice work with resin. :-clap :-clap

Online draken35

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Re: Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
« Reply #14 on: April 06, 2012, 08:06:48 PM »
Will be a great build...