1/72 - Messerschmitt Me.163B/S Komet by Wolfpack Design & Hobby 2000 (plastic Academy) - released

[Homebee]

Wolfpack Design is to rebox the 1/72nd Academy "Komet" as Premiun Edition Kit Messerschmitt Me.163B/S "Komet" - ref. WP17209

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/wolfpackd/posts/259934992606564

https://www.wolfpack-d.com/catalog/htm/wp17209.html

 

Quote

Forthcoming items in Sept. 2021~*

WP17209 1/72 Messerschmitt Me163B/S 'Komet' - 2 Kits in Box (Premium Edition Kit)

Sprue parts from Academy Plastic Model Co.

PE parts and Canopy & Wheel mask included.

Total 6 a/c markings for the Luftwaffe and VVS (Captured)

Decals

 

 

V.P.

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Homebee

[Homebee]

Schemes - Total 6 a/c markings for the Luftwaffe and VVS (Captured)

Source: https://www.facebook.com/wolfpackd/posts/260135822586481

 

 

 

V.P.

[Homebee]

Source: https://www.facebook.com/wolfpackd/posts/345801607353235

 

Quote

New item in Jan. 2022~*

http://www.wolfpack-d.com/catalog/htm/wp17209.html

WP17209 1/72 Me163B/S Komet (Premium Edition Kit)

Total 57 plastic parts with PE parts, 1 Metal part

Sprue parts from Academy Plastic Models,

Metal pitot tube and Masking seal included,

Total 6 A/C markins for the Luftwaffe and VVS

Decal printing by Cartograf, Italy

 

 

V.P.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Homebee

[Ryan Hothersall]

The captured two seater in Russian markings looks very tempting. 

[LanceB]

The best 1/75 scale Komet on the market!

[Rob de Bie]

On 12/15/2021 at 2:45 PM, LanceB said:

The best 1/75 scale Komet on the market!

 

Way back when the Academy kit came out, I measured the following:

 

- the wing span measures 127.7 mm, the equivalent of 9.19 meters, the real wing span being 9.30 meters. In other words the wing span lacks 1.5 mm, or you could say the model scales 1/72.8 in span

- the fuselage including the generator prop measures 79.9 mm, the equivalent of of 5.75 meters. The most likely length of the real aircraft is 5.92 meters, and thus 2.3 mm are missing, or the scale is 1/74.1 in length.

 

If I take the average, it's 1/73.5. That sounds better than 1/75 🙂 What are your measurements?

 

Rob

 

[LanceB]

On 1/30/2022 at 2:15 AM, Rob de Bie said:

 

What are your measurements?

 

Rob

 

I forget the measurements in mm now, however back when I built the kit I was using the Aero Detail book as a reference, and found that the Academy kit matched up almost perfectly to the "1/48 scale" drawings in that publication, after adjusting for scale (multiply dimensions taken from the drawing by 0.666667 to get 1/72).

 

However then I was comparing measurements of components of the kit to what they should be, based on published dimensions of the real Komet, some of which I recall I got from your site.

 

The math didn't work out...  the kit was coming out slightly small.

 

So I compared the Aero Detail drawings to actual dimensions.

 

The math didn't work out...  the drawings were coming out slightly small.

 

So, I calculated the "true" scale of the drawings, based on what things were supposed to be, and worked out that the Aero Detail drawings were about 1/50.

 

Which meant if the Academy kit was 2/3 the size of the drawings, it was 1/75 scale.  When I converted true dimensions to 1/75 scale, things started lining up again.

 

I suspect, but do not know this as fact, that Academy used the Aero Detail drawings as a reference, and scaled down from them without checking if the drawings were truly 1/48 scale or not.  It just seems odd that both the drawings and kit are off in the same ways, but match each other (if adjusted for scale).

 

[Wulfman]

If I remember rightly the Heller kit was under scale as well !

 

Wulfman

[Rob de Bie]

7 hours ago, LanceB said:

I forget the measurements in mm now, however back when I built the kit I was using the Aero Detail book as a reference, and found that the Academy kit matched up almost perfectly to the "1/48 scale" drawings in that publication, after adjusting for scale (multiply dimensions taken from the drawing by 0.666667 to get 1/72).

 

However then I was comparing measurements of components of the kit to what they should be, based on published dimensions of the real Komet, some of which I recall I got from your site.

 

The math didn't work out...  the kit was coming out slightly small.

 

So I compared the Aero Detail drawings to actual dimensions.

 

The math didn't work out...  the drawings were coming out slightly small.

 

So, I calculated the "true" scale of the drawings, based on what things were supposed to be, and worked out that the Aero Detail drawings were about 1/50.

 

Which meant if the Academy kit was 2/3 the size of the drawings, it was 1/75 scale.  When I converted true dimensions to 1/75 scale, things started lining up again.

 

I suspect, but do not know this as fact, that Academy used the Aero Detail drawings as a reference, and scaled down from them without checking if the drawings were truly 1/48 scale or not.  It just seems odd that both the drawings and kit are off in the same ways, but match each other (if adjusted for scale).

 

 

Clear now, thanks for the explanation. If I may say so, adjusting the scale of the drawing until they (sort-of) match the model sounds more convulated than measuring the kit and calculating the scale 🙂 But your guess that the Aero Detail drawings are the basis for the Academy kit is an interesting one, I will have to look into that.

Rob

Edited January 31, 2022 by Rob de Bie

[Rob de Bie]

4 hours ago, Wulfman said:

If I remember rightly the Heller kit was under scale as well !

 

Wulfman

Interesting, I never measured the Heller model befor. Here's what I measured just now:

 

- the wing span measures 128.5 mm, the equivalent of 9.25 meters, the real wing span being 9.30 meters. In other words the wing span lacks 0.7 mm, or you could say the model scales 1/72.4 in span

 

- the fuselage including the generator prop measures 81.4 + 1.7* = 83.1 mm, the equivalent of of 5.98 meters. The most likely length of the real aircraft is 5.92 meters, and it's 0.9 mm too long , or the scale is 1/71.2 in length.

(* I excluded the very thin rod sticking out of the bulbeous generator spinner)

 

If I take the average, it's 1/71.8. Pretty good I would say!

 

Rob

Edited January 31, 2022 by Rob de Bie

[Wulfman]

2 hours ago, Rob de Bie said:

Interesting, I never measured the Heller model befor. Here's what I measured just now:

 

- the wing span measures 128.5 mm, the equivalent of 9.25 meters, the real wing span being 9.30 meters. In other words the wing span lacks 0.7 mm, or you could say the model scales 1/72.4 in span

 

- the fuselage including the generator prop measures 81.4 + 1.7* = 83.1 mm, the equivalent of of 5.98 meters. The most likely length of the real aircraft is 5.92 meters, and it's 0.9 mm too long , or the scale is 1/71.2 in length.

(* I excluded the very thin rod sticking out of the bulbeous generator spinner)

 

If I take the average, it's 1/71.8. Pretty good I would say!

 

Rob

I remembered wrongly !

Wulfman

[IanC]

4 hours ago, Wulfman said:

I remembered wrongly !

Wulfman

 

Wasn't it the Airfix one that was slightly underscale? 

 

[Rob de Bie]

Here's what I measured just now on a tape-assembled Airfix model:

 

- the wing span measures 128.9 mm, the equivalent of 9.28 meters, the real wing span being 9.30 meters. In other words the wing span lacks 0.3 mm, or you could say the model scales 1/72.1 in span

- the fuselage including the generator prop measures 76.7 + 2.0 = 78.7 mm, the equivalent of of 5.67 meters. The most likely length of the real aircraft is 5.92 meters, and it's 3.5 mm too short, or the scale is 1/75.2 in length.

 

This confirms that the fuselage is quite a bit too short indeed.

 

Rob

[Homebee]

Released - ref. WP17209 - Messerschmitt Me.163B/S "Komet"

Source: http://www.wolfpack-d.com/catalog/htm/wp17209.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V.P.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Homebee

[KFS-miniatures]

The very first Academy reboxing by Hobby 2000: kit #72061 Messerschmitt
Me 163 B/S Komet

 

[Grayhawk]

Looks like a Me 163 too me!🙃 ;