Special Hobby 72321 Heinkel He 178 V-1 First World Jet — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Manufacturer: Special Hobby
Kit number: 100-SH72321 / SPH72321
Aircraft: Heinkel He 178 V-1
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / EAN: 8594071084950
Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic with photo-etched detail
Country of manufacture: Czech Republic
Original release: 2015
Manufacturer and kit history

Special Hobby is a Czech model manufacturer particularly noted for unusual aircraft, prototypes and less commonly kitted variants. This particular He 178 has an interesting lineage: Special Hobby states that the model was originally issued under its Condor range, subsequently sold out for a long period, and then returned in a new Special Hobby boxing.

The current kit is catalogue number 100-SH72321 and was added to the catalogue in 2015.

The kit is quite small but has more detail than many simple 1:72 experimental-aircraft kits.
Kit contents

The current Special Hobby boxing contains:

One main plastic sprue

Injection-moulded grey plastic components

Clear injection-moulded cockpit/canopy component

Photo-etched detail fret

Decals

Assembly instructions

The manufacturer/distributor specifically describes the kit as containing one sprue of plastic parts, a clear cockpit and a sheet of etched parts. Paint and adhesive are not included.

The photo-etch is a particularly useful addition for a model this small, allowing finer details than would be practical in conventional injection moulding.

The kit represents the V-1 prototype, so there is no armament or operational equipment to complicate the build. The emphasis is instead on the unusual streamlined fuselage, cockpit and pioneering jet engine installation.

The model's small size makes it an excellent companion to other early-jet prototypes. At 1:72 the completed aircraft is only roughly 10.4 cm long, with a wingspan of about 10 cm.
What to check in a second-hand example

If you're buying an older boxing, I would check particularly for:

Main plastic sprue

Clear canopy/cockpit part

Photo-etched fret

Decals

Instructions

The photo-etched fret is important because replacing it can be considerably more difficult than replacing ordinary plastic parts.
The full-size Heinkel He 178 V-1

The Heinkel He 178 V-1 occupies a unique position in aviation history: it was the world's first aircraft to fly solely under jet power.

The aircraft was developed by Heinkel as an experimental project to demonstrate the feasibility of the jet engine developed by Hans von Ohain and his team.

The prototype's first flight took place on 27 August 1939, only days before the outbreak of the Second World War.

The aircraft used the Heinkel-Hirth HeS 3b turbojet, mounted inside the fuselage with the intake at the nose. This arrangement produced the very distinctive appearance represented by the model.

The He 178 was essentially a technology demonstrator rather than a production aircraft. It was not armed and never entered operational service.
Development and significance

The project began after Ernst Heinkel became interested in the work of Hans von Ohain, who was developing a gas-turbine engine suitable for aircraft.

The early HeS 1 engine was tested on the ground in 1937. It was hydrogen-fuelled and demonstrated that the basic concept could work. Von Ohain subsequently developed the more practical HeS 3, which used liquid fuel.

The He 178 airframe was designed specifically around the new propulsion system.

Its construction was unusual for a pioneering jet: the fuselage was metal, while the wings were primarily wooden. The cockpit was positioned ahead of the wing and the single engine was buried within the fuselage.

The prototype demonstrated that a turbojet could successfully propel an aircraft in flight, but Heinkel's subsequent military proposals did not immediately result in a production aircraft based directly on the He 178.

The technology nevertheless contributed to the rapid development of German jet aircraft, ultimately leading to aircraft such as the Heinkel He 280.
Aircraft specifications

Published specifications for the He 178 V-1 include approximately:

Crew: 1

Engine: Heinkel-Hirth HeS 3b turbojet

Maximum speed: approximately 598–650 km/h, depending on the source and measurement

Length: 7.48 m

Wingspan: 7.20 m

Height: 2.10 m

Armament: none

Role: experimental aircraft

Special Hobby's published specifications give the length as 7.48 m, wingspan 7.2 m, height 2.1 m, maximum speed 598 km/h, and range approximately 200 km.

At 1:72 scale, those dimensions produce a model approximately 10.4 cm long and 10 cm across the wings.