1:32 FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 (3D print)

The FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 antenna array in 1:32 scale

The set brings, in 1:32 scale, the antenna array of the airborne radar FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 as German night fighters of the Second World War carried it. The name states that these are parts made by 3D printing. It is not a kit of an airplane but an accessory that is added to a model under way; the model itself, glue and paints are not included in the package.

The real subject

Lichtenstein was the cover designation of a family of German airborne radars for night fighting. The FuG 212 version followed on from the older FuG 202 and used a conspicuous array of dipole antennas projecting from the nose of the aircraft, which were given the nickname Matratze, that is mattress. It is precisely this structure ahead of the nose that gives German night fighters their characteristic silhouette, and on a model it is the detail a viewer notices first. The antenna rods were thin and precisely spaced, so in injection-molded plastic they tend to be simplified or oversized.

Building and painting tips

Separate the parts with a sharp knife or a fine saw, degrease the surfaces before painting and spray them with primer. Super glue has proved itself for the joints, because ordinary plastic glue does not hold on printed parts. Mount the antennas at the end of the build, when the fuselage is painted; otherwise they are in the way during masking and snap easily. Check the symmetry of the array against photographs: a crooked antenna shows on a finished model more than anything else.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who build German night fighters in 1:32 scale
• Builders who are not satisfied with simplified antennas from a plastic kit
• More experienced modelers used to working with small parts
• Collectors who want to show a particular version of the radar on a model