MPM 1/48
He 177A-5 Greif

Background

This subject is known to the Luftwaffe modelers for its many idiosyncrasies such as the four Daimler-Benz 12 cylinder inverted engines that were grouped together in pairs with each pair driving a single propeller. The He 177 was certainly not pilot's plane due its many technical problems that arose because of the conflicting requirements that were placed on its designers.

An interesting feature of the He-177 was its ability to carry the Henschel Hs 293, Hs 294 or Fritz X radio controlled glider bombs.

The Kit

This subject got lots of interest lately with a release in 72nd scale by Revell and this new release by MPM. Many remember the Airfix version in 72nd scale and the rather expensive MPM-HML full resin kit.

The new MPM kit fills a gap in 48th scale collections and is a welcomed addition. I snatched my copy at the 2006 IPMS National Convention from the MPM booth. At the MPM booth I noticed the CMK resin already available for the Greif.

There were sets available for wheel wells, bomb bays and engine compartment details. By the time I was back at the stand for purchasing they were already gone. Luftwaffe fans are everywhere and they are very 'schnell'!

I never purchased the HML resin kit so I cannot comment if the plastic kit is a copy of its original resin sibling. The plastic is smooth but not glossy, the engraving is delicate and consistent and the raised details look very crisp.

The clear parts are very well done and their framing is well defined. The provided resin parts are few but they are very well molded. It is apparent that MPM left lots of room for aftermarket resin sets for those modelers that like to dress up their kit.

There are decals provided for two Greifs as can be seen from the nicely done color profiles provided in the kit.

Conclusion

This is a very cool looking aircraft and a very attractive subject. I believe that MPM will either provide more He 177 variants with missiles under the wings or maybe more resin will come out of CMK to cover this very interesting detail.

Recommended to modelers with a taste for unusual aircraft and with lots of display room!