The Bv 148, Dr Vogt's 'conventional' version of the Bv 141 - DONE

[kerick]

Very nice!! This would have kept British engineers very busy.

[Wardukw]

I really do like this ..it's designed with a small amount of pure nuttiness and a large amount of brilliance..epicly cool 👍 😄

[buzzbomb]

Love it.. really do.
Terrific work

[PR19_Kit]

Also available in RAF markings, and an Air Min number. 

Which just happens to be '148'. 





Note the crudely painted out Luftwaffe crosses and swastikas, with whatever paint happened to be available at the time......

[kerick]

May I suggest a splotch on each side of the tail covering the hated swastika? You don't need to apply one, just a rough diamond shape covering up where it would have been.

[frank2056]

I agree about the painted out swastika.

The plane looks fantastic, though. I couldn't figure out what the overall shape (without the props) reminded me of, until I saw a picture of the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator:

[

[Rick Lowe]

  
Coming along nicely!

[PR19_Kit]

There IS a painted on swatch over the swastikas, but like all the other swatches it was done in a tearing hurry by the overworked guys building the RAF landing grounds in Normandy and it's not that complete. I'll do some detail pics when it's complete and you'll see then.

[NARSES2]

Looking good Kit 

"Splodges" or mottle is one of the very few things where having an airbrush might be useful.

Strangely enough I was looking for some info in a Bookazine this morning (Spitfires over Berlin) and they have a list of Air Ministry numbers in it, along with aircraft captured by the Brits and handed over to the US, 148 wasn't used, so your ok 

[PR19_Kit]

Thanks for confirming that Chris, I couldn't find Air Min 148 anywhere either.

The 148's almost done. It's got its landing gear in place, minus the doors as yet, and the PROP BLADES are on! 

And yes, it looks totally nuts! 

I've matt varnished it all over, and that looks a lot better, and stripped off all the masking tabs so you can see into the cockpit now. That worked pretty well, and only a couple of very small bits of framing needed re-painting.

Should be done by tomorrow I think, fingers crossed.

[PR19_Kit]

It's done and dusted at last, all the fiddly bits are on and the detail painting is done. I'd forgotten how fragile the 141's landing gear was, the legs aren't the world's sturdiest for such a gawky landing gear, and one of the 148's has twisted a little. Nothing I can do about it bar replacing the whole leg, wheel and doors, and that's not going to happen after all this time.

I'd hoped the props would spin in opposite directions if i blew on them from the front, but there's too much friction between the two hubs for that to work sadly, but they do both rotate independently. I have an idea about freeing them off that I may try after a while.

I'm going to take some decent pics of the beast outside later in the day, it needs a suitable background really, and my maroon duvet cover doesn't really do it.

[PR19_Kit]

And here's what Dizzy calls 'the beauty shots'    although mine don't have his artistic backgrounds.



The overall view of T7+BV after capture by the airfield assembly teams in Normandy shortly after D-Day. Note the somewhat hastily applied roundels and the blanked out (as well as was possible) Luftwaffe markings.




From the rear, showing the somewhat lethal remotely controlled Rheinmetall-Borsig HYL148V tail turret, as well as the centrally located Junkers 213 engine intake, and the twin contra-rotating props.




A close up of the turret, and the twin tail of the 148, consisting of two tailplanes of the 141 joined together, plus twin larger vertical fins.




The other end, also showing the props and the cockpit area, complete with ex-Bv 141 ladder, and the crew surely needed the latter with such a nose-high position of the cockpit! Note the repeated Air Min code on the nose.




The aft fuselage is just a tube to position the tail unit and the turret really, and here you can see the blanked out Luftwaffe codes etc. plus the crude RAF roundels and Air Min code patch.




An overall underside view, also showing lots of blanked out Luftwaffe codes etc. plus the Jumo 213's exhausts as well. Note the scabbed on radiators, from Me-109G production lines, added because the Jumo was liquid cooled, unlike the Bv 141's air cooled BMW 801 radial.




A close up of the central section, also showing the Jumo 213 installation and the somewhat gawky undercarriage. The camera ports forward of the prop hubs had to be PhotShopped for these pics as the Glue 'n Glaze still hadn't dried after FOUR hours!




Lastly the cockpit itself, nicely masked with the extensive Eduard masking set, of which I only used half as I didn't use the aft section of the Bv 141 gondola. You can just see the internal details that I added, now almost invisible with all that framing of course.

There you have it, after a bit of a marathon build, and you may well ask why I wanted an extension as this was almost done. It was because my Speagle still isn't finished and I'm still waiting for a particular paint set for it.

There may be a backstory written for the 148 if my fingers (and keyboard....) manage to hold out. If so I'll link it from here.

[PR19_Kit]

Hmmm, it turns out I'd written the backstory ages ago and just filed it on my archive drive! 

I've posted it in 'Alternative History' as usual here :- https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=52072.new#new

[kerick]

Fantastically nuts! Love it!
That will sure get lots of questions when folks take a look at it. 

[loupgarou]

One of the most impressive realizations in the last years! And a really perverse idea!