Back again, and this time it isn’t an saucer or a rectangle, nope it’s the Revell 1/72 kit of the Arado E555. This was a bomber designed as part of a larger scheme to have multiple aircraft use a similar airframe, but with differing payload fits and a variety of differing numbers of jets powering it. The minimum was two, the maximum, as per this kit, was six, all clustered together atop the large wing. The crew were all at the front, with a top turret and a rear gun controlled by remote. Two cannons firing straight ahead at the edge of the wing where it joined the cockpit module. Designed as a long range bomber, but only for a one way journey, they dea was to fly as far as the US, drop the load and then onto somewhere controlled by Japan. Rearm, drop another load and back to Germany. With the reliability of German jets in WW2, even with six, good luck with that!
The kit was reissued recently, but this is the original issue that sat in my stash for many years, but the detail is still very nice compared to more modern kits. Digging out my edition of Secret Projects of WW2, German Bombers, it was nice to see my memory wasn’t faulty since this aircraft is on the front and back covers, and my bet is it was herte Revell took their inspiration for one of the camouflage schemes, it being identical. Anyway, just a few snaps of where I’m up to, having installed and painted the cockpit, added the all important weights, this really needs them, and built it up to the stage where the first overal base coat is completed. Now, do I stick with the accepted wisdom or go off piste with my camo? Yes, my life is literally that exciting
I know exactly what you means, and once I had the wheels on the similarity was just so striking. But then, it is a genuine design from blueprints, so I’d guess when creating the design for the film they wanted something with wings that would have to be ducted under and that was of a style distinct to the Germans.
Thanks, and yes, I’m thinking mine was close to twenty years old too. Surprisingly, the collapsable Revell box held up okay for once, and since I separate the decals and instructions from all my kits, both of those are in a good condition too. Aside from filling on the edges of the wings, it has been a pretty good build.
I have one with another 1/72 German what-if? kit, the Silbervogel suborbital bomber, (which I’m just building while the paint has been drying on the E555) so maybe the two will share the one payload.
Yes, thanks for that, after seeing that I check out the Kora 1/72 on ebay and found two types, (shown below) but at the current price, £35.14, each it would actually be cheaper to buy the Silbervogel what-if kit that actually does come with both types of bomb, the heavy SS-100 tractor to pull them and the bomber itself,.With both bombs, you can use one for the model from the kit and another with the E-555. Seriously, £35 for the bomb, the bleedin’ model itself didn’t cost anywhere near that! Anyway, fortunately, after digging out the Takom kit, I found the bombs, that I’d never really looked at closely, were very nicely made, certainly good enough to either sit in the cradle or in the bomb-bay, as you can see below from a kit someone built for a review.
Model-Collect have put out the Horten XVIIIA in a couple of guises, but I don’t know anyone who has made them. last thing I’d want is another model from them like the B2 Spirit, that is supposedly one dog of a kit.
So weird you posted that, I just pulled two of those out of the stash in the garage, together with an Me 262 and another Revell what-if fighter, the Me P.1099B . Thought seeing as I was making the E-555, I may as well carry on with the theme and do a few more, as well as a couple of Fw-200’s and a He177 A-5 . Yes, when I get painting on a subject I really get onto that track for a while. I wouldn’t mind but on the table next to where I’m working I have half a dozen WW2 German tanks just needing the final camouflage, I’m just not in the mood for them right now. I know, am I the only one who gets like that? Anyway, really nice work on the 229, I haven’t built anything like a 1/72 fighter in years, (size-wise) so it’ll be interesting. I also have one in 1/48 that is lurking somewhere, I could never decide whether to do it fully painted or with the wood effect that some people have made look so nice.
Yes, it reminds me of a Amusing Hobby 1/48 model of a concept for the Me262, (shown below). Very nice work, that’s yet another of those designs I haven’t seen. I’ll have to have another look in the Secret Projects books, (I just like looking at the pictures).
Messerschmitt P-1099 Nachtjager (Night Fighter) Stabs I/NJG 3, (Staff, I Gruppe / Nachtjagergeschwader . Northern Germany. 1946. 4 X 20mm cannons below the nose, a pair of 30mm cannons operated by the radar operator in the rear cockpit , and two remotely operated 20mm cannons turrets on either side of the rear fuselage. It would have had an intercept radar array on the nose and a radar warning receiver in the tail to warn of US of British night fighters in the area. Paint is overall RLM 76 “light blue” . Upper surfaces are a splinter camo of RLM 75 “Violet Grey” with splotches of the corresponding color over the upper surfaces and sides. 5F code to the rear of the cross is the ID code for NachtjagerGeschwader 3 . The black “B” denotes I Gruppe. The green “F” denoted 7th aircraft of the Gruppe Headquarters Staff. The aircraft was re-assigned from another Gruppe. Old ID was painted out (RLM 02 Grey) and new codes applied. Black starboard wing was a recognition feature to prevent anti aircraft guns from firing on friendly aircraft.
Messerschmitt P-1099B. Yellow 7, 6 Staffel, II Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 7. Northern Germany. 1946. Armament consisted of 2X 30mm cannon in a nose turret, 2X 30mm cannon operated by the flight engineer in the rear cockpit, 2X 13mm guns in tail turrets (for defense), 24X R4M, 55 mm rockets under the wings, and 2X WG-21 , 210mm rockets under the fuselage. Red/ Blue band was the ID marking for JG-7. Horizontal bar indicates II Gruppe. Yellow was 6 Staffel’s color. “7” was aircraft’s ID in the Staffel.Colors are typical post 1944 Luftwaffe RLM 81 violet brown and RLM 82 Dark Green over RLM 76 Light Blue with 81/82 mottle. Repairs to Starboard wing are RLM 83 light green.
