The
German aviation industry during World War II is known for it’s
innovative
designs. One aviation manufacturer that is often over looked is the
Deutsches
Forschungsinstitut fur Segelflug-Darmstadt, or DFS for short. This
manufacturer
was instrumental in the development of the Me-163 and the Horton Go-229.
Until
the release of this model by 48 Special I did not know of the existence
of the DFS-346. After some research I found out that the DFS-346 was
designed
to break the sound barrier. Originally designed in the winter of 1944,
three years ahead of the Bell X-1, there were three prototypes, two
un-powered
gliders and one powered aircraft. Like the Bell X-1, the DFS-346 was
carried
aloft by a B-29 or the Soviet equivalent Tu-4 and dropped. Looking more
like a Buck Rogers spaceship than a research plane, the DFS-346 was
incomplete
at the end of the war. The Soviets recovered the three aircraft and the
design team and shipped them off to Russia.
In
an innovative move, the DFS team designed the cockpit to have the pilot
lying down in a prone position, behind a pressurized bulkhead. In the
event
of a problem, the cockpit assembly could be jettisoned as an assembly.
The
Soviets completed the airframes, both the un-powered versions were
launched
with Russian pilots at the controls. The aircraft displayed some
instability
problems and both aircraft eventually crashed. Overcoming their fear of
defection, the Russians turned to Messerschmitt test pilot, Wolfgang
Ziese,
to fly the powered version in 1950. Now think about this, the
un-powered
versions crashed and now you want a man to fly at close to Mach 1. What
a test pilot or what an idiot. But true to his skills, Ziese flew the
DFS-346
and eventually flew it to Mach .95. In 1953, due to an uncontrollable
flutter,
Ziese lost control and bailed out. Although he got out and landed fine,
the Soviets blamed him for the destruction of the DFS-346. Ziese then
died
mysteriously in a hospital a few days after the failed record attempt.
My model displays this aircraft.
The
Model
48
Special Models provides a multimedia resin
kit. The resin parts are nicely molded in a hard light gray resin, but
some have a few bubbles. Nothing major and nothing that a little filler
couldn’t take care of. There is a lot of mold release agent on the
parts
that will need to be removed. All major components are resin with some
redundant photo etched parts. The photo-etched parts are made of steel.
The cockpit canopy consists of the pressure bulkhead, side window and
outer
cockpit assembly. The clear parts are well formed, but are slightly
deformed.
This is easily taken care of with a coat of Future though.
The
instructions are bilingual, German and English. There is some spelling
errors, but nothing that can’t be deciphered. Included in the
instructions
are lots of tips for assembly, which make building this kit easier for
the resin kit beginner. I recommend reading the instructions completely
and repeatedly.
There
are no decals, as the original aircraft had no markings other than the
red ring around the nose cone.
Getting
Started- Cockpit
As
usual constructions starts in the cockpit. You have to decide whether
to
use the resin or photo etched parts. I used a combination of parts. For
the bench I used the photo-etched parts. Now the parts are made of
steel
and are difficult to remove from the fret and even more difficult to
bend.
Taking a hint from the instructions I heated the parts on the stove
first.
This made them softer and more malleable, but it was still tough. In my
research I was able to find one photo of the cockpit. 48 Special got
real
close, but if you want to superdetail the interior go for it. I didn’t
because once assembled the interior is not seen at all, so why bother.
I painted the interior RLM 02 but you can’t see it.
The
sidewalls are separate pieces that must be sanded to fit in the nose
cone.
They must be sanded a lot, as well as, the nose cone interior. I used
my
Dremel tool and thinned and thinned and thinned, well you get the idea.
Resin dust everywhere. Wear a respirator. The biggest part to worry
about
is the left side window because you have to line up the window and have
it thin enough to look scale. Once it all fits take it out and cut out
the side window and smooth it into the exterior. I attached mine with
superglue
but was careful not to apply too much. Once dry I polished on the
outside
to get it to conform to the exterior contours. I then brushed on a coat
of Future on the inside. I saved the outside for later.
Fuselage
The
fuselage is a solid piece of resin that the cockpit sits in front of.
This
creates a situation where the model is a tail sitter. If I had to do
this
over again I would cut off the tail area and thin out the back and add
weight to the nose area.
The
tail assembly is added into a depression in the fuselage that ensures
the
tail unit is straight and at the correct height. Some photo-etched
strakes
are added to the underside of the horizontal stabilizer. You have to
cut
along a panel line about halfway through the tail. If done properly the
part will just fit in nicely and require very little superglue. The
horizontal
piece is attached to the topside with a couple of pieces of tubing for
strength. Any area that needed to be filled was filled with 3M Blue
Acryl.
Wings
The
wings are interchangeable. Once you decide on which side is which you
will
have to cut along some panel lines just like the tail surface. The
wings
have no dihedral. The only thing to look out for was to ensure the
inner
flap is visible. I used some tubing for strength again.
Landing
Gear
Extended
or retracted? Your choice, but if you want to see display the aircraft
on the ground then extended is the only way to go. The gear consists of
three braces and a landing skid. Pinning these parts provides the
strength
necessary to support the model. Superglue will not be strong enough.
The
biggest thing with the landing gear is to ensure it is straight in the
bay. The landing gear doors were cut along the centerline front to aft.
Then they were attached to the fuselage after painting the interior RLM
02.
Canopy
Assembly
You
will need all your patience for the canopy. It is multi layered and
multi
media. The one nice thing is that the canopy and the pressure bulkhead
are press fit. Now comes the fun. First off you have to drill a hole in
the two clear parts for the pitot tube and it has to be straight and
not
too big. I think I mentioned that you only get one set of clear parts.
OK now that you’ve done that you have to bend some of the steel photo
etched
parts and oh by the way it has to fit in the nose cone and it has to
fit
on the pitot tube. I got lucky and got that to fit pretty well. The
next
photo-etched piece is also a part of the pitot tube support but this
one
goes around the pressure dome. I couldn’t do it. I ended up
bending
it nicely and even had a nice hole for the pitot tube to sit in but it
didn’t fit. I ended up scratch building the support from .010 by .020
and
.025 tubing. It all worked for me and I liked the results.
If
you haven’t attached the cockpit assembly as per the instructions, you
will need to do it now. You are given a bench but I couldn’t figure out
how to attach it, so I didn’t. I did add an epoxy cushion. Don’t forget
the instrument panel and chin support. I couldn’t figure out the panel
so I ended up using an extra Hasegawa Ar-234 instrument panel with some
modification. I used this method to ensure that the cockpit didn’t get
broken off while handling. Now attach the front nose cone and
smooth
it into the fuselage assembly. I used two-part epoxy to do this and
this
aided in filling any gaps. Once that is done attach the pressure
dome, canopy, and pitot tube assembly. I attached this with white glue
and then filled around the area with 3M Acryl putty.
Painting
I
have to tell you this is only my second NMF aircraft. I still have
things
to learn, but I did like the outcome. I masked off the clear parts with
liquid masking material. I primed the whole assembly with Tamiya Primer
White and then sanded it smooth. I used Alclad II and Tamiya spray can
AS-12 for my silver finish. Can you tell what I used where? The wings,
nose cone and landing gear are Tamiya while the rest is Alclad. I liked
the finish of both. You can spray the Tamiya over the Alclad for those
so inclined. I still need more practice. Am I glad the Luftwaffe didn’t
have a lot of natural metal finishes. I then masked off and painted the
red ring.
Weathering
As
this aircraft was brand new there is no real weathering. I highlighted
the control surfaces with Dark Grey India Ink. The panel lines were
accentuated
with Paynes Grey artist oils.
Final
Touches
I
removed the masks and brush painted Future on the clear parts. The
model
wouldn’t sit properly so I inserted a .5 needle in the tail. The
antennas were added to the spine and with that the model was done.
Conclusions
This
is only my third all resin kit. With that said this kit is not for a
beginner,
but I think the finished product looks like the real thing and is a
good
first offering from 48 Special Models. Reading the instruction is
imperative.
The tips are very helpful and invaluable. I recommend this kit to
experienced
modelers only, but I definitely recommend it. I enjoyed the model a lot
and it stretched my modeling to another level.
The
DFS-346 is available directly from 48
Special
Models at their website
www.48specialmodels.com or email at info@48specialmodels.com
. The DFS-346 costs €77.00, the Dollar price depends on exchange rates.
48
Special Models has released other
interesting
aircraft including three different Mistels, FW-190/Ta-154, He-162 and
Me-262
versions. The models released by 48
Special
Models are limited editions. I would like
to thank 48 Special Models
for the review sample.
References:
Flugzeug
Archiv Band 6, 1993, Flugzeug Publications
German
Jet Aircraft 1939-1945, Hans-Peter Diedrich, Shiffer Publishing, 2000,
ISBN 00-105623
Secret
Aircraft Designs of the Third Reich, David Myhra, Shiffer Publishing,
1998,
ISBN 97-81279
DFS-228,
David Myhra, Shiffer Publishing
