--Originally Posted 1/12/08--

I know I have complained recently about too much Fascination with Fascists, - even to the point where my buddy Don Czech reminded me that the Nazis in WWII did in fact deploy some very interesting weapons systems; some very cool subjects for modeling. So, to reassure Don that I had indeed realized that fact, let me now present a build I had already started much earlier: the aircraft which heavily damaged - very nearly sank - HMS Warspite with three "Fritz-X" guided bombs off of Sicily in 1943; the Dornier Do217k2 bomber.

The -k2 variant was somewhat different than the initial -k1, however it took me some long searching even to find a kit of the latter; the (now long OOP) Italeri kit, which I undertook to modify into a -k2:


Click on Image to EnlargeThe Do217k2 had much longer wings than what you see here, and (I believe) also lacked the flat bombardier's panel which you can see protruding from the lower-starboard corner of the nose greenhouse. You have already seen some of my work to replace the latter with a modified replacement greenhouse dome, shown here and another one here. The work to extend the wings is also well underway - I will update you on that shortly.

However last weekend I set in to work on the interior, which is very basic OOB:


Click on Image to EnlargeNote the gaping void behind the pilot's (armored) chair, and radioman/gunner's chair perched on spindly legs, behind. Apparently, both of these features are (surprisingly) not too inaccurate (though apparently the radio operator's chair is really too large; see below) - and in fact the spindly chair legs installed quite reliably.

However the interior is woefully lacking in detail - particularly when you consider the high visibility which will exist through the all-glazed nose - and in fact here I have already added one improvement; thinning down and drilling out the pilot's rudder pedals, which apparently in real life were stirrup-like affairs (see below), not unlike bicycle toe clips.

But thick, featureless rudder pedals were among the least of Italeri's ommissions depicting interior details, which apparently should have looked more like this:


Click on Image to EnlargeThis is a 1/48 scale Koster Models conversion set for a Do217m11 - close successor to the -k1 - and these pics have increasingly become inspiration for me on this build (particularly since I was able to obtain such astoundingly clear replacement greenhouse parts). Note the dramatic all-black and (for its day) high-tech-crammed interior; a cockpit-dry-brusher's dream! In any case, I resolved that I will give it my best shot.

Starting with installation of masses of instrument- and control panels:


Click on Image to EnlargeThe first of which was a substitute for the (offensively) plain OOB pilot's "heads-up" instrument panel (still attached to sprue) which came in the kit. Here I have cut an approximate replacement (right) from the instrument panel of a Revell 1/48 F-104 (cheap) StarFighter kit I had lying around with dim prospect ever to be built. Note from the earlier Koster conversion pic (the righthand one) that this panel was apparently in real life mounted to the inside of the nose dome - and not on the pilot's control yoke, as depicted in the Italeri kit.

Considering Italeri's lack of attention to the cockpit overall, I trust Koster's depiction of the above insturment panel - in fact, of all their interior details - far more than my kit, and so am emulating them as best I can - not just for the instrument panel but throughout the whole interior:


Click on Image to EnlargeBut where, you might ask, do you come up with so many spare instrument/control panels - surely I didn't cannibalize every other unbuilt aircraft model I have, right? The answer: Renwal cutaway Polaris sub interior consoles - scads of 'em in a single boneyard model - providing both the quantity and variety of layouts/shapes to cobble together almost anything! This layout which I achieved, with some consideration for the much smaller scale, is actually fairly true to the above, Koster interior - and will appear even more so when painted (I hope) properly.

Note I also installed a deck (white) underneath and further supporting the radioman/gunner's chair - again, fairly accurate per the Koster upgrade - which also indicates this chair was really more like a stool, however now I may now be able to cut down and otherwise modify it accordingly.

Note also on the port side (bottom pic) I have installed - incorrectly, as I soon realized - a support arm (white; out of focus) for the pilot's heads-up panel, as I didn't think I could successfully mount it directly to the inside of my small and delicate nose glass, as did Koster (in 1/48 scale). But instead of projecting so far forward and then up, as shown, my support should instead curve upward and then hook around forward; the whole support will then be much smaller, and more like Koster's depiction. (Whether some additional difficulty is being introduced by some inaccuracy in the Italeri pilot's position/cockpit geometry is also distinct possibility.)

In any case, I'm having a lot of fun bashing on this kit - it's good to get back to it, after a long period of neglect - and I hope to be able to show you some pretty cool progress, on this very cool plane, in the upcoming weeks.

Cheers,

-Matty