Does anyone know if there is a company out there that produces a 1/72 scale WWII German Jumo or BMW engine? I am trying to put together a diorama and I was hoping to avoid scratch-building the engines. Thanks
Sprue Brothers has one in stock…search for Jumo jet engine its a Finemolds product AA-1 prepare for sticker shock!
Does anyone know of a 1/72 kit that comes with a decent engine that he could start with as a base? Seems a shame to lay out $25 just for the engine if there are other options. Build up the new kit closed-up and use the engine in the diorama you have planned…
As long as we’re looking at Sprue Bros, they have a 1/72 He162 for 18$, maybe this has a donor engine? Anyone familiar with the kit?
http://store.spruebrothers.com/172-dragon-heinkel-he162a-2-volksjager-5001-p16174.aspx
Vance
Parting out a kit was my first choice, but I had’nt been able to find one that had a detailed engine at 1/72 scale. Probably I will wind up just shelling out the bucks for the one engine. Thanks for the help!
Best of luck sourcing the powerplants in question. You may still find something out of another box depending on who chimes in here. What have you got planned for the diorama? A maintenance scene of some kind I’m assuming?
Vance
There is a nice kit of this aircraft in 1:48 which includes a nice engine. Several modelers have kicked up the detail on these engines, I suggest searching to see if you can find images of them. One guy even did his exactly as the original…not a detail was missed!
It is a maintenance scene of sorts…
I was cruizing photos of WWII and I found some of what was listed as a B-17F that was captured and used by the Luftwaffe to both infiltrate allied formations and demonstrate capabilites. Orriginally I wanted to model that in the luftwaffe colors and markings just as an intereseting piece, then the good idea fairy came and I started wondering if among all of the crazy ideas that German aircraft designers had at the end of the war if retro-fitting captured enemy equipment with advanced german technologies was one of them.
That was the geneisis of my idea, what I am actually planning now is a full Hanger dio with a B-17F mid-refit to jet power. I know it is completely off-base historically (a big deal to me since I studied history in college), but it just has me too interested now. I started constructing a 1/72 scale hangar, but so far all I have are a few roof girders. Mostly I am just researching and gathering the major components that I will need.
What I have so far that the dio will contain are:
1-B17F (luftwaffe colors & marks) -mid refit
2-Opel fuel trucks
Varrious work platforms and ladders
2-Shop Hoists and multiple tools / workbenches and accesories
I am also kicking around the idea of having a “donor” jet or two (ME-262 or similar) somewhere in there partially stripped to add some interest.
This will be a very long term project
Thanks again for the help and interest
That’s no more wild a concept than all the “paper projects” that were being thrown around in '44 and '45. And the Germans were not afraid to look at someone else’s technology & adapt it - multiple uses of captured armour refitted with German armmaments. Even sloped armour was taken from the Russians. Sounds like very interesting project. Don’t forget an cramped office in the corner with draftsmen hunched over a set of blueprints!! Pleas make sure to share some pics as you get further into it.
Hmmm - I think I may have a 1/72 B17 in the stash somewhere… [:D]
That 1/72nd He 162 does come with an engine, and its not to bad. There is also a small eduard PE set that has a few parts to add to the engine. Quickboost do a 1/72nd resin engine for the Me 262 but that includes the housing for the engine so might be awkward.
I just let my mind wander a little bit thinking about this “what-if” project. (But don’t let this stop you, I still think it’s a fantastic idea.) The idea of re-purposing a B17 with Jumo or other jet engines would probably be an attempt at an “Amerika Bomber” right? If I’m not mistaken, those engines had something like a 12-hour life cycle… meaning they’d have to expect an engine swap in the mid-Atlantic - now there’s a diorama!!! [:P]
I also thought up that it is highly unlikely that the airframe of a B-17 could withstand the increased stresses of the jet powerplants. So yeah I know my bright little idea is ripe with historical innacuracies, but hey that is where imagination comes in. 
I don’t know about airframe strength being an issue - I’ve seen pictures of those things limping home missing some very large pieces.
And the “what-if” theme gets some leeway. I finished up a He162D recently with desert camouflage. My thinking being that the jet engine mounted up top would be less likely to injest sand & debris. The downside is the verrrry narrow-track landing gear. [^o)]
Theres also the Mistel idea. or one the russians tried? (dont know if they tried it or what) hanging multipul fighters under the wings of a large bomber. a pair of 162’s mounted on the upper wings of a b-17 sounds interesting…damnit, now youve got my imagination running away too lol. BTW if your interested there was a book came out called KG200 which was a fictional acount of the german b-17 crews and their spy missions to england. But incidently is was KG200 that flew the b-17 sleepers
wow, a Mistel version would be a sharp option too. A -162 launching off the top & running back home would have looked like an unsuccessful attack, from the ground. After it was released, the familiar shape of a B17 would have thrown off the AA crews until it was too late to do anything. You’re an evil genius Scorpiomikey!
LA LA LA LA (fingers in ears)…More ideas…Now Im thinking about a couple of Natters attatched to the wings… Not for this one but maybe another idea for the future…
Lol i know im an evil genius. Check this out http://www.kg200.org/historyac1.html
While yer at it…
Here is my idea. For one thing, think KC-97 with one jet engine mounted under each wing as in a pod for the B-17F. Have two crumpled Me-262’s that show that they have been groundlooped, crashed, or just plainly crumpled. Have one mounted on 4x4 cribbing under the wings as the gear never locked or came down. On the B-17, have one pylon with an engine mounted but uncovered under one wing. On the other wing, just have the bare pylon with plenty of mechanics, engineers, and civilians about examining things. This is a Rechlin project for KG-200. The B-17 could probably take it just like its bigger brother, the B-29, B-50 based KC-97. Certain F blocks had hardpoints under the wings to carry bombs externally.
This is quickly turning into a group build where the group provides crazy ideas and rudedog has to build them!! (See, these are the conversations I can’t have with my wife!!!)
Hans, are you flying the P-51 or the P-ig in your photo… [;)]
I had thought of using the wing hard points of the early B-17s to mount a single or pair of jets, but I am leaning towards something a little more radical. I am thinking of replacing at least the outboard two engines with a pair of jets something kind of like a B-52 engine pod but without the pylon to lower it. I may go full jet on it too…depends on how much time I have.
Thanks for the ideas about the crashed 262s. I am definelty thinking of using that now.