Arado P71 "Ente", April 1945

[nönöbär]

Arado P71 "Ente", April  1945

The Aircraft:

As part of the German-Japanese Aircraft cooperation, Arado and Kyushu started to work on a high speed, high altitude fighter against allied bombers. Although the Luftwaffe preferred jet engines for new fighter designs, the unreliability of the early engines forced to think about alternative designs with piston engines.
After experimental work started in early 1943, deign of the Arado P71 and its Japanese counterpart, the Kyūshū J7W started in mid 1944 with the first German prototypes completed by February 1945. Struggling with the engines, the Japanese model was not ready at that time.

Even if the  unusual layout - a canard wing - was tested on models and gliders before, the first flights at Rechlin showed a quite unstable flight performance at the beginning which was only solved after several smaller adjustments were made in the wing and control surface configuration.
With its four 30-mm guns in its nose, the aircraft was equally armed like the Me-262 and was a dangerous opponent for B17 or B24 bombers. Less than 20 aircraft were build until the surrender of Germany in May 1945, all of them used for test flights and evaluation.
However on one occasion on April 25, 1945, a flight of two Arado P71 - fully equipped and armed - on a test flight over the North Sea, was able to shoot down 3 British Lancaster bombers and a Mosquito during an air attack on the coastal bunkers on Wangerooge.

At the surrender of Germany, most of the planes were destroyed, only three of them were captured by allied forces (2 British, 1 American). None of those planes have survived until today.

Due to material shortages, the Japanese version made its first flight in August of 1945. Only two prototypes were build, one is now on display in the USA.

The model shows the Arado P71 "Ente" in April 1945









The Model:

This is a 1/72 Hasegawa model of the Kyushu J7W1. Build OOB, it was airbrushed in Luftwaffe colours with Revel Aqua Colour. Decals were taken form the spare part box, plus some of the original model.
 

[AXU]

That's a fine looking whif,well done 

[NARSES2]

Really suits those colours 

[steelpillow]

Very nice, a convincing livery and a convincing backstory. 

Of course, being Arado, you are now working up the jet version?