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The development of the Dornier
335 was triggered by a call for bids from the German Air
Ministry in early 1942 for a high-speed bomber. Unconventional
in design, the Do335 was powered by two DB603 1800 horsepower
engines, capable of achieving 474 mph at 20000 feet. Unlike
other twin-engine aircraft of the time, the Do335's engines were
set at opposing ends of the fuselage, known as the
tractor-pusher arrangement. This design allowed the power of two
engines without the introduction of additional air resistance
associated with wing-mounted configuration.
Dornier's original design of the
335, submitted in May 1942, was for a high-speed heavy bomber.
But as the fortunes of war changed for Germany, the German Air
Ministry repeatedly changed its expectations, going from heavy
bomber, to heavy fighter, reconnaissance aircraft, and night
fighter. Needless to say, constantly shifting expectations for
this aircraft, along with increasing harassment from Allied
bombing raids, significantly slowed the practical implementation
of the Do335. The Do335's first test flight was made on October
26 1943, with test pilot Hans Dieterle at the controls.
In addition to its unusual engine
layout, the Do335 incorporated other unusual features, including
a compressed air powered ejection seat, hydraulically operated
flaps, and a reversible-pitch tractor airscrew. The latter was
helpful in shortening the aircraft's landing run. The tail fin
and rear propeller could be jettisoned in an emergency to help
ensure the pilot's safe ejection. Perhaps owing to its unusual
design characteristics, the Do335 had an unusual nickname.
Although Dornier christened it the 'Pfeil' (arrow), it was also
know as 'Ameisenbaer' (ant-eater) due to its long nose.
Delivery of the A1 (heavy bomber)
version began in January 1945.
The Do335's tactical operation
history is rather obscure. There are no records of actual
air-to-air combat, although there is some evidence that the
Do335 may have been used on several nighttime interdiction
missions before the war's end. Today, the sole remaining
aircraft, a Do335A0, is on display at the National Air and Space
Museum in Washington DC.
Tamiya provides markings for both
the A0 and A1 versions. Cosmetically there appears to be little
if any visible difference in these versions- both versions
included an internal bomb bay, while the A1 carried an uprated
version of the DB603 engine, as well as underwing hard points
for additional bombs or drop tanks.
The Kit
Tamiya released the single-seat version of the 335 in 2000,
followed several months later by the two-seater version. Much as
been written about both versions of this kit, so I'll be brief
by saying that all the good things you've heard are true. This
kit is beautifully molded in dark gray plastic. The level of
detail is outstanding in all aspects. And the fit of all parts
is outstanding. n general, if you follow the assembly
instructions and you should encounter no difficulties in
building this model. The wings snap into place and at least on
mine needed no glue or filler.
The cockpit was painted with
Tamiya XF22 as the base color. Some modelers will find this
color a bit too dark a match for RLM02, but I think the result
gets at least passing marks. Several references including the
kit instructions, Monogram Publications German Aircraft
Interiors, and some excellent photos I found on
the web were used to
identify the proper detailing colors. Rather than using the kit
instrument decal, I painted the instrument panel XF22, applied a
small drop of gloss white in each instrument location, and
punched out individual instrument dials using my Waldron Punch
and Die set. The result looks much better than using the kit
decal alone.
The kit was built out of the box
with the exception of Eduard pre-colored photoetch seat
harnesses, and hydraulic brake lines created from fine wire
originally marketed by Detail Master for plumbing model car
engines. Seat harnessing is provided in the form of a decal, but
I found that when I installed this, it actually detracted from
the overall appearance of an otherwise outstanding cockpit.
Wheel wells were painted with RLM
gray XF22 and masked off using masking tape and paper towel
pieces. I used Tamiya paints on the exterior, starting with
XF23, light blue. Although this isn't an exact match for RLM 76,
it looked right to my eye. After applying XF23 to the aircraft's
undersides, I mixed a slightly lighter version of XF23 by adding
Tamiya white (XF2). This was heavily thinned and then sprayed
into the center of each panel. Finally the original XF23 was
heavily thinned and airbrushed to decrease the contrast between
center and outer panel shades as needed (to my mind, this is the
point when the modeler slips into the realm of the artist,
rather than just a builder of models). The lower fuselage and
under-wings were masked off using a combination of drafting
tape, Tamiya tape, and Parafilm, and RLM 82 (XF67, as
recommended in a recent article in Tamiya Modeling Magazine) was
applied in the general locations for the camouflage scheme.
Areas to remain RLM 82 were then masked off using Tamiya and
drafting tapes, and Tamiya Dark green (XF61) was airbrushed over
the upper fuselage. After this was dry, masking was removed and
shading variations were achieved using the same technique as
described for the undersides of the aircraft. A gloss coat of
Future followed this. With the Future dry, I applied Payne's
Gray artist's oil color, thinned with lighter fluid, into panel
recesses. I really like using lighter fluid as a thinning medium
because it evaporates within minutes. Remain paint pigment can
be wiped off as desired with a piece of paper towel, or even
your fingertip.
The canopy was masked using the
Cutting Edge vinyl mask set. These worked fairly well, although
in hindsight, I think I could have achieved at least as good
results by applying and trimming Parafilm. Although some
modelers find Parafilm finicky to work with, I have achieved
good results with it (note that Parafilm was used to mask off
the cockpit area before painting the exterior surfaces). The
canopy has hinge pins and is designed to be set open. I wanted
to preserve the sleek visual contours of my model, so I elected
to shave off the pins and seat the canopy in closed position. It
fit perfectly, and can be easily removed for a better view of
the cockpit.
If this kit has one fault, it is
the number of ejection pin marks that populate all landing gear
bays, the bomb bay, and all gear and bomb bay doors. These marks
are noticeable as chicken pox on a 3 year old, and are a pain to
remove without sanding off adjacent detail. I eventually
eliminated all marks with the exception of a few in the main
landing gear bays, which are rather small, and not as noticeable
due to the rather complex landing gear. Speaking of landing
gear, each gear strut assembly is a multi-piece affair that
required carefully design and tooling on the part of Tamiya to
ensure that everything fits together and seats properly in the
gear well. Fortunately, Tamiya did its job, and everything fit
remarkably well.
I'll have to say that this is one
of the most satisfying builds I have done in a long time. The
Do335's fascinating appearance, Tamiya's outstanding model
design, and careful attention during the construction process,
will result in a beautiful model that will look good on your
display shelf.
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