Heinkel He-51 B-2

  • Box - Luftwaffe
Cat. No.:
32-002
Material:
resin
Scale:
1:32
Period:
1932-1938
Marking options:
1 (Luftwaffe)
Number of parts:
180 x resin, 4 x film
Length & wingspan:
326 x 343 (mm)
Additional features:
iron reinforced main elements
Price:

History

Heinkel He-51 was development of the earlier He-49. It was produced in three main versions: fighter, ground attack and seaplane. The He-51 was a convetional biplane fighter, with all-metal construction and fabric covering. First prototype, the He-49a, flew in November 1932. With longer fuselage and better engine it was ordered into production as the Heinkel He-51 for Luftwaffe in May 1933. It was first used during Spanish Civil War in 1936. It was successful during operations against older biplane designs such as: Nieuport 52, Breguet 19, Potez 54. This time of superiority was short lived, with the arrival of large numbers of modern aircraft from the Soviet Union, including Polikarpov I-15 and I-16. After that the He-51 was withdrawn from fighter duty and relegated to the ground attack role by both the Legion Condor and the Spanish Nationalists. The He-51 B-2 (38 were built) was a float-plane fighter version equipped for catapult lauching, but sometimes had racks for up to six 10kg bombs.

Technical data:
Length: 10,45 m
Wingspan: 11,00 m
Power plant: BMW VI 7,3Z V12 engine, 560 kW (750 hp)
Armament: 2x M.G17 7,9 mm
Max speed: 318 km/h
Range: 500 km