Heinkel He 162A-2
A-2 / 20 mm cannon armament
Colours used
in this example.
Build the main surfaces in light layers. Keep the quiet background softer than the aircraft.
Suggested pencil shades, not exact historical paint matches. Test colours on your paper before building richer layers.
Use light overlapping pencil layers
Retain highlights under the fuselage
Shade inside the circular opening
Keep the existing outlines
Keep the scenery quieter than the aircraft
Look a little closer.
Explore the details from different angles.
Comparison reference 1
Preserved He 162 at Chino: cockpit, engine pod and Nervenklau nose artwork. Preserved He 162 family example; exact A-2 subtype not established by this photo catalogue. Preserved He 162 family example; exact A-2 subtype not established by this photo catalogue. Display copy resized without cropping.
Photo: Dustin May from Detroit, MI · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0Aircraft reference 2
RAF Museum He 162: side view of yellow 4, pale lower surfaces and green upper fuselage. Display copy resized without cropping.
Photo: Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany, Germany · Source · CC BY 2.0Aircraft reference 3
He 162A-2 at Duxford: yellow 6, green upper fuselage and pale undersides. Preserved aircraft; displayed paint is a restoration reference rather than proof of wartime factory colours. Display copy resized without cropping.
Photo: Falcon_33 · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0Aircraft reference 4
He 162A-2 at Le Bourget: yellow 21, high-mounted engine and twin tail fins. Preserved aircraft; displayed paint is a restoration reference rather than proof of wartime factory colours. Display copy resized without cropping.
Photo: airlines470 · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0Aircraft reference 5
He 162A-2 front view: nosewheel, engine intake and short wing span. Preserved aircraft; displayed paint is a restoration reference rather than proof of wartime factory colours. Display copy resized without cropping.
Photo: Falcon_33 · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0Historical finishes and markings
Wartime and post-capture photographs show the He 162 in German markings and Allied display contexts. The colour U.S. test photograph has a replacement tail from another airframe. RAF Museum records the restoration and repainting of its survivor, so preserved finishes should not be taken as untouched wartime paint.
Markings: White 23 at Leck is identified as 120230; The U.S. test aircraft combined the 120230 airframe with a tail from 120222 Muted green upper surfaces with pale blue-grey lower areas in the colour references Natural metal intake edges and dark tyres provide small contrasting details
In the photographs
Wartime and post-capture photographs show the He 162 in German markings and Allied display contexts. The colour U.S. test photograph has a replacement tail from another airframe. RAF Museum records the restoration and repainting of its survivor, so preserved finishes should not be taken as untouched wartime paint.
In the coloured example
This pencil interpretation uses upper airframe and engine pod: Olive, Grey-green; lower surfaces: Pale blue-grey; intake: Graphite, Silver grey; wing markings: White, Black; forest and sky: Sage, Pale blue, White. It is a creative colouring example based on the book drawing. It does not reproduce a verified individual aircraft or an exact paint standard.
Make the details count.
Keep the engine pod distinct with a darker shadow where it sits above the fuselage.
Use matching light shading on the twin fins while leaving the intake rim bright.
Follow your curiosity.
Model history and further reading.