Manufacturer: Academy, distributed by Model Rectifier Corp., P.O. Box 6312, Edison, NJ 08818-6312, 732-225-6360.
Kit: No. 1673
Scale: 1/72
Price: $9.50
Comments: Injection molded, 58 parts, decals.
Pros: Plenty of building options, excellent fit.
Cons: Warped wing halves, no figures.
Rumors of a rocket-powered German fighter must have struck fear in the hearts of Allied bomber crews bound for targets inside Germany. But Messer-schmitt's Komet, the only rocket-powered fighter ever to enter combat, proved to be as hazardous to its own pilots as it was to the enemy. Armed with two 20mm cannons, the Komet was only a threat for a few minutes until its fuel supply ran out, when it became a helpless glider and had to run home. The Komet was prone to explosions on the ground, too, due to the extremely volatile fuel its engine burned.
For decades, a modeler who wanted to add a Komet to his 1/72 scale collection had to do battle with poorly detailed, decades-old kits. Academy's new kit offers state-of-the-art tooling with fine recessed panel lines and plenty of building options. Parts are included to build a standard Komet or the unpowered two-place trainer. Faired and unfaired tailwheels are included, as is an 18-piece ground-handling tractor.
The kit provides markings for two fighters and one trainer; I decided to model a fighter of JG 400. The kit's cockpit went together nicely, but I had to sand the bottom edge of the glass armored plate (part no. D3) before the canopy would close over it. The triangular rear windows are molded together in a fuselage section that drops in place behind the cockpit. The clear parts are beautifully molded; even the vent door on the right side of the canopy is delicately engraved. I installed them using Microscale Kristal Kleer.
The wing halves in my kit were slightly warped. I cut off their alignment pins and carefully glued them together a section at a time with super glue, correcting the warp as I went. The wings attach to the fuselage along a panel line, and no filling was required. The Komet's fixed leading-edge slats are represented by separate parts, and look great when installed.
The separate tail section aligns nicely, and a little filling and sanding helped blend it into the fuselage. The antenna mast is too short and poorly detailed.
Be careful of the instruction's camouflage diagrams. The pattern in the right-side view is incorrect - it shows a flipped version of the left-side view. Studying the top view will help sort things out. I camouflaged my model using Testor Model Master Luftwaffe colors, but I used Tamiya Flat Yellow (XF-3) for the tip of the nose. It's a good match for the yellow on the decal sheet.
Speaking of decals, all of them went on without trouble (over a coat of Future floor polish). The white decals are sufficiently opaque, and the numerous stencil decals really bring the model to life. The black-and-white crosses for the wings were a little out of register, but would be easy to replace with aftermarket items. Modelers may also want to add a set of swastikas to the model's vertical stabilizer. None are included on the decal sheet, not even the some-assembly-required, two-piece kind. I added a set from a Hasegawa Me 262 kit. A coat of Testor Dullcote sealed everything up.
The kit's 18-piece ground tractor goes together well, and opens up a variety of display options. I only wish Academy would have supplied a driver figure for it.
There are plenty of good Komet reference books. Mano Ziegler's Messerscmitt Me 163 "Komet" Vol. 1 has period photos of the aircraft I built, and Aero Detail No. 10: Me 163 and He 162 has plenty of color detail photos.
I had a great time building my Komet. I probably spent 20 hours on it, most of that airbrushing the complex paint scheme. I'd recommend Academy's Komet to modelers who have a few 1/72 scale kits under their belts and can handle an airbrush.
Matthew Usher