Zoukei-Mura 1/32 Ta 152H
By Jay Howard
I picked up this kit a while back at a trunk sale for $30 but was always apprehensive about building it given the negative reviews. I was also motivated by the excellent results shown here by John, Andy, Tom, etc. I read through all their build logs again to try to avoid some of the fit issues and they helped a lot so thanks, guys, for sharing. Since I was only in it for $30 I decided to take a crack at it.
Although forewarned I still had my share of difficulties but managed to get through it. The Dremel was definitely used, plus a lot of sanding, and clamps. This kit is definitely a case of trying to fit 10 pounds of stuff into a 5-pound bag. You fix one issue, and it creates another somewhere else.
Note I learned after I posted the photos that the grille in the cowl intake shouldn't be there, as that was added to the airframe used as a pattern for this kit post-war to keep birds and other vermin out while it was in storage. I hope to remove it soon.
In the end it was a fun build and I'm happy with the result. Oddly enough with all the 109s I have built you might think I'd have done a 190-family plane but this is the first. Really want to do a D-9 now.
Enjoy!
© Jay Howard 2024
This article was published on Friday, May 17 2024; Last modified on Saturday, May 18 2024