DONE @p.3 +++ 1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 of KG51 'Edelweiss', 1946

[Dizzyfugu]

It's still quite early but I open a thread for my next project, a Luft' 46 thing/kitbashing - personal interpretation of a "classic" whif topic. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Here we go. The plan is a light jet bomber following the RLM's real "1.000 x 1.000 x 1.000" requirement, and things kicked off with a suitable cockpit section. I dug out a Revell 1:72 P.1099B kit from The Stash™, a model that I will probably never build OOB because almost everything is so spurious about it, despite being a real design.

The cockpit was mostly taken over OOB, but I added two clumsy pilot figures because the canopy will remain closed. The crew also received seatbelts, scratched from painter's tape (in the pic it went loose, but that has been fixed). I also modified the dashboard into two halves, because the nose section will be clear and offer the pilot a good view down/ahead, similar to the Me 210/410 or Ar 240.
The interior was painted in standard late-WWII RAL 7021. Under the cockpit tub I hid as much lead beads as possible to ensure a proper stance on all three feet.


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

More coming soon...

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, I called it a kitbashing project, and here it comes...    The F7U in Luft '46 markings is a what-if classic, but no build I have seen over the years went further than simply cross-dressing a Cutlass with a different livery, what looks IMHO a bit awkward. I had plans for a respective build for years, too, and already stashed away a Fujimi F7U, but it took a long gestation period and the right mojo to finally tackle my more ambitious ideas.

Due to the F7U's relative large size, compared to earlier WWII aircraft, I decided to make the aircraft at least a two-seater, and as a twin jet it would qualify for a multi-purpose aircraft like the Me 410 or Ju 88 as a bomber, Zerstörer/heavy fighter and as a night fighter, too.
Being a tailless aircraft it would be plausible to be a Lippisch design, manufactured by Messerschmidt (like the Me 163 Komet), and that also led me to a body donor for the different two-seat cockpit section: from a Revell P.1099B kit. This was built first, mostly OOB, but I added two figures because the cockpit would be displayed with closed canopy, and I split the dashboard to allow a bigger field of view for the pilot through the clear nose cone which would replace the P.1099's solid nose – similar to arrangements in the Me 210/410 and Ar 240. Lots of lead beads were hidden under the cockpit tub to ensure a proper stance on the extended landing gear.

Once completed the P.1099B cockpit was sawn off and mated with the main body donor, the Fujimi F7U – which has the benefit that its cockpit is a separate section, anyway. Depth of the P.1099 front section was surprisingly similar to the F7U's, but it is much wider, what led to the build's biggest challenge: the air intakes! These really caused me some headaches, because I did not want to use the rather modern F7U openings with their splitter plates – and they would not have matched well anymore. What to do...? Eventually I decided to go the tortuous route of adding round orifices from a Matchbox A.W. Meteor night fighter kit (which came with HORRIBLE sinkholes!), but that meant heavy adaptation of these parts, in an attempt to slim them down somewhat and adapt them to the F7U hull.


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The F7U's body underwent some mods: the OOB ventral opening for the Y-shaped arrester hook was filled with putty and I implanted a spacious bomb bay – actually a battery box from a Japanese kit, slightly shortened, but the shape, width and depth were perfect, leaving some space on both sides to accept (fictional) exhaust pipes. More PSR, though...


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And - roughly mated - things looked like this:


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


However, the worst is yet to come, because I have to sculpt ducts/fairings behind the air intake transplants to make the whole affair look somewhat organic – in this case they will be made/scratched from 2C putty and some plastic parts, plus lots of PSR afterwards to blend the new intakes and ducts into the fuselage shape AND create a smooth/organic transition between the round and bulky P.1099 front end and the flat and now widened F7U body!

Stay tuned...

[Gondor]

This is looking very interesting indeed.

[sandiego89]

Very bold Dizzy! love it

Tell me about your nose weights please?   

[Dizzyfugu]

Tell me about your nose weights please?   

What do you want to know?

[Rick Lowe]

This is looking very interesting indeed.

Yep. 

[Dizzyfugu]

In the meantime, more PSR mayhem to show and things become more concrete:


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lippisch-Messerschmitt Me 351 A-2 (What-if/kitbashing) -  WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

While the fuselage slowly takes shape (I guess there were 5 or more PSR turns with different materials) it was also clear that the F7U's swept slender twin fins had to be replaced with something more "retro". So they were cut off and I found suitable replacements, stabilizers from a Heller 1:72 Ouragan, that were blended with more PSR into their new and unexpected place. This, together with the rather bulbous nose (yet to come), dramatically changes the look of the F7U and achieved a quite different, less modern (but still futuristic for WWII) look. Still WiP, but now we are talking Luft '46 style! 

[Gondor]

This is the definition of kit bashing 

[NARSES2]

This is the definition of kit bashing 

Indeed   

[zenrat]

Where are the main undercarriage going.  In the tail booms?

[su27rules]

  

[PR19_Kit]

Where are the main undercarriage going.  In the tail booms?

Maybe one HUGE wheel in that massive bay under the fuselage, with a small nosewheel and outriggers under the 'booms'?   

[Rick Lowe]

Where are the main undercarriage going.  In the tail booms?

Maybe one HUGE wheel in that massive bay under the fuselage, with a small nosewheel and outriggers under the 'booms'?   

A precursor to the B-52, then? 

[Dizzyfugu]

Where are the main undercarriage going.  In the tail booms?

Yes. The main struts and arrangement will remain OOB, just with different wheels (from the 1099B) for a more retro look.