During the last years of the war, the German army was hard at work trying to develop a long range ballistic missile. They wanted something that could carry a sizeable warhead several hundred miles. This was what the Germans called the A4 rocket and the British the V-2. The benefit of a weapon like this is that those in the target area wouldn't hear it until it hit and wouldn't be able to intercept it. Basically, it was a terror weapon. The actual target had to be rather large, like a city, as guidance systems just were not sophisticated enough. Heck, it was the first one!

Though not the real success that the army had hoped, it was enough to cause a great deal of concern amongst the enemy. What made the weapon truly a difficult one to find is that it was designed to be mobile. The trailer was designed to act as a launching gantry and to lift the V-2 onto its mobile launching platform. It would then be fueled and ready to launch in a very short time.  The amount of space required for the V-2 was minimal and it could easily be hidden in a stand of trees. Once on its way, the trailer would be hauled back to the supply depot to pick up another missile.

Planet Models has been doing resin kits for a number of years. Most of them have been project aircraft or very low production types. In the last year or so, they have ventured off into the realm of doing 1/72 military vehicles and have done some interesting ones, including this particular one.

The kit itself is comprised of beautifully molded resin parts and a fret of photo etched metal, most of which is for the hand rails on the side of the launcher. There is some flash on the parts as well as a resin block that has to be removed, but that is normal for a resin kit. I saw NO air bubbles on any of the parts. The parts are in four separate bags to keep damage down to a minimum during shipment. It is helped by having a nice, sturdy box. The box art is a simple black and white drawing. Frankly, I have no problem with kits being produced with this type of box art. As the hobby becomes more and more enthusiast oriented, it just makes sense to have a simple drawing rather than spending the money on expensive artwork.

Instructions for the kit are simplicity in itself. There are 12 construction steps with each part numbered according to the parts placement diagram on the inside cover. painting this beast is equally as simple with it being an overall dark yellow. While there is no book that I know of that specifically covers the trailer, the Monogram Publications book on V weapons has a number of photos of the meiler wagen; some in color. 

As to where to get a V-2 and something to pull the trailer;  Condor does a 1/72 V-2 and Planet Models does make a hauler for this.

This is a major improvement over the only other Meiler Wagen, that being the very old 1/69 scale Revell offering.

Review copy courtesy of

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has over 1,300 visits a day, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.