In Box Review of MPM 1/48th Scale
German Dornier Do-217K Bomber
Kit no. 48016
By Ray Mehlberger
Out of production
Copyright 1992
By Ray Mehlberger
Out of production
Copyright 1992
HISTORY:
The construction of the Do-217K bomber followed the previous Do-217E. It differed mainly in changed shape of the nose. A gradual shape was to be replaced by a fully glazed canopy.
The BMW 801C engines were replaced by more powerful BMW 801D's. The defensive armament of the plane consisted of one MGB 12 gun in the nose, one MG 131 gun in electrically controlled dorsal turret, two MG 81's were placed in side posts in the back part of the cockpit.
The Do-217K was intended for night bombing. The Do-217K-1 modifications left the assembly line in the end of summer 1942 and entered service with the Kampfgeschwader in autumn 1942. Do-217K-1 was the first modification with a tail housing for a Perlon breaking parachute as standard equipment.
In 1944, ETC 2000/II special racks were mounted on the wings and tested. They allowed the aircraft to carry four L5 torpedos, but they were never used in action.
The Do-217K-2 version was built in the end of 1942. It was intended to carry the flying bomb FX 1400 Fritz X. This version had outer wing panels lengthened and the wingspan rose to 80 feet 4.5 inches.
A new armament was tested on the K-2. There was a turret with four MG 81 guns in the tail section of the fuselage. These new guns in the tail could be replaced by by a pair of MG 81 guns in the tail of the motor bays. All the guns were controlled by a pilot with a periscope RF 2C, fitted with a gunsight FV 18.
The Do-217K's operating with the III/KG 100 at the Marseilles-Istres base made the first mission with the Fritz X bombs over the Mediterranean Sea on 29th August 1943. Four days earlier the II/KG 100 made the first operational flight with the Hs-293A bombs.
The Do-217K-3 was similar to the K-2. It was equipped with a better electronic equipment for control of flying bombs (FUG 203C or 203D keh-1 IV) enabling it to carry either Fritz X bombs or He-293A bombs.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Powerplant: two BMW 801 engines (1600 hp each)
Wingspan: 62' 10"
Length: 56' 6"
Max speed: 320 mph at 13,125 ft. (315 mph K-2 & K-3)
Range: 1,435 miles
Service ceiling: 26,900 ft.
The construction of the Do-217K bomber followed the previous Do-217E. It differed mainly in changed shape of the nose. A gradual shape was to be replaced by a fully glazed canopy.
The BMW 801C engines were replaced by more powerful BMW 801D's. The defensive armament of the plane consisted of one MGB 12 gun in the nose, one MG 131 gun in electrically controlled dorsal turret, two MG 81's were placed in side posts in the back part of the cockpit.
The Do-217K was intended for night bombing. The Do-217K-1 modifications left the assembly line in the end of summer 1942 and entered service with the Kampfgeschwader in autumn 1942. Do-217K-1 was the first modification with a tail housing for a Perlon breaking parachute as standard equipment.
In 1944, ETC 2000/II special racks were mounted on the wings and tested. They allowed the aircraft to carry four L5 torpedos, but they were never used in action.
The Do-217K-2 version was built in the end of 1942. It was intended to carry the flying bomb FX 1400 Fritz X. This version had outer wing panels lengthened and the wingspan rose to 80 feet 4.5 inches.
A new armament was tested on the K-2. There was a turret with four MG 81 guns in the tail section of the fuselage. These new guns in the tail could be replaced by by a pair of MG 81 guns in the tail of the motor bays. All the guns were controlled by a pilot with a periscope RF 2C, fitted with a gunsight FV 18.
The Do-217K's operating with the III/KG 100 at the Marseilles-Istres base made the first mission with the Fritz X bombs over the Mediterranean Sea on 29th August 1943. Four days earlier the II/KG 100 made the first operational flight with the Hs-293A bombs.
The Do-217K-3 was similar to the K-2. It was equipped with a better electronic equipment for control of flying bombs (FUG 203C or 203D keh-1 IV) enabling it to carry either Fritz X bombs or He-293A bombs.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Powerplant: two BMW 801 engines (1600 hp each)
Wingspan: 62' 10"
Length: 56' 6"
Max speed: 320 mph at 13,125 ft. (315 mph K-2 & K-3)
Range: 1,435 miles
Service ceiling: 26,900 ft.
THE KIT:
MPM is a model company based in Prague, Czech Republic. They manufacture limited-run multi-media type aircraft kits.
The kit comes un-wrapped in a generic white box. The box art is a seperate sheet that is glued to the lid.
It shows 2 Do-217K's flying over a shoreline. Both are in a mottle of dark-green and light-grey on their spines, over a jet-black sides and under-carriages.
The nearest one shows a logo on the side of the nose of a black shield with a white eagle diving on a globe of the earth. The shield is edged in white. No other markings, other than the German cross are shown. This shield is not included on the kit's decal sheet.
One aircraft has a solid nose with radar. The other one has a glass nose.
MPM is a model company based in Prague, Czech Republic. They manufacture limited-run multi-media type aircraft kits.
The kit comes un-wrapped in a generic white box. The box art is a seperate sheet that is glued to the lid.
It shows 2 Do-217K's flying over a shoreline. Both are in a mottle of dark-green and light-grey on their spines, over a jet-black sides and under-carriages.
The nearest one shows a logo on the side of the nose of a black shield with a white eagle diving on a globe of the earth. The shield is edged in white. No other markings, other than the German cross are shown. This shield is not included on the kit's decal sheet.
One aircraft has a solid nose with radar. The other one has a glass nose.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 4 chalk-white vacuformed sheets, a clear vacuformed sheet in a sealed clear cello bag, 2 brass PE frets and a black photo negative in stapled-shut cello bag with a stiff white card to keep the PE from bending and 2 dark-green injection-molded plastic trees in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet and 2 instructions.
The main instructions consist of a single-sheet, folded in the center to create 4 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white line drawing of the Do-217K-1, over it's history in Czech, English and German.
Across pages 2 and 3 is a black and white 3-view line drawing of the Do-217K-1, showing no markings.
Page 4 is a marking and painting guide, showing two 3-views:
1. A Do-217K-1 that is light-grey with dark-green squiggles on its spine, over jet-black sides and under-carriage. It has a white outlined fuselage letter code of Z6 + BH. The German cross is white and skeletal.
It was with 1/Kampfgeschwader 66, France 1943.
2. A Do-217K-1 in a mottle of dark-green over light-grey, with jet-black sides and under-carriage. It has a yellow letter G on the rudder and a logo of a yellow shield with a black mailed fist holding a sledgehammer on the side of the nose.
It was with 3/Kampfgeschwader 2, France 1943-44.
Both these aircraft are shown with glass noses. The solid nosed one on the box art cannot be built with this kit, as there is no nose radar included.
The 2nd instruction sheet is a single-sheet printed on both sides in the same page size as the main instructions.
The face side has parts tree illustrations, over an exploded drawing to use to build the cockpit interior.
The reverse side has another exploded drawing to use to assemble the rest of the aircraft.
Trees or white vacuformed sheets are not alphabetized.
The first chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the fuselage. The nose is shaded out, meaning to remove it. (2 parts)
This kit contains 4 chalk-white vacuformed sheets, a clear vacuformed sheet in a sealed clear cello bag, 2 brass PE frets and a black photo negative in stapled-shut cello bag with a stiff white card to keep the PE from bending and 2 dark-green injection-molded plastic trees in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet and 2 instructions.
The main instructions consist of a single-sheet, folded in the center to create 4 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white line drawing of the Do-217K-1, over it's history in Czech, English and German.
Across pages 2 and 3 is a black and white 3-view line drawing of the Do-217K-1, showing no markings.
Page 4 is a marking and painting guide, showing two 3-views:
1. A Do-217K-1 that is light-grey with dark-green squiggles on its spine, over jet-black sides and under-carriage. It has a white outlined fuselage letter code of Z6 + BH. The German cross is white and skeletal.
It was with 1/Kampfgeschwader 66, France 1943.
2. A Do-217K-1 in a mottle of dark-green over light-grey, with jet-black sides and under-carriage. It has a yellow letter G on the rudder and a logo of a yellow shield with a black mailed fist holding a sledgehammer on the side of the nose.
It was with 3/Kampfgeschwader 2, France 1943-44.
Both these aircraft are shown with glass noses. The solid nosed one on the box art cannot be built with this kit, as there is no nose radar included.
The 2nd instruction sheet is a single-sheet printed on both sides in the same page size as the main instructions.
The face side has parts tree illustrations, over an exploded drawing to use to build the cockpit interior.
The reverse side has another exploded drawing to use to assemble the rest of the aircraft.
Trees or white vacuformed sheets are not alphabetized.
The first chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the fuselage. The nose is shaded out, meaning to remove it. (2 parts)
The second chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the wings (3 parts)
The third chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the engine- nacelles halves (4 parts)
The fourth chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the rudder and elevator halves etc. (16 parts) 2 parts are X'd out in the parts-trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the model.
The first dark-green injection molded plastic tree holds: wheels, landing-gear legs, machine guns, consoles, tailwheel etc. (34 parts)
The second dark-green injection molded plastic tree holds: cowlings, propellers, cockpit floor, landing gear struts, etc. (46 parts)
The first clear vacuformed sheet holds: nose transparency & cockpit windows (4 parts)
The second clear vacuformed sheet holds the fuselage side windows (2 parts)
The first brass PE fret holds: foot pedal, dashboard etc. (20 parts)
There is also a photo negative for the instrument panels.
There is also a photo negative for the instrument panels.
The second brass PE fret holds a round antenna (2 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit contents.
There are no crew figures in the kit. Detail is engraved. All flaps are molded solid.
Recommended.
Recommended.