Ba 349 A Natter & Fi 103 Reichenberg IV - Kit No 226 - *** FINISHED ***

[Johnson]

A bit late, but may I join the GB?

 

When the Heller Classic GB was announced I had no Heller kits. I'd made a few in the past, but the stash was bare. So off to King Kit where this caught my eye;

 

 

Amazing, if not to say imaginative box art!

 

Sprues;

 

 

All looks very good!

 

A bit of background on the planes;

 

These were a couple of late WW2 'wonder weapons' that the Nazis hoped might stem the tide.

 

The Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Viper) was similar in concept, and used the same Walter HWK rocket motor, as the Me 163. A point interceptor designed to be launched from a tower as the bomber stream passed overhead, bring down a bomber with a salvo of Henschel Hs 297 or RM4 rockets carried in the nose, before gliding back down to a lower altitude where the Natter would break in two. The pilot would be 'ejected' and parachute down, the rear section containing the rocket motor would also float down under it's own parachute to be re-used. The front part was disposable, crashing to the ground. Unlike the Me 163, the Ba349 would take off vertically so didn't need an airfield to take off or land where it would be more vulnerable.

It was a complete failure. Initial towed flights proved that the Natter was aerodynamically quite stable and easy to fly, but the only powered vertical test flight resulted in the death of it's test pilot. And during an earlier test the rear section exploded when it hit the ground due to the highly volatile C and T Stoff fuels.

But the Germans persisted with the idea and 36 operational examples were eventually built, never to be used as, luckily for the Allied bombers and would be pilots, the war ended.

 

The Fi 103 Reichenberg IV was an even more dangerous and radical concept, a piloted version of the V1 Flying Bomb. The idea being that the pilot would fly the plane/bomb to it's target and bail out just before it hit. The chances of the pilot surviving were reckoned to be about 1%. But unlike the similar Japanese Ohka rocket plane, the German pilot would have had a parachute and the concept was not a deliberate suicide attack, even if the result would probably have been the same. Several test flights were made (more deaths) but test pilots Heinz Kensche and Hanna Reitsch both flew the plane and survived. In the end, and again luckily for the pilots and potential targets, the project was shelved in favour of the Mistel project.

Info from Wikipedia, War Prizes Butler) and other internet sources.

 

The last remaining Bachem Natter is in the US, preserved at the National Air and Space Museum's Silver Hill facility. I was lucky enough to be sent by work to Washington DC in 1998 and went to Silver Hill for a tour and photographed the Natter.

 

This is roughly how Heller suggests painting the kit, but as with other German planes in the US, the paint job was spurious (as were the markings, disposable planes apparently carried no national insignia) and it may have originally looked more like this when displayed at Wright Field, Ohio, during the “Army Air Forces Fair” on October 13, 1945, presumably without the swastika on the tail.

 

 

 

So, to try to answer Pat's @JOCKNEY question about the colour, it might have been painted... your guess is as good as mine Pat! I'm guessing RLM83 Dunkelgrun. The Natters captured by the US Army in the south of Germany look much lighter, and as Peter @PeterB has suggested and may be in RLM02 primer?

 

 

Looking at photos on the web, The Fi 103 was painted in a variety of finishes but generally carried a more usual V1 light undersides and mottled upper surfaces.

 

 

Note various sections, made in different locations, painted differently. Interesting square jet intake? Or is it a cover?

 

A (pedantic) note for Jeroen @JeroenS if he wishes to add these aircraft to the subject list. The Bachem Ba 349A Natter is a Rocket Aircraft and the Fi 103 Reichenberg IV is a Jet Aircraft.

 

Better get cracking then! Cheers,

[JOCKNEY]

Outstanding choice even if I may be just a little biased 

 

Best of luck

 

Cheers Pat 

[JeroenS]

Welcome @Johnson, good background story too. Good luck with your build. 

[Johnson]

 

Now, that's what I call a good sized model . I just wish I'd taken more photos of the real thing back in 1998 .

 

It will be pretty much OOB, some seatbelts and instruments on the i/p (if I can find suitable decs). The inside will be RLM66, matt dark grey, though by this stage of the war the Germans might have painted it any colour, or not at all?

 

Edit;

I just dug out my original (1997, not 98 as I thought) photo of the Ba 349. The insides look dark grey, not green as in the photo above.

 

Cheers,

Edited November 23, 2020 by Johnson
More info

[Johnson]

Nice and foggy here. Great, I can get on with my diminutive last gasp WW2 hope from the Germans.

 

 

As Pat said in his build, a few gaps to be filled (with CA/talc mix) and the canopy and windscreen isn't a perfect fit, but I'd intended to have it open anyway. Added seatbelts from my diminishing stash of Reheat accessories (1993!) and some random dials to the i/p.

 

Hopefully get some paint on this weekend.

 

 

 

[Johnson]

Almost at the painting stage;

 

 

I've been concentrating on the manned V1 so both models can be painted at the same time. Top and bottom still need gluing but first I need to fit the i/p. This a slight deviation from the OOB build I'd planned. I found a photo of the i/p on the web and the kit i/p has an incorrect dial layout and is buried down the 'fuselage'. It should be right at the fron of the cockpit opening. This is of course a bit obsessive for a minute part no-one will ever see again!

 

I did wonder about the seat belt arrangements. Neither plane was ever intended to land and in both cases the pilot was supposed to bail out and parachute to the ground. So would they have have bothered with shoulder straps?

 

Cheers,

[Jinxman]

I would say yes to the straps in both cases - the thought of being bounced around the cockpit of the Natter on take off would have me tightening them to the extreme as well - not that I would be daft enough to get into one in the first place. 😀

[JOCKNEY]

Great stuff Charlie

 

My V1 is a poor fit top to bottom, its definitely going to need some fettling  / filling, hope yours is better.

 

Cheers Pat 

[Johnson]

1 hour ago, JOCKNEY said:

My V1 is a poor fit top to bottom, its definitely going to need some fettling  / filling, hope yours is better.

 

I've just glued them together Pat, and the fit seems OK. Odd that two supposedly identical kits produce different results! But then PeteB and PaulT 876 got different fit problems with their Mirage IVs.

 

At least your canopies look great. My Natter canopy is scratched and I have no Klear to dip it in . I think Lakeland do a similar product, I'll go into town and take a look when we're allowed out later this week. I may even pop into M&S (if allowed) and see if I can find Mrs J an unsuitable Christmas pressie ! She still hasn't started the Airfix Red Arrows starter set I bought her last year.

[Johnson]

Taking advantage of Mrs J being out shopping this morning, I shut the dog in the kitchen, put on the gas mask and primed both with Mr Surfacer 1500. It immediately shows you what you've done wrong! 

 

The good thing is that it dries so fast that you can correct the mistakes and put on another coat before SWMBO gets home! Smell? What smell? 

 

 

The problem with getting rid of the seam on a kit with raised panel lines is evident. Not sure what can be done there.

 

Proper paint next...

[JOCKNEY]

Looking good in groovy grey  !

[Johnson]

Painting, and masking.

 

An amazing amount of masking considering how small these models are...

 

My first attempt at the Natter's topside was a complete disaster. All the paint had to come off. This second try was much better.

 

I wanted the Fi 103 Reichenberg IV to have different paint reflecting the components being made in different locations.

The bomb, or warhead, is going to be darker colours. This can be seen on many of the period photos of the weapon.

 

Most of the masking is off, leave to dry overnight.

 

Happy with the end result, pretty much what I wanted. I think some stencils would liven them up a bit if I can find some in the decal box. The thing sticking out of the front of the Fi 103 may be a fuse of some type? It doesn't really look like those on the real thing in the photos I've found. I think it should possibly be a bit shorter like the one on the exhibit at the 1945 Exhibition of German Aircraft at Farnborough. Those photographed in Belgium look different, but they may be missing the front part (fuse?). In photos it appears to be a lighter, uniform colour. Grey, RLM 02 or natural metal? As usual its hard to tell from the B&W photos.

 

Cheers,

[JOCKNEY]

They look really good, great job of masking.

 

I just had my first go at spraying my Cauldron with rattle cans.....

More runs than a cricket match !

 

Must get back to my own ones of these, think you are definitely right about the need for some decals of some sort.

 

Cheers Pat 

[JOCKNEY]

Hi Charlie 

I think they also had lines painted underneath and halfway up the fuselage sides to align with the cradle they sat in pre-launch. 

I will be putting these on mine as well, as the photos are black and white we can choose our own colours !

Cheers Pat 

 

[Johnson]

1 hour ago, JOCKNEY said:

I think they also had lines painted underneath and halfway up the fuselage sides to align with the cradle they sat in pre-launch. 

Hi Pat,

This is the only photo I can find with lines on the bottom;

Is this what you mean?

 

Got the photo from a book on the Natter on a Russian website when I was looking for photos a few weeks back. Someone has scanned the entire book and uploaded it as a pdf file, obviously not worried about copyright! Bit of a strange book. I also found a YouTube video on the Natter which was useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iTDssif7g

 

Nearly finished now, I'll post some pics later.

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

[Johnson]

On 12/9/2020 at 7:52 AM, JOCKNEY said:

I just had my first go at spraying my Cauldron with rattle cans.....

More runs than a cricket match !

Sorry Pat, I missed that. Hope it's recovered!

 

As a total aside... I dreamed last night that I was playing cricket, and I was doing quite well. Can't think why, I was bl**dy useless and hated it it! Sorry, other people's dreams... boring! 

[Johnson]

Nearly done, a few decals applied, just the matt coat to apply and spray the stands with Halfords red oxide primer and they'll be done .

 

 

Then disaster struck! Not with the models - but with the modeller. Trapped nerve in my neck , probably brought on by chopping wood, digging in the garden and too much time sitting at the modelling bench crouched over two tiny models. So I've been banned  by SWMBO for a few days, and then only for an hour at a go.

 

The plan is to sneak in tomorrow and get the matt coat on, can't take long, then head off to the garage for the red oxide rattle can.

 

Back soon I hope!

 

[Jinxman]

Nice subtle effect on the mottling - hope the neck thing sorts itself out quickly as well.

 

[TonyOD]

17 hours ago, Johnson said:

The plan is to sneak in tomorrow and get the matt coat on, can't take long, then head off to the garage for the red oxide rattle can.

 

Vive la résistance!

[John Masters]

I think these are very cool little models.  I imagine the real things would have been absolutely terrifying to fly.

[TonyW]

I've just been happily reading through the whole thread, absorbed with the builds. There's some very tidy modelling going on here.

Seeing the picture of the Natter sat vertically on its launch ramp hit me like a ton of bricks! The sheer sense of desperation and complete indifference to the pilots life is shocking.

[Toryu]

The neck problem may come from the terrifying acceleration that those manned rockets develop at take-off??

[Jinxman]

1 hour ago, Toryu said:

The neck problem may come from the terrifying acceleration that those manned rockets develop at take-off??

I used to have the same problem modelling, but purchased one of those ergonomic chairs where you have the kneeling position. Never had another touch of back or neck pain since.

 

Well not from modelling anyway, gardening gets me every time. 🙄

[Toryu]

14 minutes ago, Jinxman said:

I used to have the same problem modelling,

 

Same here. I counter the neck aches with muscle excercising (quite successfully - but for how many more years...?). Another bad habit of mine is crossing my legs when detailing becomes difficult. I'm looking forward to getting a nice thrombosis!  Michael

[Johnson]

1 hour ago, Jinxman said:

I used to have the same problem modelling, but purchased one of those ergonomic chairs where you have the kneeling position. Never had another touch of back or neck pain since.

 

1 hour ago, Toryu said:

Same here. I counter the neck aches with muscle excercising (quite successfully - but for how many more years...?). Another bad habit of mine is crossing my legs when detailing becomes difficult. I'm looking forward to getting a nice thrombosis!  Michael

Ah, the joys of getting older! Might have to investigate one of your chairs Scott, I get back pain when I do something stupid, which is quite often (picking up something heavy thinking I'm still 24). How many years? Who knows - lots I hope. If you're like me you'll need them to reduce the stash . Keep up the exercises Michael!

 

On 12/16/2020 at 9:55 AM, Jinxman said:

Nice subtle effect on the mottling - hope the neck thing sorts itself out quickly as well.

Thanks Scott. It's great doing the Luftwaffe stuff just for the fun of the mottling. I keep going back to my ancient Aerograph Super '63 fine nozzle airbrush. I've got two modern airbrushes, but it's still by far the best.

The neck is much better thanks since I had the bolt adjusted  (I had to get that in). Pain's still there, but I'm off the codine (a mild opiate) which really messes the systems up!

 

On 12/16/2020 at 12:58 PM, John Masters said:

I think these are very cool little models.  I imagine the real things would have been absolutely terrifying to fly.

Thanks John. Yes - especially the Natter. Neither would have been that pleasant I'd have thought. The Fi 103 must have been incredibly noisy with the pulse jet right behind your head.

 

8 hours ago, TonyW said:

There's some very tidy modelling going on here.

Seeing the picture of the Natter sat vertically on its launch ramp hit me like a ton of bricks! The sheer sense of desperation and complete indifference to the pilots life is shocking.

Thanks Tony, if only the modeller can hold out! These little last hope planes really brings it home doesn't it? Lucky for everyone the war ended when it did.

 

On 12/16/2020 at 10:23 AM, TonyOD said:

Vive la résistance!

Talking of which! Mrs J was out this afternoon, so off to the garage. Even I agree that rattle can spraying can't be done indoors.

 

 

No fancy 'cardboard box' spray booths for me! Actually, the trouble I had was to keep these tiny stands from blowing away with the jet blast from the rattle can.

 

 

The boosters have been finished in Alclad 'steel' as this is what they seemed to be in photos, only temporarily attached as I'll get the matt coat on tomorrow, best done in daylight. I've made my own clear nose cone for the Natter, a quick smash mould on the end of a paintbrush. The Heller cone was really thick and a bit big. But... would it have had a clear nose cone? Possibly I suppose, you could then see that the Natter was armed. I've done a bit of looking on the web and there's no photographic evidence that it was clear. Contemporary sketches of the Natter show a solid cover. I can always paint it if the right photo emerges.

 

I took the decals off the front of the Fi 103. They were too garish and I think they said something like 'walk here', which was a bit unlikely as they were on the side of a 1,874 lb high-explosive warhead.

 

Cheers,