Horten XVIIIB-2 "Projekt Amerika" Bomber (1945)

Scale: 1/144
Initial Release: 2016
Kit Rarity: 3

About the Design

"Projekt Amerika" was Nazi Germany's program to develop an intercontinental bomber capable of striking the American East Coast with either conventional or atomic weapons. Numerous cutting-edge aircraft companies and designers were enlisted into this ambitious program. Among them were Walter and Reimar Horten -- aka "The Horten Brothers" -- the flying wing advocates who had already given the Luftwaffe the Horten Ho.229 twin-engine jet fighter.

The Hortens contributed several long-range bomber designs to the "Projeckt Amerika" program. All were jet-powered flying wings. The last of these was the XBIIIB-2. Purportedly developed in part with Messerschmitt and Junkers engineers, the bomber resembled the Lippisch DM-1 in that it featured a huge tail with the cockpit contained within it. The plane would have been powered by six BMW 003 turbojets contained within casings below its wings. Defensive machine guns were also placed within its nose and rear fuselage.

Development of the XVIIB-2 never got past the initial design stage, as "Project Amerika" vanished along with Germany's dreams of world conquest in the Allied victory of May 1945.

About the Kit

The first model kit of the Horten XVIIIB-2 bomber ever produced, this 1:144 version was released by Fantastic Plastic Models in early October 2016. The kit was designed in CAD by Scott Lowther and cast by Millennium Models International (MMI).

The model included landing gear, a simple cockpit interior and a clear vacuform canopy.

Box art is by Martin Letts.