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Always good for a new aircraft release before Telford show, Airfix have an all new-mould kit in the one true scale, the Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U2 & U4. We look at some of the features of the kit & the kite in our preview...
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In time for Telford: Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U2 & U4 From Airfix 1/72nd Scale
Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U2 & U4
From Airfix
1/72nd Scale
Product No #A04066
137 Parts Included
2 Colour scheme options
Length 17.5 / Height 4.5 / Width 22.6cm
Price: £23.99
The Messerschmitt Me410 was developed as a heavy fighter but went on to perform several roles such as night fighter, bomber destroyer and reconnaissance. Entering service two years later than scheduled in 1943 as a replacement for the Me210, the aircraft featured several distinctive features including the twin gun barbettes.
Messerschmitt Me-410A-1-U2 Hornisse,
The Me410 was essentially a development of the 210 featuring a lengthened fuselage, revised wings and more powerful engines. Although the Me410 performed well, it entered service too late to make an impact on the tide of war and was soon relegated to reconnaissance roles.
An Me 410A-1 U4 with a BK 5 cannon peels off during an attack on USAAF B-17s
The Messerschmitt Me410 is undoubtedly one of the most impressive looking aircraft types of the Second World War, the ultimate incarnation of Germany's fascination with the Zerstörer heavy fighter concept. Today, just a single complete example of a Messerschmitt Me410 is to be found on display anywhere in the world, one of the prized aviation possessions maintained by the Royal Air Force Museum at their Midlands RAF Cosford site
This was the very aircraft Airfix scanned at the outset of this exciting new model tooling project.
Me 410, W.Nr.420430, RAF Museum Cosford
Although an excellent and extremely heavily armed aircraft, the Me410 could not adequately defend itself against the latest Allied single-engined fighters. No match for the latest Spitfires, Tempests, and P-51D Mustangs, once USAAF commanders freed their fighters from bomber protection duties and allowed then to go hunting the Luftwaffe, any advantage the heavily armed Me410s had were effectively negated and if caught in the gunsights of Allied fighters, they were unlikely to survive the encounter.
Messerschmitt Me 410, probably a Me-410B, equipped with factory kits Type U4, which had a 50 mm gun with 21+1 rounds to attack allied bombers.
Production of the Messerschmitt Me410 ended during August 1944, when the manufacturing lines were switched to producing single-engined Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters for home defence duties, however by that stage in the war, things were already looking rather futile for the struggling Luftwaffe.
The new kit from Airfix in 72nd scale:
The newly tooled 1:72 Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U2 & U4, the ‘backbone of Germany’s home defence’. The Messerschmitt Me410 is undoubtedly one of the most impressive-looking aircraft types of the Second World War, the ultimate incarnation of Germany's fascination with the Zerstörer heavy fighter concept. Featuring two intriguing schemes, 137 parts, and an exceptional level of detail for this scale.
Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U2, 11./ Zerstörergeschwader 26, Gardermoen, Norway, 1945. (A)
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Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U4, Stab II./Zerstörergeschwader 26, Königsberg, 1944. (B)
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A video showing the new kit in a simple unboxing from Airfix
You can see more about this kit or pre-order directly from the Airfix Website