Flettner Fl 282 “Kolibri” by MiniArt

1/35 scale
Kit No. 41004
Cost: $40.00
Decals: Five versions – Three German, two American
Comments: Detailed construction; complex rotary engine and twin rotors

History

The Flettner Fl 282 “Kolibri” (Hummingbird) was a small observation helicopter powered by a Siemens-Halske 150 h.p. Sh 14 radial engine. It has two counter-rotating propellers mounted in axes located very close together. The fuselage consisted of a steel tube frame covered in sheet metal and doped fabric.  The Kolibri could carry up to two passengers in addition to a pilot. It first appeared in 1940 as a direct development of the Fl 265 helicopter. The Fl 265 was the first helicopter to employ the principle of counter-rotating intermeshing rotor blades, as early as 1938.

The Kolibri possessed excellent flying characteristics and the German Air Ministry placed a development order with Flettner for a specific type of spotter aircraft. Even though the same method of propulsion was retained in the Fl 282, its engine was moved to a central position directly under the rotor head. As a result, the craft had a very stable flying attitude (having a central center of gravity), and the pilot had very good all round vision.

Following completion the Fl 282 was thoroughly tested in the Baltic and the Mediterranean. Take-offs and landings were practiced from ships (mine layers and destroyers) under steam to which special 5 x 5 meter landing decks had been fitted.

Following the excellent test results the German Air Ministry issued a contract to BMW in 1944 to produce 1,000 machines, in part to fulfill a Kreigsmarine requirement for a craft to carry out submarine spotting duties. But BMW’s Munich plant was destroyed by Allied bombing raids, and throughout the war, only 24 Fl 282 were ever built. Of these, by 1943 over 20 B-1 models were in service in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. Their roles included ferrying items between ships, and reconnaissance.

However, as the war progressed, the Luftwaffe began considering converting the Fl 282 for battlefield use. Until then, the Kolibri had been flown by a single pilot, but a position for an observer was added at the very rear of the craft, resulting in the B-2 version.

The B-2 proved a useful artillery spotting aircraft and an observation unit was established in 1944, comprised of three Fl 282s and three Fa 223 helicopters. An improved version of the Fl 282 known as the Fl 339 was under development at the time of the German surrender, and was to incorporate lessons learned from experience with the previous model.  Good handling in bad weather led the German Air Ministry to issue a contract in 1944 to BMW to produce 1,000 units. However, the company’s Munich plant was destroyed by Allied bombing raids after producing just 24 machines. Towards the end of World War II most of the surviving Fl 282s were stationed at Rangsdorf, in their role as artillery spotters, but gradually fell victim to Soviet fighters and anti-aircraft fire.

Specifications

Maximum speed: 93 mph (150 km/h)
Range: 106 miles (170 km)
Service ceiling: 10,825 ft (3,300 m)
Rate of climb: 26 ft/s (8 meters/s)
Maximum Speed: 100 mph
Fuel consumption: 8.5 gallons/hour

Dimensions

Payload: 383 kilograms (840 lb)
Length: 21 ft 6.25 in (6.65 m)
Rotor diameter: 39 ft 2 in (11.96 m)
Height: 7 ft 2.5 in (2.20 m)
Empty weight: 1,676 lb (760 kg)
Useful load: 529 lb (240 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2,205 lb (1,000 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Bramo Sh 14A 7-Cylinder radial piston engine, 160 hp (119 kW)

The Kit

MiniArt’s Flettner Fl 282 comes in three clear plastic bags containing a total of eight sprues. The kit is injection molded in grey and consists of 193 parts – you won’t want to let parts leave the sprue before they’re needed with kit. A small photo-etch fret, sealed in clear plastic, is contained in a white cardboard envelope bearing the MiniArt logo. The parts are completed by a single clear plastic piece forming a window for the nose of the helicopter.

As the Flettner was one of the early rotary wing aircraft, the construction appears to be as lightweight as the original; the “fuselage” if it can be called that, consists of what on the original had to be steel tubes with aluminum panels fastened over them, and Steps 1 and 2 of the instructions faithfully recreate the design. Next is the heart of the kit, the detailed seven-cylinder rotary engine, consisting of 59 pieces plus four photo-etch parts.

Once the completed engine is cemented to the rear fuselage, additional tubing forming the nose is added. It is not until the latter stages of construction, Steps 22 and 23, that the modeler encounters the cockpit assembly. This is an exceptionally detailed kit that appears to have derived from actual Flettner blueprints, for it rivals Accurate Miniatures in the apparent accuracy with which the engineering of this helicopter is duplicated.

The biggest challenge will likely be assembling and installing the powerplant with sufficient care, in part because the Flettner’s twin rotors which drove contra-rotating blades are both positioned at opposing angles about 15 degrees off the head-on center line of the aircraft. The instructions will have to be followed with the utmost care.

Markings

The kit decals come in their own sealed plastic bag to prevent oxidation (hopefully this will be standard practice with all new kits in the not-to-distant future) and are manufactured by Decograph, printed in the Ukraine. They are perfectly in register with a smi-gloss sheen, and while the overwhelming majority are black and white markings, there is realistic color for the stars and bars of the American national insignia.

There are decals for five versions, each of which is illustrated in large color plates contained in the instructions. These versions all appear to depict a single aircraft at various points in time, from its service in the German military to its commandeering by the U.S. Air Force as of 1947. While this kit has American markings on the box art, the Flettner was only used in active service by the German Navy, the Kriegsmarine of WWII.

The first version is for Transportstaffel 40, based in Ainring, Germany in April 1945, a machine painted in Dunkelgrun (Dark Green) RLM 71 over Hellblau (Pale Blue) RLM 65; the second version has an identical paint scheme and retains German markings, but is described as a captured aircraft pressed into the service of the U.S. Army Air Force, and based at Nellingen, Germany in June 1945.

The third version is the same aircraft (bearing the same code letters, CI + TW) but with olive drab patches where the German national insignia and swastika have been painted over, and a white star painted on either side on the engine cover — it is identified as a U.S. Army Air Force aircraft, circa August-September 1945.

The fourth version is again the same machine with the white star removed from the engine covers and the swastika painted back onto the tail, with a new serial number added to the rudder in white: T2-4613. It is based at the USAAF Freeman Field as of October 1945. This is perhaps the oddest configuration and no explanation is given for it, as the kit contains no historical information.

The fifth version is that depicted on the box art, appearing in overall aluminum and bearing the stars and bars of the U.S. national insignia employed by the Air Force since its formation in 1947, and indeed is identified as being based at Camden Airport, circa 1947.

Conclusion

If you want complexity, MiniArt’s Kolibri will prove a fitting challenge, for the sheer number of parts is more often found in a Tamiya race car! This is a richly detailed kit of a rotary wing aircraft that saw limited service during WWII, but helped inspire more robust post-war designs, particularly in the West. Highly recommended.

References

• Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Random House Group Limited; London, 2001;
• Wikipedia.org