Limited editionLuft 46 kit ; 1/72 scale.
Newspage---- illustratedcatalog----back to Sharkithome page ---- orderthis kit or e-mail me
With the LP-12, German aircraftpioneer Alexander Lippisch intended to mate a powerful ramjet engine witha delta-wing aircraft to create a small, simple aircraft capable of supersonicflight. His first model, the Entwurf 1, utilized a circular ramjet motorwith a grid-like fuel-injection system. A wind tunnel model of this planewas tested in March 1944 -a model that ultimately served as the basis forthe GB 3/L radio-controlled bomb in July of that same year. However, theEntwurf I was never intended to be piloted. As a result, a larger, moresophisticated Entwurf II was subsequently developed. This plan had a widerfuselage than the Entwurf I, thereby making room for the pilot. While thecircular air intake was retained, a dividing wall now directed the incomingair through two D-shaped ducts on either side of the cockpit. As promisingas this design looked on paper, wind tunnel tests indicated that the modelhad too much drag. Undaunted, Lippisch developed the Entwurf III, whichincluded numerous aerodynamic refinements, including the adoption of anelliptical rather than a circular ramjet motor. The wings and tail surfaceswere also redesigned, but still the model produced a large amount of drag.Its complex system of internal ducts also precluded the plane from havingany supersonic capacities. Lippisch's final design for this plane, theEntwurf IV, simplified the air intake by removing the bifurcation by placingthe pilot in a prone (stomach down) position. Once again, the air intakehad an elliptical section that now ended in an elliptical sprinkler gridthat led to an hexagonal combustion chamber. The nozzle had a variable-geometryrectangular section and was fitted with four hydraulically operated flaps.The plane's landing gear consisted of a retractable main skid and two smallerones at the wing roots. Germany's loss to the Allies in May 1945 preventedthis promising plane from ever being produced. Today, most Luft '46 literaturerefers to the Entwurf IV as the "Lippish Supersonic Flying Wing"
This is a small kit and very easy tobuild. The cockpit interior, designed for a prone pilot, is very detailedand can be easily viewed throught the clear canopy. A winged base engraved"LP-12" is include. Two different box-arts -- the two color picturesshown in this page -- have been drawn for this kit.
This kit isavailable again (jul2002)