Bronco 1/72 Blohm und Voss BV P.178 w/BT700 Guided Torpedo

The Blohm & Voss P.178 was an experimental jet-powered dive bomber designed during World War II by Blohm & Voss. The bomber had an unusual, asymmetric configuration.

This asymmetrically-designed dive bomber had one Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet located under the wing to the starboard side of the fuselage. The pilot sat in a cockpit in the forward fuselage, with a large fuel tank located to the rear of the cockpit. Beneath the fuel tank, there was a deep recess in which an SC 500 bomb could be carried within the fuselage, or an SC 1000 bomb which would protrude slightly out of the fuselage. Two solid-fuel auxiliary rockets extended from the rear, used for take-off. Two 15  mm (.60 in) MG 151 cannons were located in the nose.

This is the third boxing of this aircraft by Bronco. There are five grey sprues attached in two major sections along with a clear sprue. Typical of current 1/72 aircraft kits, the interior is well done, but Spartan, with a tub, seat, control stick, rudder pedals and an instrument panel. This sits atop the nose gear well piece. The instructions show 10 grams of weight being needed, but finding room for it will take a bit of work and most will pack weight behind the cockpit.

The wings are two upper and lower halves and there is some wheel well detail provided. Main gear is properly beefy with a separate oleo scissor and retraction strut. Same goes for the nose gear. The model can be built gear up and separate gear door sections are provided for that option.

The nose is separate from the rest of the fuselage, and this may well mean other similar aircraft will be offered in the future. There is a small bomb bay area in the back with a separate door that effectively seals off this area. A four piece engine will fit under the right wing and both wings have large tabs that go into slots in the fuselage. The guided torpedo is the main difference between this and the previous boxing. Other than that, everything is pretty much the same. One of the last steps is attaching the forward fuselage piece, but I'd do that prior to gluing the wings in case the seam needs attention. Both a single piece and multiple section cockpit covering is provided.

Bronco instructions are superbly done with some color coding and 3D drawings to help install parts. There are fictitious markings for two aircraft. Both of these are German with one having a winter camouflage scheme. Bronco provides the full decal sheet from the first boxing as it has all the data markings and insignia on it already. To make the new options, a smaller sheet is included. The decals are superbly printed, so whatever you choose will look great. Of course, since this is Luft '46, you are not limited to what is provided in terms of colors or markings.  

 I built the initial boxing with the bomb and found that it went together quite well. The biggest challenge of the kit is having enough weight forward of the main gear to keep it from tail sitting. Bronco have included a clear tail stand in case you cannot find sufficient space. It will take a bit of ingenuity, but can be done. The result will be a neat and somewhat unusual model. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blohm_%26_Voss_P.178

August 2015

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