1:72 Blohm &Voss Bv 316 A-1, aircraft "2+~ Yellow" of Deutsche Luftwaffe's VI/JG 52; Brumowski airfield (Austria), May 1946 (Whif/Matchbox F-86 conversion)
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
The Bv 316 was a tailless twin jet fighter designed by Blohm & Voss as a replacement for the Me 262 fighter. The design of the Bv P.216 was begun in the summer of 1943 and was intended as an overall improvement to the Messerschmitt Me 262. The biggest weakness of the Me 262 were its unreliable and weak Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, delivering only 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each.
Whilst the Luftwaffe took the Me 262 into service, an improvement was direly needed. Messerschmitt responded with the P.1099 design, and in 1944 the High Command of the Luftwaffe came up with the Emergency Fighter (Volksjäger) Competition, which challenged engineers to invent a new, light and simple aircraft.
Nevertheless, heavier types with longer endurance were needed, too, so Blohm & Voss’ designer Dr. Vogt proposed a twin jet development of his versatile family of tailless fighter concepts (ranging from pusher propeller designs through a light fighter for the Volksjäger competition up to a heavy, three-seated night fighter design) that would fall into the Me 262’s weight class, but take advantage of the Heinkel HeS 011, a new jet engine which was being under development for aircraft of various classes and sizes and offered 150% of thrust.
The engines were mounted in a pair at the rear of a short, tailless fuselage, breathing through a bifurcated nose intake. The pilot sat above the air intake in a pressurized cockpit, with a dorsal fuel tank behind him. More fuel was carried in the wings, which were swept 40° at quarter chord and featured fins on short outriggers at about 2/3 of the wing span. A fully retractable tricycle landing gear was fitted, the front wheel turned 90° to lie flat under the air intake while the main wheels retracted inward and also lay under the engine bay. Armament consisted of four compact MK 108 30mm cannons in the nose section.
This aircraft received the internal project number P.216. Since it already incorporated advanced wind tunnel research for the innovative layout and the swept wing design, Dr. Vogt received an official Go from the RLM.
Construction of three P.216 prototypes began in May 1945, followed by extensive flight and structural tests. The first aircraft (A-0 pre-production series) made its first flight in August 1945, and after a minimal test program, the P.216 was cleared for production in October 1945, receiving the official RLM service code number 316.
The production aircraft (Bv 316 A-1) differed only marginally from the prototypes, since there was hardly any time for refinement. Most visible changes included a simplified canopy (instead of a more rounded bubble canopy), and external hardpoints under fuselage and wings for a wide range of ordnance, which made the Bv 316 eligible for fighter bomber duties, too. A plumbed central pylon also allowed the carriage of a drop tank, which extended range appreciably. Less obvious was better armor protection for the pilot and the fuselage tank. Overall performance was slightly better than the Me 262’s, the most significant advantage was the dramatically improved reliability of the HeS 011 engines and a much better turn radius due to the lower wing load.
Luftwaffe pilots were sceptical at first, but found the Bv 316 to be a trustworthy weapon platform. The first machines were allocated to bases in southern Germany and Austria, where the fighters helped to protect oil fields in Bulgaria in mid 1946.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 8,17 m (26 ft 9 1/4 in)
Wingspan: 11,40 m (37 ft 4 1/2 in)
Height: 3,49 m (11 ft 5 1/4 in)
Wing area: 29,11 m² (313,4 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5.046 kg (11,125 lb)
Loaded weight: 6.894 kg (15.198 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 18.152 lb (8.234 kg)
Powerplant:
2× Heinkel HeS 011A turbojets, each rated at 12,01 kN (1.300 kg/2.866 lb)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1.006 km/h (625 mph, 548 knots)
Stall speed: 200 km/h (124 mph, 108 knots)
Range: 2.400 km (1,522 mi)
Service ceiling: 15.100 m (49.600 ft) at combat weight
Rate of climb: 45,72 m/s (9.000 ft/min) at sea level
Wing loading: 236.7 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
lift-to-drag: 15.1
Thrust/weight: 0,42
Armament:*
4× fixed 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose
Underfuselage and wing hardpoints for a total ordnance of 1.500 kg (3.303 lb),
including bombs of up to 1.000 kg (2.202 lb) caliber, drop tanks or unguided rockets
The kit and its assembly:
I wonder why this conversion stunt has not been done before or more often, because it's such an obvious move?
There had been several tailless Blohm & Voss designs, ranging from a small jet fighter (an alternative to the He 162, which was chosen as Volksjäger) to a heavily armed, two engine, three seat night fighter with 14m wing span. If you take a look at sketches of these aircraft, the overall simlarity of the later F-86 is obvious, despite its conventional layout. So I thought that a whiffy B&V design on this basis should be easy - and it actually is!
The basis is the vintage Matchbox F-86A from 1976, chosen because of its simplicity and basically good fit. The major steps include cutting off the tail just behind the wings' trailing edge, as well as a part of the dorsal section and the wings outside of the flaps.
In order to create a more dynamic look and stay true to the original Dr. Vogt designs I attached the wings with a slight dihedral, while the recessed outer wings received a recognizable anhedral - mounted on slender pylons that are actually pieces of sprue.
On top of that some donation parts were added:
* The fins are stabilizers from an Italeri A-4M Skyhawk
* The F-86's bubble canopy was replaced with the canopy and cockpit section from a Revell Me 262
* An Airfix pilot was added
* The engines come from a Dougram mecha kit (a 1:48 hovercraft!)
* The landing gear struts belong to a Hobby Boss Me 262
* The main wheels come from an Italeri IAI Kfir
The new canopy was added for a more "German" and less modern look. It meant massive body work, but it blends in well. The are behind the cockpit had to be sculpted anew, too, and creating a good transition to the two jet exhauts from above and below was not easy.
The F-86 air intake was also modified: the characteristic upper lip with the radar range finder had to go and I implanted a vertical splitter inside, plus a wall of dark foamed plastics that blocks light from the cockpit and sight onto the lead that was hidden around the cockpit.
For armament I filled the original six 0.5" machine guns and drilled two pairs of new, bigger openings for MK 108 cannons in the same place. Later, pieces of hollow steel needles were added as cannon muzzles. As an extra I added an underfuselage pylon for a drop tank and attachment points for eight scratched WGr 21 launch tubes.
Painting and markings:
How to paint a Luft '46 aircraft? The color spectrum is limited, and I wanted a "different" look. Dedicated ugliness was intended. So I came, after some browsing, across an obscure and heavily debated color for the lower sides, called (more or less inofficially) RLM 84. It's a greenish grey, much like the RAF Sky, that was used on some late Luftwaffe aircraft - maybe a primer color, or a field mix? Anyway, it would yield that odd look that I was looking for, and I used a mix of Humbrol 90 with some RLM 02, slightly darker and greenish than Sky.
In order to emphasize the overall strange color effect I decided to paint the upper surfaces in a uniform RLM 81 (Braunviolett), and add field camouflage in the form of patches/mottle in RLM 81 and RLM 02 on the flanks and on the wings. RLM 02 was not in use as camouflage paint in late WWII anymore, but I am certain that it was still around, and it matches the overall greenish look of the aircraft well.
For an even more field duty look I added details in different colors/tones. The slats' undersides received a grey primer finish, while the flaps and rudders were painted RLM 76 from below and in a slightly different shade of RLM 81 from above (Humbrol 155), as if they had been replaced or the aircraft had been built from different components and jostled into service.
All interior surfaces were painted in very dark grey (RLM 66), and various shades of Metallizer were used around the exhausts, the cannons and under the wings where the WGr 21 launch tubes are located.
After a light black ink wash and some shading the decals were applied - puzzled together from various sheets and in a minimalistic style.
1:72 Blohm &Voss Bv 316 A-1, aircraft "2+~ Yellow" of Deutsche Luftwaffe's VI/JG 52; Brumowski airfield (Austria), May 1946 (Whif/Matchbox F-86 conversion)
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
The Bv 316 was a tailless twin jet fighter designed by Blohm & Voss as a replacement for the Me 262 fighter. The design of the Bv P.216 was begun in the summer of 1943 and was intended as an overall improvement to the Messerschmitt Me 262. The biggest weakness of the Me 262 were its unreliable and weak Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, delivering only 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each.
Whilst the Luftwaffe took the Me 262 into service, an improvement was direly needed. Messerschmitt responded with the P.1099 design, and in 1944 the High Command of the Luftwaffe came up with the Emergency Fighter (Volksjäger) Competition, which challenged engineers to invent a new, light and simple aircraft.
Nevertheless, heavier types with longer endurance were needed, too, so Blohm & Voss’ designer Dr. Vogt proposed a twin jet development of his versatile family of tailless fighter concepts (ranging from pusher propeller designs through a light fighter for the Volksjäger competition up to a heavy, three-seated night fighter design) that would fall into the Me 262’s weight class, but take advantage of the Heinkel HeS 011, a new jet engine which was being under development for aircraft of various classes and sizes and offered 150% of thrust.
The engines were mounted in a pair at the rear of a short, tailless fuselage, breathing through a bifurcated nose intake. The pilot sat above the air intake in a pressurized cockpit, with a dorsal fuel tank behind him. More fuel was carried in the wings, which were swept 40° at quarter chord and featured fins on short outriggers at about 2/3 of the wing span. A fully retractable tricycle landing gear was fitted, the front wheel turned 90° to lie flat under the air intake while the main wheels retracted inward and also lay under the engine bay. Armament consisted of four compact MK 108 30mm cannons in the nose section.
This aircraft received the internal project number P.216. Since it already incorporated advanced wind tunnel research for the innovative layout and the swept wing design, Dr. Vogt received an official Go from the RLM.
Construction of three P.216 prototypes began in May 1945, followed by extensive flight and structural tests. The first aircraft (A-0 pre-production series) made its first flight in August 1945, and after a minimal test program, the P.216 was cleared for production in October 1945, receiving the official RLM service code number 316.
The production aircraft (Bv 316 A-1) differed only marginally from the prototypes, since there was hardly any time for refinement. Most visible changes included a simplified canopy (instead of a more rounded bubble canopy), and external hardpoints under fuselage and wings for a wide range of ordnance, which made the Bv 316 eligible for fighter bomber duties, too. A plumbed central pylon also allowed the carriage of a drop tank, which extended range appreciably. Less obvious was better armor protection for the pilot and the fuselage tank. Overall performance was slightly better than the Me 262’s, the most significant advantage was the dramatically improved reliability of the HeS 011 engines and a much better turn radius due to the lower wing load.
Luftwaffe pilots were sceptical at first, but found the Bv 316 to be a trustworthy weapon platform. The first machines were allocated to bases in southern Germany and Austria, where the fighters helped to protect oil fields in Bulgaria in mid 1946.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 8,17 m (26 ft 9 1/4 in)
Wingspan: 11,40 m (37 ft 4 1/2 in)
Height: 3,49 m (11 ft 5 1/4 in)
Wing area: 29,11 m² (313,4 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5.046 kg (11,125 lb)
Loaded weight: 6.894 kg (15.198 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 18.152 lb (8.234 kg)
Powerplant:
2× Heinkel HeS 011A turbojets, each rated at 12,01 kN (1.300 kg/2.866 lb)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1.006 km/h (625 mph, 548 knots)
Stall speed: 200 km/h (124 mph, 108 knots)
Range: 2.400 km (1,522 mi)
Service ceiling: 15.100 m (49.600 ft) at combat weight
Rate of climb: 45,72 m/s (9.000 ft/min) at sea level
Wing loading: 236.7 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
lift-to-drag: 15.1
Thrust/weight: 0,42
Armament:*
4× fixed 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose
Underfuselage and wing hardpoints for a total ordnance of 1.500 kg (3.303 lb),
including bombs of up to 1.000 kg (2.202 lb) caliber, drop tanks or unguided rockets
The kit and its assembly:
I wonder why this conversion stunt has not been done before or more often, because it's such an obvious move?
There had been several tailless Blohm & Voss designs, ranging from a small jet fighter (an alternative to the He 162, which was chosen as Volksjäger) to a heavily armed, two engine, three seat night fighter with 14m wing span. If you take a look at sketches of these aircraft, the overall simlarity of the later F-86 is obvious, despite its conventional layout. So I thought that a whiffy B&V design on this basis should be easy - and it actually is!
The basis is the vintage Matchbox F-86A from 1976, chosen because of its simplicity and basically good fit. The major steps include cutting off the tail just behind the wings' trailing edge, as well as a part of the dorsal section and the wings outside of the flaps.
In order to create a more dynamic look and stay true to the original Dr. Vogt designs I attached the wings with a slight dihedral, while the recessed outer wings received a recognizable anhedral - mounted on slender pylons that are actually pieces of sprue.
On top of that some donation parts were added:
* The fins are stabilizers from an Italeri A-4M Skyhawk
* The F-86's bubble canopy was replaced with the canopy and cockpit section from a Revell Me 262
* An Airfix pilot was added
* The engines come from a Dougram mecha kit (a 1:48 hovercraft!)
* The landing gear struts belong to a Hobby Boss Me 262
* The main wheels come from an Italeri IAI Kfir
The new canopy was added for a more "German" and less modern look. It meant massive body work, but it blends in well. The are behind the cockpit had to be sculpted anew, too, and creating a good transition to the two jet exhauts from above and below was not easy.
The F-86 air intake was also modified: the characteristic upper lip with the radar range finder had to go and I implanted a vertical splitter inside, plus a wall of dark foamed plastics that blocks light from the cockpit and sight onto the lead that was hidden around the cockpit.
For armament I filled the original six 0.5" machine guns and drilled two pairs of new, bigger openings for MK 108 cannons in the same place. Later, pieces of hollow steel needles were added as cannon muzzles. As an extra I added an underfuselage pylon for a drop tank and attachment points for eight scratched WGr 21 launch tubes.
Painting and markings:
How to paint a Luft '46 aircraft? The color spectrum is limited, and I wanted a "different" look. Dedicated ugliness was intended. So I came, after some browsing, across an obscure and heavily debated color for the lower sides, called (more or less inofficially) RLM 84. It's a greenish grey, much like the RAF Sky, that was used on some late Luftwaffe aircraft - maybe a primer color, or a field mix? Anyway, it would yield that odd look that I was looking for, and I used a mix of Humbrol 90 with some RLM 02, slightly darker and greenish than Sky.
In order to emphasize the overall strange color effect I decided to paint the upper surfaces in a uniform RLM 81 (Braunviolett), and add field camouflage in the form of patches/mottle in RLM 81 and RLM 02 on the flanks and on the wings. RLM 02 was not in use as camouflage paint in late WWII anymore, but I am certain that it was still around, and it matches the overall greenish look of the aircraft well.
For an even more field duty look I added details in different colors/tones. The slats' undersides received a grey primer finish, while the flaps and rudders were painted RLM 76 from below and in a slightly different shade of RLM 81 from above (Humbrol 155), as if they had been replaced or the aircraft had been built from different components and jostled into service.
All interior surfaces were painted in very dark grey (RLM 66), and various shades of Metallizer were used around the exhausts, the cannons and under the wings where the WGr 21 launch tubes are located.
After a light black ink wash and some shading the decals were applied - puzzled together from various sheets and in a minimalistic style.