Schnelles Raketenboot 1/72 Airfix

[buzzbomb]

Just back from the club Modellers Build Retreat weekend. One of the builds I worked on, not started, is this Airfix  E-boat kit has been on and off the bench for the past 15 years in various fits and starts.


The thinking is a late war (maybe 46ish) Fast Missile boat, using something from the Henschel 293 family perhaps as the basis for the surface the surface missile.
Yes, lots of things have to happen first to make this even feasibly possible. Things happen in Whif world technology differently.

Started by first cutting up the deck superstructure to move it around and change the layout and mimimise scratch build.

So, now was playing around with some parameters around weapons systems. First, changing the torpedos to a trainable quad mount rack, so still have a heavy ship killer weapon, which given it is a quad, could drop the entire load of a standard S-boat in one salvo, no reloading.
So tried with a quickly knocked up missile standing in type thing in the forward position, Torpedos amidships and rear Flak position


Then, how about, given the missile tech would be new a flaky, perhaps try to minimise the seas pouring over it perhaps a little by moving to a rear mount, which for a "guided" missile, really does not have to point directly at the target. The gun could then move forward, perhaps a bit more traditional and practical


Moving the gun, now offers up a more powerful options, perhaps a 40mm or maybe a 75mm option/naval Pak 40 or something. Although I have say the idea of a kugelblitz type turret here, with twin 30mm is also quite appealing as it stands at the moment.

Lots of ideas flowing around, needing observation/guidance positon, range finders... it goes on.
Hopefully it does not end up back in the box again.

[Rick Lowe]

Cool start - keep on with it, I say!   

Also not having the wheelhouse cop all the rocket exhaust is probably a better option...  though the exhaust blasting the engine covers is probably contra-indicated, too...

[Old Wombat]

Interesting! 

I like where you're going! 

[zenrat]

There's probly just room for a Flak 36 on the foredeck...

[Captain Canada]

I really liked the first option,then I saw the second and I think it's better. Be easy enough to put a little rockey exhaust deflector behind the launcher. It also makes sense to not have said exhaust blasting the wheelhouse !

[jcf]

A sport-fishing yacht style tower for the missile operator so they can track
the flare in the rear of the missile in order to guide it onto the target?
🤔

[Weaver]

Another thing you could do is have the missile on the extreme stern in place of the depth charge rack, so that it's exhaust went over the transom instead of into the deck. if the missile was smaller, or had folding wings, you could have two of them angled outwards to miss the mast/superstructure. Folding wing missiles could be in box-like "hangars" (Komar/Osa-1* style) or be on open rails.

*Soviet-era missile boats with MUCH bigger missiles than this.

A sport-fishing yacht style tower for the missile operator so they can track
the flare in the rear of the missile in order to guide it onto the target?
🤔

That's a good idea. Maybe not as tall as that one, but something like that.

[Dizzyfugu]

When placing the launch site on deck you should IMHO consider missile handling and storage. too. These require quite some space, esp. when you have such an open, single launcher. Launch containers/boxes are more space-ecomic, but that's probably ahead of the build's timeframe.