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Hi All Another one of my favorite flying wings I used to fly one of theses in my R/C days. After getting a Meng tank and ship an aircraft would be next and this flying wing caught my eye, its a good scale at 1/32 all the others I have seen are 1/72 and it also has the option of spliting the rear fuselage so the rocket engine is exposed for maintainance it also included the stands for this option. The kit is mostly moulded in grey plastic with one sprue in black all of the sprue's are well moulded with little or no flash . The clear parts are well made and real rubber tyres are also included. There is a small amount of etch included along with a large decal sheet including British markings for when test pilot Eric Brown had a flight in the aircraft after the war. The instructions are up to Meng's usual standard with clear pictures and 3 pages of colour plates to aid what version you wish to build, I have also ordered the Big-ed set for this along with the resin cockpit set shown. A very nice kit that should build into a nice model and easily made into your own version with the options available. Regards Andy arpurchase attached the following image(s): Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Don't know how I missed this Andy but that's a very nice kit review and the kit itself looks fabulous, I am quite tempted by this kit as a future purchase, now that I've seen what's in the box.
I've always had an interest in these late war German aircraft, some of them were very radical at the time, and a lot of the Stealth aircraft of the modern era have links back to these machines in the way that they were developed particularly things like the American B2 bomber!?
Thanks for taking the time to post this Andy.
Kev
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Hi Kev Thanks for looking in and your comments like yourself I have always liked the more exotic aircraft and there development. Your correct the latest stealth bombers and fighters can be traced back to these ground breaking aircraft and I Think it was a captured ME 163 and the ME 262 that help the USSR develope the swept wing of the Mig 15 fighter. Below is a link to some online pictures of the Meng kit showing the split body and tresles included in the kit. https://www.google.co.uk...JAhXGchQKHQ2CBE8QsAQIHg
Regards Andy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Hi All I have also got hold of a set of weighted wheels for this kit from DEF.Model. All I need now is the T stoff and C stoff fuel trucks but there again probs not as it was more volatile than nitro-glycarine. As a side note the pilot had to wear an asbestos suit when flying this aircraft the reason why is he sat with two fuel tanks on either side of the cockpit, if any fuel from these tanks leaked out from say a heavy landing or flip over on landing the fuel in the tanks caught fire on contact with the skin and just burnt straight through wherever it touched. More pilots were lost through accidents than were ever shot down by opposing forces but the 30mm cannon the carried could bring down a flying fortress with between 4 to 6 hits. Although they only had time for two attacks per flight when they were used they were quite successful and were regarded as a major threat. To counter there threat allied fighters would attack them as they landed at there airfields as they couldnt restart there rocket motors and escape as they only had something like 5 mins powered flight before all the fuel was used up. So it was a powered take off and fast climb to intercept then engine set to idle for the first diving pass then a climb out with the remaining fuel for a second pass that resulted in a dead engine and a glide back to base. It was in this glide most were lost to enemy fire. Regards Andy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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It was indeed a VERY dangerous aircraft to fly and maintain!! Approaching a stationary Komet after it had appeared to land safely was still very dangerous and must have been like returning to a very large box of fireworks after they had been lit!! The main fuel used in the rocket motors was Hydrogen Peroxide I believe?
There is some very interesting and useful information on the aircraft and its' rocket motors for you here Andy if it helps:
http://www.walterwerke.co.uk/walter/index.htm
Kev
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Hi Kev I already had that link to the site in my favorites but thanks for the heads up. The two fuels used were T stoff and C stoff and you are correct in saying T stoff was hydrogen peroxide C stoff was a mixture of alcohol and hydrazine both a lethal explosive cocktail. You may have noticed the RAF markings on the Meng kit this is the aircraft taken back to England and flown as a glider for experimental purposes by Eric brown as the test pilot and test pilot of every captured German aircraft at the time. It was on the first flight that on landing Eric Brown broke his back due to the failure of the hydraulic skid on the ME 163. It was due to Eric Browns involvement with the ME 163 that when Germany was putting on display a restored ME 163 they were short of the Walter rocket motor Mr Brown remembered that they had one taken off the aircraft he flew and returned it to Germany so they could place the only motor left in the world to its home. As a side note you may know of the Avro 720 project where a walter engine was used to give a fast take off and then a conventional jet engine took over for the rest of the flight. The reason I mention the Avro is because they cured the explosive fuel problem by spraying the Peroxide through a platinum mesh to get the reaction and thrust for the rocket motor therefore getting rid of the need for C stoff. Regards Andy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 30/01/2013 Posts: 4,604 Points: 13,607 Location: Monmouthshire UK
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Looks a lovely little kit Andy, look forward to seeing it. I remember a tv prog about Eric "Winkle" Brown having a go in one of these Steve
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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The British De Havilland DH108 Swallow was also an aircraft designed around the Me163 Komet (using a DH Vampire fuselage) and was used to investigate high speed flight:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_DH_108
You can certainly see the likeness can't you?
Sadly it claimed the life of Geoffrey De Havilland Jnr on its' second test flight when it broke up over the Thames estuary at Mach 0.9 after structural failure. They were certainly dangerous times for test pilots just after the war!!
Kev
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Hi Kev I think you may be a little confused with your aircraft here Kev the DH 108 Swallow was a design based on the previous concept aircraft the DH 106 Comet a design from 1944. Although the general lay out of this aircraft and the ME 163 are similar they both came from different design concepts. Regards Andy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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