Matchbox 40132 / PK-132 Heinkel He 70 F-2/G-1 & He 170 A — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

Manufacturer: Matchbox

Kit number: PK-132 / 40132

Barcode: 4009803401324

Aircraft: Heinkel He 70 F-2 / He 70 G-1 / He 170 A

Scale: 1/72

Original tooling: 1988

Matchbox reissue: 1992

Status: Out of production

Later reissue: Revell, 2005

Subject: German 1930s fast transport/reconnaissance aircraft and military derivative

The original Matchbox tooling was produced in 1988 and received another Matchbox release in 1992. The same basic tooling was subsequently issued by Revell in 2005 with new decals.
Manufacturer and kit history

This is a later-generation Matchbox kit rather than one of the company's famous 1970s orange-box aircraft. The PK-132 numbering places it in the final major generation of Matchbox aircraft kits.

The Heinkel He 70 was an unusual but historically significant choice. It was a highly advanced fast monoplane when it appeared in the early 1930s and influenced later German aircraft development.

Matchbox's tooling is particularly useful to collectors because it does not restrict the modeller to one aircraft. Parts are supplied for several closely related versions, allowing construction of the He 70 F-2, He 70 G-1, or military He 170 A. The kit's decal sheet provided three different marking possibilities, including German, Spanish Nationalist and Hungarian subjects.

The two Matchbox box-art versions correspond to the 1988 initial release and 1992 reissue.
Kit contents

The kit is a conventional injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit in 1/72 scale.

The principal contents include:

fuselage halves;

one-piece/sectioned wings;

tailplane and rudder;

inline-engine installation;

propeller;

cockpit;

canopy;

undercarriage;

engine cowling components;

military equipment appropriate to the different variants;

alternative parts for the F-2, G-1 and He 170;

decals;

assembly instructions.

The different versions require differences in the cockpit, canopy and engine arrangement, and Matchbox included the necessary alternative components in the moulds.

The kit is regarded as one of the more interesting vintage Matchbox subjects because the He 70 was an uncommon choice for a mass-market 1/72 kit.
The real aircraft — Heinkel He 70 Blitz

The Heinkel He 70 Blitz was a German single-engine fast transport, mail and reconnaissance aircraft developed during the early 1930s.

The name Blitz, meaning "Lightning", reflected its outstanding speed for its period.

It was developed in response to the need for a fast commercial aircraft capable of carrying passengers and mail.

Heinkel designed a highly streamlined aircraft with a low-mounted elliptical wing and retractable landing gear.

Its appearance was significantly more aerodynamic than many contemporary aircraft.

The result was an aircraft that could achieve speeds comparable with, or greater than, some contemporary military fighters.
Lufthansa and the civil aircraft

The He 70 initially had an important civilian role.

Deutsche Lufthansa operated the aircraft on high-speed mail and passenger services.

The aircraft's speed was its principal attraction.

During the early 1930s, airliners were generally much slower than the He 70, and the aircraft established several speed records.

Its aerodynamic design subsequently influenced other German aircraft.

The Matchbox kit's civil marking option is therefore historically important because the He 70 was not originally conceived solely as a military machine.
Design

The He 70 used an all-metal structure with fabric-covered control surfaces.

Its aerodynamic design included:

streamlined engine cowling;

retractable landing gear;

enclosed cockpit;

low-mounted elliptical wing;

streamlined fuselage;

single inline engine.

The aircraft's exceptionally smooth shape is one of the most attractive aspects of the Matchbox model.

In 1/72 scale, the long fuselage and elliptical wing give the completed model a very distinctive appearance.
Engine and performance

The He 70 used several versions of the BMW VI liquid-cooled V-12 engine.

Depending upon the particular version, power was around 750–850 hp.

The aircraft could reach approximately 360 km/h / 224 mph, with some specialised versions achieving higher speeds.

This was remarkable performance for an early-1930s transport aircraft.

The He 70's speed made it useful for reconnaissance and courier work after it was displaced from the commercial aviation market by larger and more practical aircraft.
Military development

The Luftwaffe became interested in the He 70 because of its combination of speed and range.

The He 70 F was developed for reconnaissance.

The F-2 represented one of the reconnaissance variants and is one of the aircraft represented directly by the Matchbox kit.

The He 70 G was another civil/transport-related development, with the G-1 represented in the kit.

The aircraft was also developed into the dedicated military He 170.
He 170

The He 170 was essentially a military reconnaissance derivative of the He 70.

It was designed to improve the aircraft's suitability for reconnaissance work and was associated particularly with German and Hungarian service.

The He 170 retained the He 70's streamlined configuration but used a different engine installation.

The Matchbox kit therefore provides a particularly useful representation of the development path from fast civilian aircraft to military reconnaissance machine.
Spanish Civil War

The He 70 saw combat during the Spanish Civil War.

German aircraft were supplied to the Nationalist forces, and He 70s were used for reconnaissance.

This explains the Spanish Nationalist marking included with the Matchbox kit.

The aircraft's speed made it useful in the reconnaissance role, although by the late 1930s it was becoming increasingly vulnerable as newer fighters entered service.
Hungarian service

Hungary also operated the type.

The He 170A became particularly associated with Hungarian service, and Matchbox's decal options include a Hungarian WWII aircraft.

Hungarian He 170s were employed in reconnaissance operations.

This gives the kit considerably more historical variety than its relatively small size might initially suggest.
Luftwaffe service

By the beginning of the Second World War, the He 70 was already becoming obsolete as a front-line military aircraft.

The Luftwaffe therefore used surviving examples mainly for:

reconnaissance;

communications;

liaison;

training;

transport;

secondary duties.

Its high speed remained useful, but the aircraft lacked the armament, protection and performance necessary to survive against modern fighters.
Influence on later aircraft

One of the most interesting aspects of the He 70's history is its influence on later aircraft design.

Its highly streamlined configuration demonstrated the potential of aerodynamic refinement.

The aircraft's design was subsequently studied and its characteristics influenced the development of later German aircraft.

The Japanese Aichi D3A "Val" is sometimes discussed in connection with the broader influence of contemporary German aerodynamic design, while the British Miles M.20 and other designs demonstrate the wider international movement toward clean, streamlined monoplanes.

The most direct German development from the He 70 was, however, the Heinkel He 111 family, although the relationship was evolutionary rather than a simple direct conversion.
Production

Only a relatively small number of He 70s were produced compared with later German aircraft.

Approximately 324 He 70s were built across the various versions.

This relatively small production run, combined with the aircraft's unusual appearance and short front-line career, makes it a particularly interesting modelling subject.

The military He 170 was produced in much smaller numbers.
Full-size aircraft specifications

Representative He 70 figures are approximately:

Crew: 2–5 depending on configuration

Engine: BMW VI liquid-cooled V-12

Power: roughly 750–850 hp

Maximum speed: approximately 360 km/h / 224 mph

Range: approximately 2,100 km

Length: approximately 11.7 m

Wingspan: approximately 14.8 m

Role: transport, mail, reconnaissance and military liaison

The precise dimensions and performance vary between the civil He 70 and military derivatives.
Full-size aircraft selling price

Unlike some later military aircraft, the He 70 does not have a well-established modern market price because no complete original He 70 survives in normal flyable private-market circulation.

Historical aircraft prices are also complicated by the different civil and military configurations and the fact that many aircraft were purchased as part of broader government/military contracts.

For catalogue purposes I would record:

Current full-size selling price: No meaningful current market price — surviving examples are museum/heritage assets.

The He 70 should therefore not be assigned a modern "aircraft value" in the same way as a currently supported warbird such as a Spitfire or Mustang.