Tremulis Zero Fighter American WWII Rocket-Powered Interceptor Concept (1944)

Scale: 1/48
Initial Release: 2013
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

Alex S. Tremulis was one of the automotive industry's top designers prior to World War II. After Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the Army Air Corps' Research and Development team outside Dayton, Ohio. Working on cutting-edge aircraft concepts, he proposed, among other designs, a small rocket-powered interceptor that could be launched vertically by a chemical-fueled rocket. Dubbed the "Zero Fighter" because of the amount of runway required to launch it -- zero -- the system echoed similar radical point interceptor concepts being developed independently by Werner Von Braun's team at Pennemunde during this same period.

Although the Zero Fighter never made it beyond the design stage, the engineering behind the design helped lay the foundation for the Air Force's X-20 Dyna-Soar project of the late 1960s.

About the Kit

The Tremulis Zero Fighter model was designed in CAD by Scott Lowther and cast by Acme Design, Inc. JBOT provided the WWII-vintage decals. The model was designed so that the fighter could be separated from the booster and displayed independently.

For information on kit availability, click here.