Special Hobby Plastic Model Kit Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk.X — 1:72 damaged box

Manufacturer and kit history

Special Hobby is a Czech model-kit manufacturer specialising in aircraft and other subjects that are often overlooked by larger mainstream manufacturers. This particular kit is a reissue of an older model originally produced under the Condor range. Special Hobby describes the He 178 as one of the perennial subjects of its production, with the current boxing bringing the model back under the Special Hobby name.

The kit was originally catalogued around 2015, and the current product is explicitly described by Special Hobby as a reissue.
Kit contents

The SH72321 is a relatively small 1:72 aircraft kit but represents a historically important prototype.

The contents include:

Injection-moulded plastic components

Fuselage halves

Wings

Tail surfaces

Detailed cockpit

Pilot's cockpit tub/interior

Clear injection-moulded canopy

Photo-etched detail parts

Landing gear

Engine intake and exhaust details

Decals for the He 178 V-1 prototype

Assembly instructions

Art Scale Kit's current description confirms that the kit contains one plastic sprue, a clear injection-moulded cockpit/canopy component and a photo-etched sheet for additional detail. Paint and adhesive are not included.
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 Ernst Heinkel's company in Germany during the late 1930s as a private research project into the potential of jet propulsion.

Heinkel had become interested in the work of physicist and engineer Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain, who was developing a radically different form of aircraft propulsion: the gas-turbine jet engine.
Development of the jet engine

In 1936, Ernst Heinkel recruited von Ohain and his assistant Max Hahn to work on jet propulsion.

Their first experimental engine was the HeS 1. It was tested on a ground test stand in September 1937.

The HeS 1 used hydrogen and was essentially a proof-of-concept engine. It demonstrated that von Ohain's basic principle could produce useful thrust.

The next development was the HeS 3, which used liquid fuel and was much more suitable for installation in an aircraft.
The He 178 airframe

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

It was a remarkably compact aircraft with:

A metal fuselage

Wooden wings

A high-mounted wing

A single pilot

A centrally mounted jet intake

A tail-mounted exhaust

Fixed/early retractable undercarriage arrangements during development

The engine's air intake was positioned in the nose, with airflow passing through the fuselage to the centrally mounted jet engine before exiting through the rear.

This arrangement gave the aircraft its distinctive appearance.
First flight

The He 178 V-1 made its first flight on 27 August 1939, with Erich Warsitz at the controls.

This was a historic event because the aircraft flew using the thrust generated solely by its Heinkel-Hirth HeS 3b turbojet.

The first flight occurred only a few days before the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe.

The achievement therefore represented a major technological milestone immediately before Germany entered the war.
Performance

The He 178 was extremely small compared with later jet aircraft.

Representative figures include:

Crew: 1

Engine: Heinkel-Hirth HeS 3b turbojet

Thrust: approximately 5 kN

Maximum speed: approximately 650 km/h

Role: Experimental aircraft

Wings: Wooden construction

Fuselage: Metal construction

The approximately 650 km/h figure is frequently quoted for the aircraft's performance, although experimental-flight figures naturally varied with configuration and test conditions.
Why the He 178 mattered

The He 178 was not designed as an operational fighter.

Its importance was technological.

It demonstrated that an aircraft could successfully fly using a turbojet engine instead of a piston engine and propeller.

This represented the beginning of the jet age.

At the time, aircraft were overwhelmingly powered by piston engines driving propellers. The He 178 demonstrated a fundamentally different approach in which hot gases generated thrust directly through a jet exhaust.
Limited development

Despite its historic achievement, the He 178 did not proceed into production.

Heinkel subsequently developed the larger He 280, which was a purpose-built jet fighter incorporating the lessons learned from the He 178 programme.

Other German companies, particularly Junkers and Messerschmitt, were also developing jet aircraft.

The Messerschmitt Me 262 eventually became the first operational jet fighter to enter significant service.

The He 178 itself therefore remained an experimental aircraft rather than becoming a combat type.
Comparison with the He 280

The He 178 demonstrated the feasibility of jet propulsion but was essentially a technology demonstrator.

The subsequent He 280 was designed as a proper fighter, with two engines, retractable landing gear and armament.

The transition from He 178 to He 280 illustrates how quickly German aviation engineers moved from experimental jet propulsion toward practical military jet aircraft.
Historical significance

The He 178 is important because its first flight occurred before the Second World War, making it the aircraft that opened the practical era of jet-powered flight.

Although it never became an operational aircraft, its significance is comparable to other experimental aircraft that introduced entirely new technologies.

For collectors, the He 178 is particularly appealing because the complete aircraft was very small and visually distinctive, making it an excellent subject for a 1:72 scale display model.