ANT-39
Messerschmitt P.1101 V-1 1/48 scale kit
Product Description
| The Messerschmitt P.1101 was one of the most interesting aircraft designed during the WWII. The aeroplane was a single-seat, all metal mid-wing monoplane. The forward fuselage housed the cockpit, situated above the engine air duct and covered by three-piece canopy with the hood hinged to starboard, similar to other Messerchmitt designs. Immediately aft of the cockpit were the fuel tanks with total capacity of 1000 litres. Further on, the radio compartment and main undercarriage bays were located. The rear fuselage formed a tail boom, under the which the engine nozzle was located, so the bottom of the boom was steel-covered to protect it from the hot exhaust gases. The first prototype ( V 1) would be powered by a Junkers Jumo 004 B engine, while the production machines would use the He S 011 as planned. Wings were swept and these were adapted from the 262. Together with the wing, the P. 1101 inherited all its high-lift devices, and ailerons. In February 1945 a second set of wings was delivered, their slats stretched from 13% to 20 % of the length of the leading edge. The skin was replaced by plywood, and the wing were attached to the fuselage on a hinge, to allow setting them on the ground at an angle of 35, 40 or 45 degrees. This was in order to test the aeroplane in various flight conditions and resulted in the legend that the P.1101 featured swing wings. A conventional tail was made of wood and consisted of a fin and rudder, and a tailplane and elevator. V- and T- tails were also designed. Tricycle undercarriage retracted into the fuselage, and nose wheel rotate through 90 degrees around its leg axis and was placed flat under the engine air duct. The prototype was not to be armed, and production machines were going to be armed with four MK 108 cannon and be able to carry four X-4 rocket missiles under the wings. On April 1945 US troops entered Oberammergau, the Messerschmitt’s factory where the plane was under construction, and found the 80% complete prototype P.1101 that awaited its engine. It was shipped to USA and was stored at Wright Field. There was repaired and fitted with a US Allison J-35 engine. Once the Army abandoned any further test in August 1948, the prototype finally ended up with Bell Company. The Bell designers worked on their own X-5 experimental aeroplane, based in all data researched from the P.1101. The X-5 was going to have the wing sweep angle fully adjustable in flight. Finally, the P.1101 was used as ground test-bed for the X-5. After several tests, the P.101 was scrapped. |
