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Description
Modelling project, work in progress.

The Mistel aircraft combinations were a late and desperate response of Germany to its lack of heavy bombers during World War 2. Instead of building an aircraft that would carry a bomb, the philosophy behind the Mistel combinations was that one of the aircraft - a nimble fighter - would be put atop another aircraft - the 'bomber' - and that the fighter would 'carry' the powered bomber to its target, aim and lock it on a collision course, release itself... leaving the unmanned bomber to crash onto the target.

While the first Mistels used Junkers 88 bombers with a heavy warhead mounted instead of its cockpit, later designs anticipated the use of converted Me 262 bombs, or the purpose built E 377 bomb. However, the war came to its close before any of these later Mistels could actually be built.

This is the first step in my attempt at building a "Mistel 4" combo - a Me 262 'bomb' and Me 262 'guidance plane'. This is the "bomb", a war-weary Me 262, or rather, parts of several war-weary and/or damaged aircraft combined to build a somewhat-airworthy aircraft capable of just that one more flight.

Now all that's left is to build the second Me 262, the linkages to combine both aircraft, and the starter carriage.

Model: 1/72 scale Revell 04166 "Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe"
Kit inventory no. 1086, acquired February 20th 2016

Description
Modelling project, work in progress.

The Mistel aircraft combinations were a late and desperate response of Germany to its lack of heavy bombers during World War 2. Instead of building an aircraft that would carry a bomb, the philosophy behind the Mistel combinations was that one of the aircraft - a nimble fighter - would be put atop another aircraft - the 'bomber' - and that the fighter would 'carry' the powered bomber to its target, aim and lock it on a collision course, release itself... leaving the unmanned bomber to crash onto the target.

While the first Mistels used Junkers 88 bombers with a heavy warhead mounted instead of its cockpit, later designs anticipated the use of converted Me 262 bombs, or the purpose built E 377 bomb. However, the war came to its close before any of these later Mistels could actually be built.

This is the first step in my attempt at building a "Mistel 4" combo - a Me 262 'bomb' and Me 262 'guidance plane'. This is the "bomb", a war-weary Me 262, or rather, parts of several war-weary and/or damaged aircraft combined to build a somewhat-airworthy aircraft capable of just that one more flight.

Now all that's left is to build the second Me 262, the linkages to combine both aircraft, and the starter carriage.

Model: 1/72 scale Revell 04166 "Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe"
Kit inventory no. 1086, acquired February 20th 2016