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Kreiger Vampyre


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After posting my last RFI yesterday, I found myself back at the modeling desk mid morning today.

A few weeks ago I received a part built Nitto Hornisse kit from @SafetyDad. Many thanks again, Padraic.

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This is it as designed by Kow Yokoyama . the 'Father' of Maschinen Kreiger. It carries an armoured fighting suit.

To make more of a profit Nitto took the basic mould and changed it to make the Hummel (A sort of Drone)

and the (Manned) Fledermaus versions.

This was apparently done without the permission of the designer and caused a bit of a ruckus over there.

In the past, due to the rarity and price of a new one I'd contemplated scratchbuilding a Fledermaus.

But other stuff got in the way and I'd hoped that something might turn up. Well, it did!

 

The Hornisse turned out to be rather a glue bomb, so took some work to sort out. 

I did find, however, that Tamiya extra thin can weaken old tube glue and so aid dismantling.

 

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Here's a picture of a picture of a Fledermaus. I'm sort of aiming in this direction. But the scale of the end result may not be 1/20th.

 

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A top view. Not much wrong with this bit. I just have to add a cockpit section. Easy eh?

 

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The underside. The blotchy bits are where glue was cleaned up. The four (larger) outer holes are where lift rockets were.

These were (I think) Saturn V rocket bells. As observed by @Tzulscha recently to me, "They'd suck it inside out in seconds!".

So I'll replace them with something smaller. I think the radial engine fronts are meant to be lift fans. I'll leave them be.

 

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Later this morning. PPP applied to the blotchy bits and unwanted holes. And, I altered a set of F-16 (I think) legs

which look like they're from a 1/32nd scale kit. The Hornisse/Fledermaus family relies on landing skids.

I wanted wheels. I've seen one modified with 1.24th Harrier gear in the past. But I didn't have anything suitable.

And that is where things stand at the moment. More later and thanks for looking. Pete

 

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Hey Pete, here’s a couple pictures of a Fledermaus that I had grabbed off Twitter because I thought it was an interesting paint job. Maybe 

you’ll find them useful. I can’t wait to see what you cook up this time.

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18 hours ago, Photon said:

here’s a couple pictures of a Fledermaus that I had grabbed off Twitter because I thought it was an interesting paint job.

That is an interesting paint job, as you say. I do have some pictures printed off to work with but yours may show more detail.

The second picture is at a slightly different to the ones I have so that helps too. Thanks.

 

@Hunter Rose Thanks for popping by. Glad to have you here.

@Tzulscha Not many Heffalumps around here, I do know where there's a Zebra though. There's a thought, stripes?

 

I've spent time today beefing up the landing gear mountings. I also plated over the lower wings. More lift would be achieved with a smooth finish.

It really doesn't need the structure to be showing. And it's now all taped together so I can look at building a cockpit.

Comments, suggestions and questions are always welcome. Thanks, Pete

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Monday update time. Got your tea and biscuits/cookies?

 

I've made the basic cockpit framework from wooden strips meant for model boat building.

I'm not sure what wood this is but it cuts nicely and sticks together with superglue. 

I've also been messing about with the crew.

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These two sets are what you need for this game. They apparently form the basis for most of the original kreiger figures.

 

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A close up of the basic frame with Helmut once again showing the size. Sitting in there are the bottom halves of a couple of the figures.

 

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I mixed and matched, cut, filed and filled to get this result. It could be a two seater, but that doesn't leave a lot of room for equipment.

Previous options for the build included using 1/48th Hind or A-10 front ends. I almost went to 1/32nd. But I've stuck with 1/20th.

 

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So, as a single seater there's room for nose guns, instrument panel and greeblies.

The head on this figure is a proper kreiger jobbie. Or an Eastern copy, I'm not sure. It looks better than the Tamiya one though.

 

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I was given this belly tank. I've cut it in half lengthways and it may well become the cockpit belly along with some filler.

The plan is to sort out the jockey with a seat (and arms), then build the cockpit /controls etc around him.

After that I can skin the outside with plastic card, build a canopy, add filler, and spend days rubbing it all down.

Well, that is the plan. Subject to change, obviously. All decisions are final. But open to persuasion.

Thanks for dropping by. Pete

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Here's a bit of a mini update to show how things are going. And, so that next Mondays post doesn't get swamped with pictures!

 

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So I built an ejection seat. As you do. Card and tank bits. Some of which were courtesy of @BIG X. The rails interlock and it slides up and down.

 

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Slot the bits together and et voila! At this point the jockey needs to relax back a bit.

 

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Here he is relaxed, and I changed the angles of his knees too. I've added a card bulkhead at the back.

Just in front of that is a small yellow tank. Possibly compressed air for the seat. It may or may not stay there.

 

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Here, the sides have been built up and I've used a Bo 105 instrument coaming. The instrument panel is the jobbie at the front here.

I need to add arms to matey and then make sure he is within the cockpit. After that I can think about skinning the outside. Add a nose, etc.....

Thanks for looking. Comments etc are welcome, as always. Pete

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So that's what that whirring noise was. 🧛‍♂️  I thought that spelt with a 'Y' was more in keeping with the German theme of kreiger.

It was either this name or Wespe. And I think I used that name on one of my previous scratchbuilds.

 

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11 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

So that's what that whirring noise was. 🧛‍♂️  I thought that spelt with a 'Y' was more in keeping with the German theme of kreiger.

It was either this name or Wespe. And I think I used that name on one of my previous scratchbuilds.

 

I prefer Vampyre to Wespe tbh,i don't know the first thing about SciFi but it sounds right....

Edited by Vince1159
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Single seater then?

Aww, I was looking at your first layout thinking 'He-219'.

Guns tucked underneath, radar operator facing aft.

Oh well.

A name like 'Vampyre' suggests a nightfighter (to me at least).

Just what IS its planned role?

Interceptor, recce, ground attack, night intruder?

All of the above?

 

(side note: the German word for vampire is 'vampir' or 'blutsauger' apparently.  :evil_laugh:)

 

Carry on!

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4 hours ago, Tzulscha said:

Just what IS its planned role?

A good question. The answer may (or may not) be decided by a committee sitting in an all night Parliamentary session.

I'm still not sure quite what the role of the Fledermaus was, with it's flight duration of about two minutes!

I'll be happy so long as it looks like it might be able to fly. But yes, probably some sort of interceptor.

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Lets have a Sunday update for a change. 

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In the back of the cockpit we have this pressure tank. It's either Oxygen or Nitrogen to blast the seat out.

It sits on half a fire engine tank from the Airfix emergency set. Tape straps and a tank bit for a valve.

The panel behind it has a machine gun moulded into it. I found it inside the machine! I think it's better on show.

 

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The pilot got painted. Pedals got made. The seatbelts are waving around in the air until matey gets glued in BTW.

The noseleg is sitting across the cockpit here. The T shaped bit is cut & filed sprue. It fits through a hole under the seat. Into the white tube.

The lower, silver, portion is from some long lost ancient kit. So it looks like we'll have twin nose wheels then.

It's all a tight fit. So, fit the leg, fit the seat, tilt the seat to get the pilot in, fit his seat belts. There is also a seatpan handle to fit after all that.

 

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I've been busy at the front too. From left, ancient turret, 1/32nd Phantom nosecone, 1/32nd Me262 Cannon cowling. 

And the grey thing at the top is the instrument coaming. The sidestick is just visible behind it.

 

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I realized yesterday that I'd not given the jockey an oxygen mask. I used tape, wire & PPP to make one today.

I've also fitted side panels from 1mm card. It's all now faired in with P-38 filler to be rubbed down when dry.

BTW, I wonder if anyone at all is impressed with my support for the build. Bits of kindling held together with Gorilla glue.

No expense spared eh? Well, it works and that's what counts. Thanks for dropping in. Pete

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One of the Most Sinister photos ever to appear on this forum. Ex-cellent....

 

On 09/11/2020 at 15:58, Pete in Lincs said:

 

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A rambunctious series of updates Pete. Hugely enjoyable invention going on here.

😁👏

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