Considered by many to be the ultimate night fighter, Heinkel’s He-219 performed such that few could dispute that claim. The concept the Owl was based on was initially envisioned as a fighter-bomber and torpedo platform. Originally, the Luftwaffe was not interested in the design as the feeling at the time was that the war would be won before the design could be brought to fruition. This attitude soon changed with the increase in Allied night bombing and the order went out for a specialized night-fighter. The He-219V-1 first flew on November 15, 1942 and the production A-1 in November, 1943.
The A-7 (Tamiya’s replica) had a speed of 416mph, climb rate of 1,804fpm and a ceiling of almost 42,000ft. Armament for the A-7 was two MG151/20 cannon and two MK108 30mm cannon in the ventral tray, as well as two MK108s in the wing root, and most formidable of all, two MK108s in the truly formidable Schräge Musik (Jazz Music) configuration firing at a 65° upward angle from the fuselage spine. Pilots would utilize the Schräge Musik cannons by flying under the bombers in their blind spot and carefully fire up into the fuel tanks so as not to hit the bomb bay and destroy themselves with the bomber.
Early prototypes were sent to Venlo, Holland for trails. On the night of June 11-12, 1943, Major Werner Streib flew the first operational test mission and promptly shot down five RAF Lancasters in 30 minutes! In total the first six night sorties resulted in the claimed destruction of twenty RAF aircraft, unbelievably six of them were the near untouchable Mosquito. Finally, the Luftwaffe had an aircraft capable of dealing with the Mosquito, which till then had had pretty much free reign. Incredibly, there were only 268 A models built as the powers that be decided to concentrate on the Ju-88G, but the He-219 itself appeared in over 15 different versions. The B and C models had rear turrets installed.
The Owl has long been neglected in quarter-scale, and Tamiya have answered our prayers with a vengeance. I think the only possible way to improve on the stock kit would be to incorporate a after-market cockpit. As it is, the kit-supplied cockpit has more than adequate detail, with raised dials and switches. The plastic cockpit fits over a metal cockpit floor which eliminates adding weight to keep the aircraft from sitting tail heavy.
The Schräge Musik cannon can be displayed with the covering panel removed, however, some ribbing detail would have to be added. I liked the look of mine with the panel closed. Tamiya have provided either open or closed engine cowlings.
Two colour schemes may be modeled, the standard overall RLM76/patchy RLM75 or one with a black underside. I choose the later. Panel lines were accented with pencil.
All in all, a truly beautiful model to build and view
(I think so anyway). It makes a fine addition to any collection.