[email protected] +++ 1:72 Me 410 B-4 night fighter, 5./NJG 1, Gelsenkirchen, early 1946

[Dizzyfugu]

Would Mosquito four-bladed props work Thomas? They both rotate in the same direction.

Most probably. I even have a pair in a mint Airfix Mossie night fighter kit, but did not want to try them - those from the Hornet were expendable, so these parts ended up on the Me 410. No deeper plan behind that. 

[kitbasher]

That does look suitably brutal with that big radome Thomas. And the 4 blade props really do it too. 

Bang on the money there, Kit.

Love it, Dizzy.

[Gondor]

Would Mosquito four-bladed props work Thomas? They both rotate in the same direction.

Most probably. I even have a pair in a mint Airfix Mossie night fighter kit, but did not want to try them - those from the Hornet were expendable, so these parts ended up on the Me 410. No deeper plan behind that. 

You can easily say that to reduce torque, they had one engine rotate the opposite way, especially as you said, they were used to reduce speed. You would not want to swing off target in one direction or another.

[Wardukw]

Very very cool Dizzy 😵 👌
You know one of my rules ..if it's a twin then it's cool ..this definitely fits that category to a tee    

[Captain Canada]

Nice work ! Love the paint and the big nose ! Really looks the part.

[Dizzyfugu]

Sorry, no final pics yet. But I have already been working on the next project, which is already close to completion... 

[Dizzyfugu]

Goosd news: photo session has been completed, but editing still lies ahead...    Early teaser available, though:


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Dizzyfugu]

Finally, it's done... 


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the Luftwaffe during the latter half of the Second World War.
The Me 410's origins are closely associated with the preceding Me 210. Development of this aircraft had been projected back in 1937 as a multi-purpose successor to the Bf 110, which had some identified shortcomings even prior to seeing combat service. Early on, confidence in the Me 210 had been high, to the extent that 1,000 aircraft were ordered off the drawing board; however, it would be a troubled program. Flight testing revealed poor longitudinal stability and despite modifications was considered unsatisfactory. While quantity production of the type proceeded, the Me 210 had a relatively high rate of accidents. This heavily contributed to production being halted on 14 April 1942; officials were keen to remedy the Me 210's problems and return it to production to minimize the economic loss incurred.
Various modifications to the design were explored, including the Me 310, a radical high-altitude derivative that incorporated a pressurized cockpit and more powerful engines.[9] This option was not favored by many officials, who sought a less ambitious remediation of the Me 210. It was this preference that led to the Me 410's emergence, which was visually almost identical to the Me 210. The principal difference was the adoption of the larger (at 44.5 liters, 2,720 cu in displacement) and more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines. These engines each provided 1,750 metric horsepower (1,730 hp; 1,290 kW) compared to the 1,475 metric horsepower (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW) of the DB 605s used on the Me 210C. The extra power increased the Me 410's maximum speed to 625 kilometers per hour (388 mph), greatly improved rate of climb, service ceiling, and the cruising speed, the latter being raised to 579 km/h (360 mph).


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The more powerful engines also improved payload capability to the point where the aircraft could lift a war-load greater than could fit into the bomb bay under the nose. Consequently, shackles were added under the wings for four 50-kilogram (110 lb) bombs. The changes added an extra 680 kg (1,500 lb) to the Me 210 design, but the extra engine power more than made up for the difference. As with the Me 210, the Me 410's rear gunner used the same pair of Ferngerichtete Drehringseitenlafette FDSL 131/1B turrets mounted on each side of the aircraft, each still armed with a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun, retaining the same pivoting handgun-style grip, trigger and gunsight to aim and fire the ordnance as the Me 210 did.

The new version included a lengthened fuselage and new, automatic leading edge slats. Both features had been tested on Me 210s and were found to dramatically improve handling. The slats had originally been featured on the earliest Me 210 models but had been removed on production models due to poor handling. When entering a steep turn, the slats tended to open due to the high angle of attack, analogous to the slats' opening during the landing approach, which added to the difficulty in keeping the aircraft flying smoothly. However, when the problems with general lateral instability were addressed, this was no longer a real problem. While the Me 410 came to be regarded as a relatively stable aircraft, it had a poorer rate of turn than the Bf 110 it was intended to replace.
The wing panels of the earlier Me 210 had been designed with a planform geometry that placed the aerodynamic center farther back compared with the earlier Bf 110, giving the outer sections of the wing planform beyond each engine nacelle a slightly greater, 12.6° leading edge sweepback angle than the inner panels' 6.0° leading edge sweep angle. This resulted in unsuitable handling characteristics in flight for the original Me 210 design. The new Me 410 outer wing panels had their planform geometry revised to bring the aerodynamic center farther forward in comparison with the Me 210, thus making the leading-edge sweepback of the outer panels identical to the inner wing panels with both having identical 5.5° sweepback angles, which improved handling.


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


During late 1942, six Me 210As were taken off the assembly line for conversion to Me 410 standards. Near the end of that year, the Me 410 V1 prototype performed its maiden flight. Shortly thereafter, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) was suitably convinced by its performance to place a sizable production order for the Me 410. Deliveries of the Me 410 began in January 1943, two years late and continued until September 1944, by which point a total of 1,160 of all versions had been produced by Messerschmitt's facility in Augsburg and Dornier plant in München. When the Me 410 arrived, it was typically appreciated by its crews, even though its improved performance was not enough to protect it from the waves of high-performance Allied fighters that it routinely confronted at this stage of the conflict. There were various models produced to serve in distinct roles, including a light bomber, an  aerial reconnaissance platform, a bomber destroyer and night fighters.

Among these the late Me 410 B-4 was the first and only dedicated version – earlier might fighters had been converted from existing Me 410 A machines and retrofitted with radar and extra armament. In contrast to this, the Me 410 B-4 had been re-designed with the new FuG 240 'Berlin' radar. This device was an airborne interception radar system operating at the "lowest end" of the SHF radio band (at about 3.3 GHz/9.1 cm wavelength) and the first German radar to be based on the cavity magnetron, which eliminated the need for the large multiple dipole-based antenna arrays seen on earlier radars. Instead, a disk-shaped reflector antenna was used, which could be covered under an aerodynamic plywood hood, thereby greatly increasing the performance of the night fighters. The power output of the radar was 15 kW and was effective against bomber-sized targets at distances of up to 9 kilometers, or down to 0.5 kilometer, which eliminated the need for a second short-range radar system. The FuG 240 was introduced by Telefunken in April 1945 and immediately rushed into production.


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


On the Me 410 B-4 the static radar dish had a diameter of 70 cm and was mounted in a thimble-shaped wooden radome that occupied the area in front of the cockpit. This reduced the pilot's field of view markedly (all windows under the windscreen were deleted), but since the aircraft was to be guided by the radar operator and not involved in ground attacks, this loss was regarded as acceptable. To aid the pilot in target identification and aiming a Spanner IV device, a passive infrared-sight, was added – it was mounted into the windshield. This lowered the field of sight even further but allowed the pilot to detect hot engine and exhaust areas at a range of up  to 1.000 m, while the device supported weapon aiming at a range of about 600 m.

The Me 410's bomb bay was re-purposed to house four 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as primary armament; the doors were deleted but a single ventral hardpoint for an external load of 1.000 kg was added – either for a large 500 l drop tank to extend range or for additional guns in a pod, e. g. the so-called 'Magirus bomb', or 'WB 151A' weapons pod with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and 150 rpg.
The rest of the armament was tailored to the night fighter mission profile, too: the heavy defensive FDSL 131 barbettes were deleted, and instead a staggered pair of MK 108 30 mm cannon with 100 rpg were installed behind the cockpit, firing upwards ('Schräge Musik'), close to the aircraft's center of gravity. It was planned to link these weapons to a SG 116 device, which would automatically trigger these through a photocell, reacting to the shadow of the target aircraft or its silhouette against the sky or coulds. This device turned out to be highly unreliable, though. The second crew member was now a dedicated radar operator who  sat in the former observer/rear gunner's position, but the seat was 'reversed' and now faced forward. The WSO had, beyond the bulky FuG 240's display, a sight for the oblique guns so that these could also be triggered manually when the aircraft passed underneath its target.


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Another dedicated night fighter modification of the Me 410 B-4 was its propulsion system. While the aircraft was still powered by the standard Daimler Benz DB 603A that provided up to 1,850 PS/1,360 kW, the night fighter was outfitted with handed reversible four blade propellers. The idea was to counter torque issues due to both propellers originally turning into the same direction, and the four blades were introduced to improve acceleration and especially decelration when the aircraft approached its relatively slow target at high speed and had to get into an effective and stable aiming position as quickly  as possible. This also required handed engines, so that the Me 410 B-4's powerplants were designated DB 603A-1l/r to differentiate their working direction. Additionally, flame dampers were mounted as another standard night fighter measure to protect the crew from engine flares and hide the aircraft in the dark sky.


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


General characteristics:
    Crew: two
    Length: 12.75 m (41 ft 9 in)
    Wingspan: 16.3513 m (53 ft 7.75 in)
    Height: 4.280 m (14 ft 0.5 in)
    Wing area: 36.2031 m2 (389.687 sq ft)
    Airfoil: root: NACA 23018-636.5; tip: NACA 23010-636.5
    Empty weight: 7,518 kg (16,574 lb)
    Gross weight: 9,651 kg (21,276 lb)
    Fuel capacity: 550 imp gal (660 US gal; 2,500 L) in four wing tanks

Powerplant:
    2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A-1l/r V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, each providing:
          - 1,290 kW (1,750 hp) for take-off
          - 1,360 kW (1,850 PS) at 2,100 m (6,890 ft)
          - 1,195 kW (1,625 PS) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
    Driving handed 4-bladed VDM constant-speed propeller

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 507 km/h (315 mph, 274 kn) at sea level,
                                     624 km/h (388 mph; 337 kn) at 6,700 m (21,980 ft)
    Cruise speed: 587 km/h (365 mph, 317 kn)
    Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi) at maximum continuous cruise speed,
                 1,690 km (1,050 mi) at economical cruise speed
    Ferry range: 2,300 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
    Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
    Time to altitude: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in ten minutes and 42 seconds

Armament:
        4× 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 cannon with 300 rpg in the lower fuselage, firing forward
        2× 30 mm (0.79 in) MK 108 cannon with 100 rpg behind the cockpit ("Schräge Musik"),
              oriented 65° above horizontal
        Up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of disposable external stores, including:
        - 2x 300l + 1x 500l drop tanks
        - 2x 250 kg or 4x 100kg or 4x 50 kg bombs
        - 4× 21 cm (8.3 in) Werfer-Granate 21 rockets


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-4 'Hornisse' night fighter; 'G9+FN' of the 5./NJG 1; Gelsenkirchen (Ruhrgebiet/Germany), spring 1946 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

An excellent job Thomas, really looks the part. And the backstory's great too. 

What's the thinking behind the underside of the starboard wing being painted black?

[chrisonord]

Excellent stuff Thomas 

[NARSES2]

That's really good Thomas   

[zenrat]

 

[Weaver]

Nice one Thomas - very credible.     

[Rheged]

Superb, as usual!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot, gentlebeings!

An excellent job Thomas, really looks the part. And the backstory's great too. 

What's the thinking behind the underside of the starboard wing being painted black?

Didn't I mention it in the WiP phase? A single black wing underside was a frequent quick ID marking among German late war nightfighters tasked with homeland defense, to avoid friendly falk fire when the aircraft was lit from beneath with searchlights. It was not a camouflage measure.

Here's a benchmark, and actually the pic/aircraft that was used as reference: