Undoubtedly one of the neatest looking aircraft to be developed during the late war, the Do-335 'Pfiel' (Arrow) certainly looks like its name. With two engines, one mounted fore and another aft, and a cruciform tail, the 335 also flew as swift as one. Though not credited with any victories, those Allied aircraft who encountered any one of the myriad of prototypes was never able to catch it!

Though it looks big for a fighter (and it was), the Do-335 was developed as a multi-purpose aircraft. It had an internal bomb bay in the Do-335A-0 and A-1 versions capable of carrying 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs) of bombs or other weapons. Other variants had 30mm cannon in the wings for the destroyer version. A twin seat trainer had a second seat to the rear and above the pilot's cockpit and a night fighter version with the radar operator's seat buried in the center section was also under development.

Despite the advantages of the aircraft, it had a protracted development time mostly due to the skepticism of Luftwaffe officials and the deteriorating war condition that put a higher priority on more easily built aircraft. One aircraft, a Do-335 A-0 (the designation A-0 indicates preproduction aircraft), was completely overhauled by Dornier in Germany in the mid-1980s and is currently part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institute.

This kit represents the heavy fighter version of which only one was completed and flown.

When previewing any Tamiya kit, superlatives are bound to to be used to describe it, and this one is no exception. There are several bags of sprues with no more than two sprues per bag. The clear bits are separately bagged to prevent scratching. The kit is provided with a full bomb bay and bombs. The cockpit is superbly detailed and can be seen through an open canopy.

Unlike the now obsolescent Monogram Do-335, there is no engine detail. This area in the front will be full of weight, which Tamiya also supplies. Without it, the model will be a dedicated tailsitter. You do not get pre-weighted wheels with this kit so will have to do that yourself. You do get a wing spar to help hold up the large and heavy wings. There is full detail in the wheel wells as one would expect.

While much of this kit is the same as the Do-335A-0 that Tamiya earlier released, there are new sprues to deal with the B differences. This includes new main gear doors, a different nose strut and larger wheel, and, of course, a new set of wings with the the built in 30mm canon fairings. There is also a fuel tank for the bomb bay.

Instructions are very complete as we have come to expect. There is an additional sheet showing only the splinter camouflage scheme that can be used as a mask. Instructions are a road map type with Tamiya paint references. There are two markings options which are the same plane at two different times. The box art plane is in RLM 81/82/76 and is the German prototype. The other option is in post war French markings and is painted an overall medium olive green. The decal sheet is well done and includes a seat harness decals. I also like that those parts of the underwing codes that fit on gear doors is provided as separate decals.

Most modelers have gravitated towards the Tamiya 335s and having the heavy fighter available is a nice option.

April 2022

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