AIRFIX HEINKEL 111 1/72 scale model kit - how to make it!

[@FinsburyPhil]

What I like about your builds Gary is that you have a 'good enough' attitude, where it's about the fun of modelling.

[@crazylocha2515]

I agree, something about the way Gary says it and means it. Usually he says it right about where most of us would, if we want to keep our sanity. ☕🐢

[@garys_stuff]

Years ago, as an impressionable cadet, I was visiting a Hunter maintenance hangar. On one (very much non-critical) part of an FGA9 was written "FITWID" in grease pencil. Innocently, I asked a nearby Chiefy what that meant. "Lad," he intoned in an indulgent way, " it means F*** It That Will Do". If it was good enough for the intrepid birdmen of the RAF, it's good enough for me!

[@ronaldbyrne3320]

@@garys_stuff 🤣

[@FinsburyPhil]

@@garys_stuff 😀👍

[@randytaylor1258]

@@garys_stuff You have to set goals and know when it's done.

[@welshparamedic]

Hey gary, I'm a 64 year old retired paramedic who had to retire due to spine damage! I have just 'rediscovered model making! but am so out of itas i last built Airfix, Revell kits 50 years ago (oh lord, half a centuary!) Thing is that there was no youtube in the late 60's- early 70's so we basically, as kids, just made them and all used paints thaat were solvent based TOOK DAYS TO DRY! I've bought a compressoe and airbrush and have some kitshere ready to go....just need a little more motivation AND watching ur videos do it!! Thankyou..from a new subscriber!!

[@garys_stuff]

Makes me buzzing when I get a comment like this! So glad you are back in the hobby and if my videos help then that’s a massive bonus! Let me know how you get on, maybe join the Gary’s Friends’ Stuff group on Facebook to share your builds with a friendly and helpful bunch!

[@basingstoke63]

Wow ,Gary . More masks than a Lone Ranger fan club reunion . A challenging but lovely Kit . Well done .

[@nikbarr1721]

i've got the motorhead one bit of scratch building to do to make it look liks it should and no record with it. nice build gary thank you

[@garys_stuff]

Yeah, no Lemmy or Philthy Phil figure for the flight crew…. Cheers Nik!

[@jimbraiden2094]

Well done Gary, it's good to see the more demanding areas, mask set a must, a nice finished model.

[@julianmhall]

It's always easy for the man who doesn't have to do it himself, so me then :) With the undercarriage I'd fit the main wheel assembly first, then glue the brace between it and the back, and let them dry. Then fit the diagonal brace between the two. That way you only have one moving part at a time, and I just /know/ if I was doing it I'd be swearing like a trooper - on that note many congrats for keeping your cool while doing it :)

[@brendonhughes4580]

Excellent build, straight from the box, keeping things simple. Inspiring wouldbe modellers as apposed to scaring them away.

[@bonzomcdrumcat4989]

Just putting the final piece on my one, fantastic kit to build! I also did the colours in the way displayed on the box, which upon further inspection made it the camouflage with the colours switched round!

[@anthonyroberts7987]

Your opening music is very evocative of the movie, Battle of Britain. Congratulations on this build.

[@garys_stuff]

It's fun trying to get the right music for the videos without incurring a copyright notice from YT! So I use a site called Uppbeat, pay them a small amount each month and I can use whatever music and effects are on their site.

[@chuckhardin1936]

The He 111 is my favorite BoB bomber. It's got a beautiful outline and you're is quite the lovely one. I actually have that one in my stash and now I'm raring to get started.

[@markfranks1329]

Nicely done Gary. Gosh, Airfix have come a long way. This He 111 certainly makes the original H-6 I built as a boy seem rather crude and archaic now.

[@tonygamson2911]

Thanks Gary. Great job. The undercarriage structure seems to be more fiddly than necessary but that is the way with Airfix. Built one of these way back in the mists of time and have a new kit sitting in my stash. Have ordered the masking set as I need all the painting assistance I can get. Looking forward to having a crack at it very soon. cheers

[@garys_stuff]

It's a nice kit and the undercarriage is probably just as fiddly as pretty much everything else I've done recently! At least it's pretty accurate and is very stable when it's all done. Masking set is really essential for this one unless you've a very, very steady hand!

[@michaelcampin1464]

I tended to build models " in flight" and hang them from the ceiling but I did appreciate the dogfight doubles kits.

[@garys_stuff]

They were great - although sometimes the combat pairing seemed odd (Cessna Bird Dog v MiG-21?)

[@cosmarendy8417]

Thanks for your honest sharing again. 😊The undercarriage is a nasty piece of engineering, you did well dealing with it. The kit and finished model is great. Very inspiring.

[@HavardCastiglioni]

This heinkel 111 is an impressive looking aircraft. It does resemble the raid from Narnia the lion witch and the wardrobe. Seeing the model kit in the video is very impressive. In all reality, the design looks flawless. If the propellers spin freely, it would be impressive.

[@toboldlygosmodelworks1973]

I have a HE-111 P2 myself (plus a big ED set), nice work

[@AlanWitton]

Another great kit and video Gary! Im getting lots of great tips and ideas from watching your videos! Thank you!

[@michaelvalenzuela2528]

The best He 111 so far this year👍

[@garys_stuff]

Thanks man!

[@stephencostello8792]

Really nice build. One of my favourite planes

[@matthewmoore5698]

Done it years ago,theB17 a nice one. Swordfish nice one , Catalina a nice one x

[@volkerbenkel8082]

Great Build👍. And your color callout for the inner fuselage is convincing. Behause even in german aircrafts in later wartime only the cockpit was painted in RLM 66 blackgrey the rest of the inner surface was RLM 02 greygreen. Best regards from Germany

[@garys_stuff]

Thanks Volker! Mit freundlichen Grüßen!

[@willwoods6466]

Great build Gary, I will be hunting that kit down and looking to build it in the future. I was fortunate enough to see a Heinkel 111 in early 2000. Got to crawl around in it, not very spacious. Unfortunately the Confederate Air Force lost this bird in a crash, killing both pilots in 2003.

[@randytaylor1258]

I caught it on a tour with the B-17 "Sentimental Journey". A real loss when she went down.

[@chrisfirth1803]

Lovely built Gary, I imagine even with the masking set that it took ages to cover the greenhouse.

[@georgepetrillo7316]

Gary, you did well.. Looks like the parts are well detailed. On a scale of 1 to 10; what's your rating on this Airfix kit?

[@garys_stuff]

I'd say about an 8.5. I like it, nice to build and seems pretty accurate.

[@adrielrowley]

Great video. Now know if get to build this, buy and use white metal hanging gear, no way could I get all those bits to behave due to my condition. Appreciate showing everything, even what is difficult. Cheers, Adriel

[@Coalsmoke]

I have to ask; Is this a new tooling from Airfix? I build Airfix's Heinkel HE111 back in the mid 1960's and I don't remember it being that complex of a build. However, it did make for a good looking model and I was proud of my efforts building it. Or at least as proud as a 12 year old could be. Thanks for posting

[@garys_stuff]

The tooling for this was made in 2015.

[@davroshalfbeard8368]

Nice job big improvement from the old kit would be nice to see a Halifax get the treatment lol

[@garys_stuff]

I keep telling Airfix - do the Halifax before someone else (Italeri?) does!!!

[@typhoon2827]

+1 on the Halifax (1/48 too, I think would be a huge seller!)

[@julianmhall]

At 13:20odd. Is that a flap or an air brake? AFAIK flaps are supposed to enlarge the wing area so you can fly slower and still stay airborne. If sticking up those look like they would do the opposite and slow the aircraft down?

[@garys_stuff]

Those are flaps - we are looking at the underside of the aircraft. Flaps originally didn't add much to the surface area - just look at a Spitfire for example with split flaps. They have a role in increasing effective lift for a given airspeed by deflecting air downward. Forcing the air downward results in an equal and opposite upward force on the airframe, extra lift for a given air speed, but also induces extra drag as energy has to be expended to create that downward motion. What this gave was a slower, steeper approach. Simple flaps, such as those on the He111, have a similar effect, but the drag component is slightly more complex as the flow over the upper surface is less controlled. Fowler flaps increase wing area first, e.g. the first 5 degrees or so an airliners flap movement, but then rotate to present a steeper face to the air, with slots used to help manage the upper surface flow. Fascinating stuff, it really is!

[@julianmhall]

@@garys_stuff Cool... thanks Gary. Every day's a school day :)

[@mode1charlie170]

Nice build! this one is on my list to purchase.

[@petermerz2704]

Had to add a comment to see the video. Otherwise the video was black! Thanks for sharing Gary! 😎🇨🇦

[@garys_stuff]

Weird - YT has been doing odd stuff recently... Cheers Peter!

[@steb4205]

Nice work Gary!

[@GhostRider247]

that looks amazing !!!! well done Gary !!

[@neilharrison1420]

what a amazing build,thank you for sharing.

[@randytaylor1258]

Lovely build -- the fit is impressive though the canopy is daunting. Once the aircraft is painted, i cringe when I hear the model scraping on the table-top pad. I put down a clean, soft towel so I can work without damaging the painted model. Also, dropped parts get caught by the cloth instead of bouncing off the hard matt. Very nice job!.

[@garys_stuff]

Good tip! Cheers Randy!

[@mrjockt]

Some versions of the 111 had a remotely controlled machine gun sticking out the tail, Airfix probably intend to release other versions at a later date that had them and incorporating them into the original moulds would save a bit of money.

[@lewisdell1321]

Looks amazing 👏

[@iannicholls7476]

Nice work Gary. That makes a lovely model, doesn’t it?

[@garys_stuff]

Yes it does!

[@lillianhinton5243]

Garry, how about doing the Revel Heinkel III in 1/32 scale? Great work as always!

[@PanzermansBunker]

Excellent build video. I like the paintwork. The crazy cartoon marking on the rudder is wicked cool. Only one thing could improve this wonderful model.....an aircrew manning their stations. Planes look better populated. Happy hobbing. Bill

[@garys_stuff]

Cool, thanks!

[@philipway7562]

Gary you have certainly inspired me to get a Heinkel, just looks something a little different to build. Can I ask what clear coat you use before decals and after? I am hoping to find something to use through the airbrush. Thx.

[@garys_stuff]

I've started using The Army Painter Air gloss varnish, let down with a bit of thinner (I use the one from spruebox.co.uk). It goes through a 0.3mm needle just fine, enough so i can see where it's going but not flooding it! Once I'm done I use Windsor & Newton Galeria matt through the airbrush, also slightly thinned.

[@philipway7562]

@@garys_stuff Perfect, I will order some! Thank you.

[@laviperm3lo3]

Nice build Gary just a question what blue colour code did you use

[@garys_stuff]

I used RLM65 light blue - which in Vallejo Model Air is 71.255

[@Leavemealone9099]

Great build looking forward to more of your model builds like this one.

[@Dragon_Werks]

Very good build, Gary. How does the Airfix kit compare to the Hasegawa kits? Are they still using that semi-soft plastic?

[@garys_stuff]

Not made the Hasegawa kit so I can't offer any comparison. The plastic isn't as snappy as in many Japanese kits I've seen. Airfix seem to specify a polystyrene with more softener or flow improver.

[@hueyJoe135]

Excellent build son 👍

[@thomashood715]

Great kit, I'm currently doing this one myself. Quick question - did you prime everything before the assembly? I am a newbie to airfix really

[@garys_stuff]

I use a very light coat of spray primer first of all. This helps with painting the interior but also helps me when I'm looking at the fuselage join - gentle sanding along the seam shows where there are bits that need levelling off.

[@thomashood715]

@@garys_stuff okay sounds great will do this in the future. Does the glue still work as well despite parts being lightly primed to begin with?

[@garys_stuff]

@@thomashood715 I've never had a problem, but for things like the seams in the fuselage you might want to just sand down the primer from the contact faces.

[@Ralle1968]

Excellent Job!👍

[@johnlonnevik5917]

I hope this isn't an impertinent question; what sort of optics are you looking through when you are building? Many of the parts seem impossibly small especially in 1/72.

[@garys_stuff]

I’m using the Mk.1 eyeball, occasionally with close-up specs (+2 diopters from my prescription).

[@johnlonnevik5917]

@@garys_stuff Thank you for your reply. Model on.

[@Gabeitch-hu6sn]

Good work!

[@allgood6760]

Beautiful job mate👍✈️🇳🇿

[@NielsenDK-1]

Very good buld:-) Which RLM colours did you use?

[@garys_stuff]

They are in the video, but I used RLM65 for the underside and RLM70 and RLM71 for the top.

[@NielsenDK-1]

@@garys_stuff Vallejo. Got it. Thanks. There are so many RLM paints, which all differ in shades, that it is nearly impossible to chose the right/best ones.

[@randytaylor1258]

@Magua Nielsen It's all interpretation. The same paint will look different in 1/32 than 1/72, and that changes by available light, too.

[@sinclairwhitbourne2090]

@@NielsenDK-1 Don't get too hung up on this - go for what you like the look of. Bombers were basically RLM 65, 70, 71 all through the war; fighters changed a bit more. Sea planes were different again. Often the difference in gradation of colour on the upper surfaces was quite subtle. However, each factory had variation in paint shades, so RLM 71 was not a universal shade, although it was a universal colour. Additionally, units modified colours in the field. So, you actually get a fair bit of license in terms of the shade provided you stick to the colour (i.e. RLM 65 Sky Blue can be a tone/shade whiter or greyer than the Humbrol 65, for example). The 'best ones' are the ones that look best, I think. What you want is something that has some historical accuracy, but that you like the look of. The Osprey books give a good idea of colours and shades, as a starting point.

[@MrPDoff]

I can only envy your Tweezer skills

[@brianmacc1934]

Gary , i seem to remember having a He 110 , is there such a thing never seen one since

[@garys_stuff]

I can only find the He.100 and He.112 fighter projects.

[@brianmacc1934]

@@garys_stuff was basically same but upper gun rotated , thanks anyway 👍

[@williamkoppos7039]

Looks very good.

[@julioyaguedu3262]

Buenisimo !!!!!!!!!!

[@blacknass1943]

also a very nice Bird.

[@brinx8634]

32:12 O dat wing gap! .....FITWIT?

[@johnthornton3467]

Good stuff!

[@anthonyroberts7987]

Thanks!

[@garys_stuff]

Thank you Anthony!

[@julianmhall]

Cool.. I've been looking forward to this since the unboxing video :) Looking on Wikipedia the P variants appear to have had a change to the rearward armaments, so those two prongs /might/ have been MG15s but TBH it's unclear en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_111#Military_variants

[@carlschmiedeke151]

Can i post this on Facebook without getting a copyright infringement black mark on me

[@garys_stuff]

I'm not sure. I would have thought you could post the link that appears underneath the video as a share option?

[@fernandohuerta7880]

What about the crew? 😮

[@routman28]

👏👏👏👍

[@steveallsopp5399]

Hi Gary,fiddley undercarriage struts........nice model,great paint job.......one thing tho matey.............swastikas!!!!!!!!!!!

[@garys_stuff]

They don’t come with the kit, plus I have heard of complaints on YT about them resulting in content being de-monetised. So yes I agree they should be there, but there are reasons why not!

[@antonialeitz9179]

What do you expect

[@philcodd5030]

I would probably finished it flying as I hate fiddly undercarriage pieces. Especially in that soft plastic that airfix use.

[@garys_stuff]

You'd hate the Italeri Stirling then! A veritable engineer's nightmare, that gear.

[@marksawyer6095]

For me, "very fiddly" would come out as a whole string of very bad swear words. Copious amounts of swear words. Now, canopies, especially on this kit. Why not make a plastic framework, and then one piece of transparency that fits inside it. Would save on so much masking and would look better.Front canopy on this looks like a nightmare to do. With more swearing. Possibly even seeing if the plane will fly when I threw it at the wall in disgust and frustration. Maybe another hobby for me would match my lack of patience.

[@routman28]

👏👏👏👍