by Tony Lee

This is a German A4B piloted rocket. Developed by the German Rocket team working at Peeneumnda rocket design and launching facility during 1940-1945 the A4b was an outgrowth of the somewhat successful V-2 rocket program. The A4b as well as the A9 were intended to be long range, manned cruise missiles. An A4b was tested on January 24, 1945, and was found to be unsuitable for the task because of complications with wing design and stability during the reentry portion of the flight. It is assumed that in the piloted version of this early space weapon the pilot would eject from the craft sometime prior to impact.

The Model

This model is built straight from the box. The kit, produced by Special Hobby in 1/72 scale, shares parts in common with the Condor version of the V-2. The finished model stands 7 ¾" high.

The only challenging part was the fins. The plans called for the addition of (4) small fin stabilizers that had to fit into the corner on each fin. This required cutting out a 1/4" square from each fin corner. The cockpit detail includes flight seat with headrest and joystick. This was preprinted and installed during construction. The canopy is vacuum formed and I was quite impressed with the look. In fact this was the first kit I have built with this type of canopy. The camo paint was made easy with the use of wet pieces of sponge. After a coat of primer and light sanding I sprayed a coat of flat light navy gray. Once dry I again sanded with extra fine sanding gel and then using a damp piece of sponge and randomly applied dabs of Testors olive drab green followed a few minutes later by just a few dabs of light green. One more light sanding and you see the results.

Image: Rocket on its stand

Image: Side view

Image: Top/right