The role of bombing was lingering from World War 1. Fly atop the target and release the payload; yet in the Spanish civil war alternative combat began to develop with the use of dive bombers such as the Henschel 123.

Airfix’s kit from the 70s had been out of production from over a decade before it’s return as a vintage classic – perhaps odd given it’s consistency in Airfix’s range for such a sustained period prior.

The kit, as all the vintage classic range does, features the stunning original art work on the front of the box with the distinct logo of ‘vintage classics’ adorning it, like a little finishing bow. I love these boxes as they really do let you appreciate the gorgeous high res prints of the art work.

The kit has so few parts to it – but this is common for it’s age. Featuring the wings, 2 fusalage parts, 3 part cockpit area, and a few remaining pieces for the supports, wheels, and details. It’s a small but complete kit. I must say that it feels much cleaner than historic variations of this kit. The instructions are originals with colour profiles of the plane as well, with the decals being the lovely Cartograph standard we are all used to. I thoroughly believe that the moulds must’ve been cleaned significantly because it’s a world apart from the historic versions of the kit I’ve seen – much like I saw with the Airfix G.50 Viintage Classic.

The model fell together like a glove for me. I had no issues whatsoever. For painting I used Vallejo paints; for the borwn 70/872, the green is 71/137, and the beigey light green is 971. This is the same paints that I used in my Heinkel He-112 video.

This was my first test with an airbrush, so ignore my wild unprofessionalism and lack of technique. The paint job was ok in the end for a first go (ignoring my 2018 single paint efforts). The scheme to me looked odd and I kept thinking there was something missing…until the decals. God the decals tied this whole piece together into a glorious pinnacle of biplane design!

Buy or Fly?

This is super simple; buy it. It’s a gorgeous gorgeous kit. Simple to produce, easy to finish…but with potential for you to spend hours making it look exactly like your specific German or Spanish subject. You could even go all out with aftermarket decals for a Spanish service version or Chinese version! There’s many interesting subjects to be s ought out and made, and for less than €12 a kit generally. A bargain! What one will you make?