Bucker 181 panzerfaust toting trainer

[mattlow]

Hi all

 

This is an all resin kit with a vac canopy. I intended this as an out of the box build as a respite from the BV 155 and a bit more practice with resin prior to even thinking about starting Radu's Arado Blitz! This is Planet Models' Bu 181 Bestmann.

 

Late in the war panzerfaust rocket launchers were slung over and under each wing leading to an improvised anti-tank aircraft (really). I shall be making an example of one of those machines.

 

[mattlow]

Its a chunky little kit and as soon as I started tinkering I worked out the nose needed to come off to allow the pit floor to extend far enough forward - so much for quick build.

 

[mattlow]

I made up a new basic interior shape for the pit using just one piece of the resin. More detail to add - some from the kit, some scratched.

 

 

[mattlow]

New pit sat in place. There aren't many parts in this kit, but I'm doing my best to increase the number - where's that razor saw....?

 

 

 

 

Finally basic shape of whole machine.

 

 

More to come soon.

 

Matt

[mattlow]

A quick request - does anyone have details of the Hirth HM 504 engine? Scale drawings/3-view would be very useful.

 

Matt

[CharlesMetz]

  mattlow said:

A quick request - does anyone have details of the Hirth HM 504 engine? Scale drawings/3-view would be very useful.

Matt,

 

I don't have any information on the Bu 181's engine in my library, but searching for "Hirth 504" (without quotation marks) at http://images.google.com/ yielded these:

 

 

 

Hoping this helps a little,

 

Charles Metz

[Texas]

HI Thats going to make a neat looking model.

 

Texas

[theseeker]

Makes me think of James Garner and the Great Escape!

[SeanH]

Hi Mattlow

 

I just posted a recommendation for Adolf Dickfeld's book in general discusion , and in the book he describes using this very plane to attack T-34s advancing on Berlin near the end. Here is a picture from the book. It is not much, but it is at least one photo.

[mattlow]

Charles & SeanH thanks for the images. Still not sure about doing the engine???

 

I've been concentrating on the cockpit area. Had great fun making up the spar - lots of tiny bits of plastic and many expletives later - something not too bad

 

 

The original front spar part is now relegated to the rear. The control column bases and the rudder pedal base have been removed from the original floor and thinned to fit. The large hole nearest you is going to have the second pair of pedals with mechanism exposed

[mattlow]

Layout of cockpit parts, still more to add/detail up. Front bulkhead will be trimmed to shape after its glued in place

 

[mattlow]

Another with fuselage closed

 

[mattlow]

Finally, I've been working on one of the wings. Solid chunk of resin but still was able to cut out (and correct size of) aileron and cut/scrape away area for including dropped flap.

 

Unmodified wing on right.

 

 

More later.

 

Matt

[georch]

Wow Matt! Thats a really unusual build here! I'll watch it with great intrest!

[Guest Rigor]

I agree something different look's good nice start