Scratch Built 1/72 scale
Messerschmitt P.1079/51

by Aldo Chetcuti

Revell's 1/48 scale PV-1 Ventura is available online from Squadron.com

This model was inspired by the excellent CGI from Jozef Gatial and plans were adapted from the Secret Projects – Jet Planes of the Third Reich publications.

This particular version of the P.1079 project exists in kit form but I preferred to build this myself – it is a very easy shape to build and anyone new to this form of modelling can use this as a debut into scratchbuilding.  Correcting the existing commercial resin model may possibly take longer to do.

The P.1079 program was a series of ramjet powered designs of small aircraft of every shape and form and ranged from 1941 onwards.  This example is Design 51 and is smaller than a 1:32 fuel tank!

For this example, I shaped a two-piece bullet in solid PVC consisting of  top and bottom fuselage parts.  I then produced shells in 1mm plastic card by vacforming over the PVC masters and produced a few shots for construction.

The ramjet is basically a hollow tube where hot gases are produced so the top and bottom sections of the fuselage were built over a couple of Plastruct tubes of different diameters and I eventually picked the better one for completion.

The wings and tail components are 1.5mm plastic card cut according to the 3 view drawing suitably scaled to 1:72 using editing software.

Picture 1 :  The fuselage on the left was a better fit and was chosen for completion.

Picture 2:  A number of canopies are drawn over a PVC sample and the best one chosen for the model.

Picture 3: It takes minutes to fit the wings, fin and tail planes.  It is a very small model!

The model is painted in a variation of 75  and late war 83 with 76 undersurfaces and markings matching Gatial’s 3-view and artwork.  It is done in a flash as there is little area to cover.  The result is a pleasant little model project which sits on a dolly normally associated with the Fieseler Fi 103 (V1 buzzbomb).

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Images and Text Copyright © 2014 by Aldo Chetcuti
Page Created 8 April, 2014
Last Updated 8 April, 2014

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