In Part 2 of my build of Zoukei-Mura’s HS-129B-2, we got the wings and horizontal stabs on and prepped the kit for paint. I primed the plane and checked for flaws and (not surprisingly) there were several. I had to work on the cannon doors and a little bottom seam work. A quick sanding another round of primer and I wanted to give the instructions a last go over. Reviewing the detailed instructions, I see a few parts I needed to add- the flaps and ailerons. I added those and moved on to paint.

For the color scheme, there are markings provided for one plane:

• Hs-129 B-2/RIII 4.(Pz)/Sch.G2, Werk No. 0310, Libya, February 1943

The paint scheme is a standard Luftwaffe desert scheme consisting of a boot of RLM 65 Light blue, a top of RLM 79 Sand Yellow and splotches of RLM 71 Green. I started with the bottom using Aeromaster paint. Yup- Aeromaster. Still good after all these years. The top was coated with Aeromaster RLM 79 and then the splotches added using my Badger Sotar 2020. These were set aside and let dry overnight.

The plane has a white band around the fuselage and the bottom of both wing tips and also white on portions of the nose. The parts were all masked and sprayed with Tamiya white thinned with lacquer thinner. This was let dry and the entire model clear coated and set aside to dry for a couple days.

While drying for decals, I worked on some of the remaining parts. The spinners for the propellers were painted white and then masked for the ¼ that was painted blue. I masked the front and painted the remainder of the spinner and the propellers RLM 71. The bombs and bomb racks were painted. The sliding part of the canopy was masked using the canopy set and painted to match the top. I painted the wheels a rubber color and the hubs black. Lastly, the gun sight was assembled and painted. All these parts were set aside and its back to the kit.

The decals for the kit are superb. They are printed by Cartograf and settle with no issues. The swastikas are included as two parts. Once settled, I started with dark oil washes all over the plane highlighting the details and the panel lines. I added several coats and varied between black and dark brown. I added the pitot tube, tires and propellers. The tires got a Flory wash of grime and dust and were let dry. I moved on to AK Interactive watercolor pencils. A quick trip to youtube for some directions and these were AWESOME. Chipping, washed and staining, all are easy. Make a mistake, wipe them off. I flat coated the kit with several coats. I them pulled the weathering paints out- I wanted a dirty exhaust look. The ones I like are from Comart and I used smoke, transparent black, oil stain and gray to represent the heat markings. I slowly built this up until I was happy. I then flat coated everything multiple times.

To finish it off- I added the antennae mask, the bombs, gunsight, canopy and props. Last thing to add was the wing and tail lights and the landing light. I loved this kit wanted a base for it. Zoukei Mura sells then and quick visit and one was in my hands which allowed me to add some miscellaneous parts for a quick diorama.

If someone would have said we would have an injection molded 1/32 Hs-129 I wouldn’t have believed it. To have one of this quality from Zoukei Mura is a dream for us Luftwaffe modelers. It is beyond detailed, well researched, fits superbly and needs no aftermarket. It was a blast to build and I cannot wait to see what the future brings – Ar-234!!!!

My thanks to the excellent people working at Zoukei-Mura to making such wonderful kit. They are making it a great time to be a modeler.