History

The Ta-152 H-1 was a late WWII Fighter. The H version, H for Höhenjäger/High Fighter, in particular was designed specifically to peform as a high-altitude fighter. It entered service in early 1945 with only ~43 being delivered before war's end, as a result this type had no significant impact on the war.

What's in the box?

This Aoshima kit comes in a nice glossy box, featuring the boxart and little history blurb on the side. When you open the box you are presented with two bags. One contains the clear parts sprue and the decal sheet, the other contains all other sprues.

The Instructions are printed on two A4 papers in a booklet style, marking options are on the first side. The decals supplied will make more than two schemes. There are options for at least 8 aircraft judging by the decal sheet.

Quality

The plastic looks very nice and is totally smooth and crisp. Panel lines are recessed and consistent, rivets are engraved on the wing roots and underside. They appear to be in scale, not too deep or shallow.

The sprue with clear parts includes the canopy in two versions, you can either show it closed or open. They are thick and quite dull but very clear. It would be advisable to dip them in future/kleer or get a replacement vacuform canopy.

The Kit

The A,B and D sprues contain bigger parts such as the fuselage halves, wings and engine cowl. Nothing special to mention here apart from the guns and exhausts that need to be drilled out for a more realistic look. The C sprue contains all the smaller pieces, cockpit parts, wheel gear, propeller, drop tank and other small details. Everything is crisp apart from some minor flash on the propeller and a couple of visible pin marks on the wheels and instrument panel. Apart from some minor things that can be easily improved, this kit looks stunning.

So here's a list of things I would improve:

• Polish and dip the canopy in gloss varnish ( or get a vacuform one)
  
• Sand and fill the ejector pin marks on the tires and instrument panel
  
• Drill holes in guns and exhaust
  
• Detail the cockpit (Seatbelts and side panels) ,
  

If you really want to improve it you can get a PE set or an aftermarket cockpit set

That's all I noted from looking at the kit, there may be some other issues during the building but I can't list these now as I haven't started the kit.

Conclusions

In the end, this is a superb kit which will look like a gem after some minor improvements and changes.

References

Focke-Wulf Ta 152 by Malcom Lowe
4 Publications
ISBN 978-80-86637-07-5

Focke-Wulf Ta 152: The Story of the Luftwaffe's Late-War High-Altitude Fighter by Dieter Harmann
Schiffer Publishing
ISBN 0-7643-0860-2

Monogram Close-Up 24: Focke Wulf Ta 152 by Jeffrey L. Ethell
Monogram
ISBN 978-0-914144-24-3


The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 by Thomas H. Hitchcock
Eagle Editions
ISBN 978-0-914144-53-3

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