{"product_id":"bronco-models-gb7002-blohm-voss-bv-p-178-bomber-interceptor-with-mk-214-50-mm-cannon-1-72-plastic-model-aircraft-kit","title":"Bronco Models GB7002 Blohm \u0026 Voss Bv P.178 Bomber Interceptor with MK-214 50 mm Cannon — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Bronco Models\n\u003cbr\u003eKit number: GB7002\n\u003cbr\u003eAircraft: Blohm \u0026amp; Voss Bv P.178 Bomber Interceptor\n\u003cbr\u003eVariant represented: MK-214 50 mm cannon-armed interceptor\n\u003cbr\u003eScale: 1:72\n\u003cbr\u003eBarcode \/ EAN: 6970162330083\n\u003cbr\u003eKit type: Injection-moulded plastic\n\u003cbr\u003eRelease: 2016\n\u003cbr\u003eBronco Models and the kit\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBronco Models is a Chinese manufacturer known for relatively specialised military subjects, including unusual WWII aircraft, vehicles and engineering subjects. The company produced a small group of Blohm \u0026amp; Voss P.178 variants, effectively exploring several proposed configurations of an aircraft that never progressed beyond the design stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGB7002 was released in 2016 and represents the Bomber Interceptor Jet with MK-214 50 mm cannon. Contemporary coverage identifies it as one of several P.178 variants introduced by Bronco.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is therefore a \"Luft '46\" subject rather than a model of an aircraft that actually entered service.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents and features\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is a modern injection-moulded model for its period and includes:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Injection-moulded plastic sprues\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Clear parts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Photo-etched parts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Decal sheet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Assembly instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Asymmetric Bv P.178 airframe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Jumo 004B turbojet installation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Large MK-214 50 mm cannon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Undercarriage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Internal\/external weapons equipment appropriate to the proposed configuration\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA specialist retailer specifically confirms the inclusion of plastic parts, clear parts, photo-etched parts, instructions and decals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe contemporary in-box review records five decal options, making this more than a single-marking curiosity. The documented options cover German, Italian and Romanian-style markings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit represents the unusual asymmetrical layout particularly well: the single jet engine sits beneath the starboard wing, while the large cannon is mounted on the opposite side of the nose. The asymmetry is one of the main visual attractions of the finished model.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe P.178 kits have also received positive comments from builders regarding the moulding. A French retailer's customer reviews describe the engraving as good and the assembly as straightforward, although one modeller noted that photo-etched components would have been welcome in greater quantity.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe proposed full-size aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Blohm \u0026amp; Voss P.178 was a highly unconventional German aircraft project developed during the final stages of WWII.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDesigned under Dr Richard Vogt, it was intended as a fast jet-powered bomber\/interceptor with a completely asymmetrical layout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe proposed aircraft had:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    One Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine mounted beneath the right wing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Approximately 12 m wingspan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Approximately 10.8 m fuselage length\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Conventional tricycle landing gear\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Provision for a substantial bomb or heavy weapon load\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Two auxiliary solid-fuel rocket units at the rear in the proposed configuration\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe design was intended to exploit the advantages of jet propulsion while using an unusual layout to accommodate the engine and weapons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe P.178 was never built or flown, so there is no genuine full-size production aircraft to which the model corresponds. The design remained on the drawing board as the war ended.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe MK-214 installation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGB7002 depicts a proposed interceptor arrangement carrying the enormous MK-214 50 mm cannon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe weapon was based on the German 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun concept and was intended as a heavy aircraft cannon for attacking Allied bombers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe MK-214 was experimentally associated with aircraft such as the Me 262 and Me 410, but it never became a standard operational armament.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBronco's P.178 configuration therefore combines two separate unbuilt concepts: the proposed asymmetric jet aircraft and the proposed heavy cannon installation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe intended tactical concept was essentially a fast bomber interceptor capable of approaching a bomber formation, using the heavy cannon to make a powerful attack, and then using its jet performance to disengage. A contemporary description of the Bronco kit identifies the configuration as a daytime interceptor with the fixed armament removed and the MK-214 installed on the left side of the nose.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhy the P.178 is historically interesting\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough it never reached prototype construction, the P.178 demonstrates the extraordinary experimentation taking place in Germany during the final years of WWII.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe design was notable for its deliberate asymmetry. Instead of mounting the engine centrally in the fuselage, Blohm \u0026amp; Voss placed it under one wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis was not simply an aesthetic oddity. The arrangement was intended to provide a practical solution for fitting the engine while maintaining a relatively clean fuselage and weapons arrangement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe P.178 is often included among the so-called Luftwaffe '46' aircraft. That term is useful for modelling, but it should not imply that the aircraft was expected to enter service in 1946: the P.178 was a wartime project that had not reached prototype construction before Germany's defeat.\n\u003cbr\u003eModel dimensions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUsing the proposed full-size dimensions of approximately 10.8 m length and 12 m wingspan, a 1:72 model would be approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Length: 15.0 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Wingspan: 16.7 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes this a relatively compact 1:72 aircraft, although the unusual engine and weapon arrangement makes it stand out strongly in a collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broncoe Models","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57509849301372,"sku":"Bronco-GB7002","price":32.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/B6A59C86-AC47-4E91-A596-018663B78FB2.jpg?v=1790575408","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/bronco-models-gb7002-blohm-voss-bv-p-178-bomber-interceptor-with-mk-214-50-mm-cannon-1-72-plastic-model-aircraft-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}