Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, 1946 (Tribute to Tophe)

[Dizzyfugu]

Sometimes they come back... This is actually not my original idea, it is based on a similarly modified He 162 kit that fellow user Tophe built in 1977(!) and had posted in 2005 - I stumbled across an image of that little thing through the search function and was inspired!   Tophe's model had the original wings installed, though, moved backwards, while the horizontal stabilizer was fixed under the nose, very straightforward. Anyway, here's my take on the idea...


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
When the U.S. 8th Air Force re-opened its bombing campaign on Germany in early 1944 with the Big Week offensive, the bombers returned to the skies with the long-range P-51 Mustang in escort, and now performing air supremacy offensive "fighter sweeps" well ahead of the 8th Air Force's combat box massed bomber formations, intended to clear the skies well ahead of the bombers of any Luftwaffe opposition.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


This changed the nature of the war in the air. Earlier in the war, German fighter units could freely attack Allied bombers, and over the previous year, the Luftwaffe had been modifying their fleet to improve their capabilities against them. The addition of heavy cannons on their Zerstörer heavy fighters through to the time of their obsolescence, and the adoption of unguided rockets, gave the German single and twin-engined defensive fighters a degree of firepower never seen previously by Allied fliers.

By the end of April, as the P-51 escorts that formerly performed "close escort" of the USAAF's bomber combat boxes were now flying far ahead of the B-17 and B-24 formations in an air supremacy mode in aggressively seeking combat with the backbone of the Jagdwaffe (fighter force) to "clear the skies" of them, this change in USAAF tactics resulted in the German fighter forces being broken, with many of the Luftwaffe's leading aces killed in combat. Replacements were slow to arrive, leaving the Luftwaffe unable to put up much of a fight through the summer of 1944.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


With few planes coming up to fight, the U.S. fighters were let loose on the German airbases, railways and truck traffic. Logistics soon became a serious problem (nor only) for the Luftwaffe, maintaining aircraft in fighting condition almost impossible, and having enough fuel for a complete mission profile was even more difficult, partly from the devastating effects of the Oil Campaign of World War II against Nazi petroleum industry targets.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


This lack of fighter numbers posed a considerable problem for the Luftwaffe, and eventually led to the "Volksjäger" initiative. This called for a light and cheap air superiority fighter that could be built in large numbers and in a short time.
The official RLM Volksjäger design competition parameters specified a single-seat fighter, powered by a single BMW 003, a slightly lower-thrust engine not in demand for the Me 262A or the Ar 234B front-line aircraft already in service. The main structure of the Volksjäger competing airframe designs would use cheap and unsophisticated parts made of wood and other non-strategic materials and, more importantly, could be assembled by semi- and non-skilled labor, including slave labor.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Specifications included a weight of no more than 2,000 kg (4,410 lb), when most fighters of the era were twice of that. Maximum speed was specified as 750 km/h (470 mph) at sea level, operational endurance at least half an hour, and the take-off run had to be no more than 500 m (1,640 ft). Armament was specified as either two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons with 100 rpg or two 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannons with 50 rpg. The Volksjäger needed to be easy to fly. Some suggested that even glider or student pilots should be able to fly the jet effectively in combat.

Heinkel won the competition with the He 162, which entered service in early 1945. The company had designed a relatively small, 'sporty'-looking aircraft, with a sleek, streamlined fuselage. Overall, the look of the plane was extremely modernistic for its time, appearing quite contemporary in terms of layout and angular arrangement even to today's eyes.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet was mounted in a pod nacelle uniquely situated atop the fuselage, just aft of the cockpit and centered directly over the wing's center section. Twin roughly rectangular vertical tailfins were perpendicularly mounted at the ends of highly dihedralled horizontal tailplanes to clear the jet exhaust, a high-mounted straight wing with a forward-swept trailing edge and a noticeably marked degree of dihedral, with an ejection seat was provided for the pilot — which the Heinkel firm had pioneered in a front-line combat aircraft, with the earlier He 219 night fighter in 1942. The He 162 airframe design featured an uncomplicated tricycle landing gear that retracted into the fuselage, performed simply with extension springs, mechanical locks, cables and counterweights.

Early service experience showed that the aircraft's performance was not enough, and that handling was tricky due to stability problems. Several design updates were proposed, including versions with a butterfly tail or positively or even negatively swept wings. Another radical re-design was the P.1073d, which was almost a complete re-design of the He 162 – it featured a canard layout, strongly swept wings, end plate stabilizers on the wing tips and a shortened rear fuselage. The engine pod nacelle on top of the fuselage was retained, though, as well as many structural parts.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Air tunnel tests had shown that this configuration would amend the stability problems, and success reports from Japan where the Kyushu J/W 'Shinden' high performance aircraft had been successfully flown in August 1945 ensured a quick go-ahead from the RLM.

Many components from the He 162, which was kept in production, could be utilized for the updated type, which received the official designation He 273 and was quickly christened "Geissel" (= Scourge). The type was literally pushed through flight tests and instantaneously adopted for service in February 1946, when the first Allied jet fighters appeared over the dwindling Reich.



1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Compared to the He 162, handling and rate of climb were much improved, thanks to a much bigger wing area. Overall performance became also slightly better, since the He 273 was lighter than the conventional He 162. MTOW could even be increased, so that the canard fighter was even able to carry an external ordnance under its fuselage.




General characteristics:
Crew: 1, pilot
Length (incl. pitot): 7,98 m (26 ft 4¼ in)
Wingspan: 7.63 m (25 ft)
Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 16.4 m² (177 ft²)
Empty weight: 1.570 kg (3.458 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 3.000 kg (6.607 lb)

Powerplant:
1× BMW 003E-1 axial flow turbojet, rated at 7.85 kN (1,760 lbf)
Fuel capacity of 695 litres (183 US gallons)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 790 km/h (491 mph) at normal thrust at sea level; 840 km/h (522 mph) at 6000 m; using short burst extra thrust 890 km/h (553 mph) at sea level and 905 km/h (562 mph) at 6000 m. (562 mph)
Range: 1.050 km (652 mi)
Service ceiling: 12.500 m (10.900 400 ft)
Rate of climb: 1.650 m/min (5.400 ft/min)

Armament:
2× 20 mm MG 151/20 autocannons with 120 rpg (He 273 A-1) or 2× 30 mm MK 108 cannons with 50 rpg (He 273 A-2); provision for a 500kg (1.101 lb) hardpoint under the fuselage for a drop tank, bombs, a rack with 24 R4M unguided missiles or a gun pod.


The kit and its assembly:
A small, totally fictional Luft '46 build - I liked Tophe's idea, but wanted to take it a step further. The basis is the simple He 162 kit from Hobby Boss, which is O.K. but lacks any cockpit interior, and the canopy is a bit thick. But the surface details are good, the landing gear is fine, and for this conversion project it was a good basis.

The wing surfaces were totally changed, though: the swept main wings come from a Revell G.91, with the original landing gear wells closed and the original He 162's fins added as end plates. The canard foreplanes are stabilizers from an Italeri Fw 190, and in my case fixed to the nose flanks. I tested several options, including swept canards, but the straight solution eventually looked the most plausible to me, reminding of the J7W Shinden's layout.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The fuselage (it is a massive piece of styrene!) was simply cut away behind the engine and sanded into an aerodynamic shape.

In the rough cockpit a small pilot figure was implanted (covering up the emptiness inside...), and a dashboard with a gunsight added.

The rest was taken OOB, except for finer antennae and pitot replacements, and a mesh cover in the air intake. The latter is a nice detail I found on real life He 162 pictures, the round piece was simply punched out of a piece of plastic meshwork.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
I did not want to use the typical, uniform He 162 look, even though I wanted a typical late Luftwaffe look. I used a Me 163 Komet profile as benchmark for the paint scheme, which is standard RLM 81/82/76 (all Model Master enamels).


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The hard-edged blotches were painted with brush and by hand onto the grey basis, and the kit received a light weathering through a light black ink wash and some dry-painting. Nothing fancy. All interior surfaces were painted in dark grey (RLM 66), the decals were puzzled together from various sheets, including markings from a Revell Me 262 and squadron emblems from a TL Modellbau sheet.


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Heinkel He 273 A-2; aircraft "19 White" of IV./JG1, Deutsche Luftwaffe; Rheinsehlen, early 1946 (Whif/Luft '46/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A nice and simple model project, done in about a week. Even though it is not a "real" Luft '46 design this He 162 conversion has some very plausible look about it? Who knows...?  

Cheers to Tophe!  

[tc2324]

Very nicely done Dizzy. 

An ideal Luft 46 creation.

[PR19_Kit]

Subtle bit of photography with the B-49 in the background Thomas 

And the model's pretty exceptional too. 

[NARSES2]

Another fantastic piece of work

[Dizzyfugu]

Subtle bit of photography with the B-49 in the background Thomas  

And the model's pretty exceptional too.  

I could not resist with the B-49... and, who knows...?  

Anyway, kudos to Tophe for his original (1977!) idea:



More here: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,6469.0.html

It's so weird and simple/straightforward, and the result looks pretty believable, IMHO? This one was a quickie, but nevertheless fun to make. 

[Sticky Fingers]

Great remake! And I just love the paintwork. Really suits the plane, and the camo works too, judging by how the engine seems to disappear in the clouds in this pic:

[sandiego89]

Burt Rutan would be very proud...looks very much like some of his designs.

A very nicely done tribute/update build. 

[Captain Canada]

Nugly. Neat and Ugly !

I love the way she blends right into the clouds in her camo. I don't recall seeing Tophe's original bird before, but it looks pretty neat as well !

[Ed S]

Another great kitbash. A very clever idea.  Well done.

Ed

[CSMO]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Winner.  If this wasn't on the drawing boards in '45, it should have been. Well done, sir! Adios, Larry.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot to everyone - sometimes the simple things are the best and most convincing ones! 

[dumaniac]

now that is one nice aircraft

[Army of One]

Awesome work........yet again.....and great pics to boot as well........

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot, again. As per usual, setting a model in an apporpriate scene adds a lot to the overall impression - e. g. the flight scenes against various bombers including the B-49, but also the ground scene with the (self-made) Me 334 in the foreground. Distracts from the flaws...     

[Tophe]

  Thanks a lot for reminding my old model, your one is a million times better indeed (for the evil user I mean)!
Thanks again, Dizzyfugu!