Moderator: I moved this thread to Modeling. I feel it rightfully belongs there. Hi all, I'm collecting 1/72 ww2 night fighter kits (of all combattants) and had this wicked idea, when a friend offered me an old A-10 kit, to build a "what-if" wonder weapon of the Luftwaffe...and thus, the He-319 was born. I also wrote a short history of the type to make it more 'authentic' for "1946". I hope this is not too much info and that I am not breaking any topic rules! For those interested in modelling: The main kit is basically an A-10 from Academy. Mod parts used come from a couple of old Heller Me 262s (engines + drop tanks used as fairings), Revell's Arado 240 (2cm ventral pack, 151/15 tail barbette, radar pylons), AModel's Bf-109F (RZ-65 wing root rocket pack), Dragon's P-1101 (X-4 missiles) and Airfix's Bofors (3.7cm Bordkanone). For painting I used mainly Humbrol sprays, while the mottling was done with hard pastels and a crew-cut old OO brush. The black undersides was also done with black MiG pigment which makes for a semi-opaque finish. Hope you like it. Development Τhe Heinkel He-319 was undoubtedly the most advanced multi-role fighter to originate from the Third Reich during WW2. This advanced warplane, designed primarily as a night fighter, ruled the night skies over Germany in late 1945 and went on to play a decisive role in the formulation of night ground attack doctrine. The fighter originated from the highly ambitious Ρ.1081/44 RLM programme. The P.1081 specifications were extremely demanding, calling for unheard of performance for an aircraft of its era. The new fighter was designed to satisfy two roles: a primary night fighter (Nachtjäger) and a secondary night attack (Nachtschlacht) role. The large powerful airframe was designed around four of the brand new Jumo 012 turbojets that were developed from the well-known, albeit temperamental, 004Βs used in the Me-262. Thanks to this very advanced powerplant, the relatively heavy (41.000 lbs at full combat load, compared to 15,700 lbs of the 262) He-319 Warzenschwein, as the Ρ.1081 was christened, proved surprisingly nimble and capable even when carrying huge loads. While its top speed, at just over 540 mph, was not exceptional by 1945, it achieved this with full internal combat load and fuel. With full internal and external combat load it could still attain 490 mph and a ceiling of 47,000 ft. which made it a very capable interceptor even against high-flying Allied PR planes. The Warzenschwein’s unlikely advantage, however, was its maneuverability which gave it the edge even against single-engine fighters. Equally important was its survivability, thanks to its secondary role as a ground attack fighter which had endowed it with a robust frame and useful armour for the pilot and the main flight controls. Armament The Warzenschwein was extremely well-armed for its day. Its fixed armament included a single 3.7cm Rheinmetall Bordkanone BK 37 under the nose, with a huge, internal, 66-round magazine, used mainly to shoot down bombers and attack ground targets; two 2cm MG 151/20s in a ventral pack with 360 rounds for air-to-air combat and two quadruple 21cm RZ-65 rocket launchers in the wing roots used to demolish structures and attack large targets. Additional external armament included a quartet of Ruhrstahl Kramer Χ-4 guided missiles under the wings and various guided and unguided air-to-ground munitions. The defensive weapons suite was complemented by a virtual sting in the tail, a small, barbette-type turret with twin MG 151/15s linked to an intelligent targeting screen in the cockpit. This allowed the single pilot to continue to fly and aim the rear turret as if he were in a dogfight. Sensors were not the most up-to-date as there was no room for the large dome of the new FuG 240 Berlin night radar, so the Warzenschwein relied on an improved Lichtenstein SN-2 (FuG 220), together with an advanced version of Naxos. Powerplant To protect the engines from ground fire, the four Jumo 012s blasting through twin tailplanes, were mounted on a dorsal pylon. The new engines proved not only powerful, producing more than three times the thrust of the 004Bs, but were also much more robust and safer to use, delivering maximum thrust at only 5300 rpm. They were also 15%more economical than the earlier 004Bs allowing the Warzenschwein the exceptional combat radius of over 950 miles on internal fuel and full weapons load and over 1,400 miles with external drop tanks. RLM Nomenclature Type Max thrust Weight rpm Jumo 109-004B Turbojet 8.8 kN (1984 lbf) 745 kg (1642 lb) 8700 Jumo 109-012 Turbojet 27.3 kN (6130 lbf) 2000 kg (4410 lb) 5300
Good choice for a Heinkle (Germany's answer to Lockhead) Criticisms: At that point in the war, if it continued...Luftwaffe were getting brighter (to fend off friendly fire)...i would put red on it somewhere (usually nose)...To denote a Germany defender aircraft. The four engines would probably not be needed, would need a massive amount of fuel, and would be a liability in terms of a juicy target (A-10s are different as you know). The weight balance is horrendous! : ) Cntre of gravity would be just forward of the tail... Otherwise, this is VERY cool. Bubble canopy...Germans couldnt do it. Would depend on the timing i suppose...46 they probably could.
CAC, The FW-190 had essentially the same canopy as the A-10 model, and that was from the 190 prototype(1939) on. The only major difference is that the FW's canopy was sliding, which is how I believe the "319"'s canopy would/should be. Nikaki, While I don't find the four jet engines "aesthetically" pleasing, the "He-319" makes for a great fantasy night-fighter. Good job!
Hello, For some inexplicable reason I only just received notification of my article on the He-319 from 2013!! E-mail gremlins no doubt. In any case, thanks for the response. I am currently working on the 2-seater Nachschlacht version and I will be posting better photos next time. Here are some better photos of the 319...
Great job! It's always good to see examples of scratch builds/modified aircraft. You have the color scheme spot on for German night fighters of the period and i like the overall design. Very interesting concept excellently put together. Well done and thanks for sharing.
