Hobbyboss Plastic Model Kit Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet — 1:72

Manufacturer

Hobby Boss is a Chinese plastic-model manufacturer producing aircraft, armour and other scale-model subjects. Kit 80238 is part of its smaller Easy Assembly aircraft range, designed around a relatively low parts count while retaining features such as cockpit detail and recessed panel lines. A current product listing specifically identifies the kit as the Me 163B-1a Komet.

The kit was added to the Hobby Boss catalogue in December 2007.
Kit contents

The kit contains 17 plastic parts and is intended to be a straightforward assembly project.

Contents/features include:

One-piece/two-part fuselage components

Swept, tailless wings

Cockpit and pilot's position

Canopy

Rocket-engine exhaust area

Landing skid

Undercarriage-related components

Fine recessed panel detail

Decals

Assembly instructions

The finished model is approximately:

Length: 81.3 mm

Wingspan: 128.3 mm

Height: 40.5 mm

The kit does not include paint or glue.
History of the full-size aircraft

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was one of the most unusual combat aircraft of the Second World War and remains the only rocket-powered fighter to achieve operational service.

The origins of the aircraft go back to the tailless glider and aircraft designs developed by Alexander Lippisch. The experimental DFS 194 established the basic concept, eventually leading to the Me 163A and then the operational Me 163B.

The prototype first flew as a glider before rocket-powered development followed. The first rocket-powered Me 163 flights took place in 1941.
The Me 163B

The production Me 163B was designed primarily as a point-defence interceptor.

Instead of using a conventional piston engine or turbojet, it was powered by the Walter HWK 109-509 rocket engine. This provided an extraordinary rate of climb, allowing the Komet to rapidly reach the altitude of approaching Allied bomber formations.

The disadvantage was extremely limited powered endurance. The aircraft could remain under rocket power for only a relatively short period before its propellants were exhausted.

After the rocket fuel was depleted, the aircraft became a glider and had to return to its base for a landing.
Me 163B-1a

The B-1a was an important production configuration.

The aircraft used the Walter HWK 109-509A-2 rocket motor and was armed with two 30 mm MK 108 cannon.

The cannon provided formidable firepower against heavily built Allied bombers. However, the Me 163's very high approach and attack speeds made accurate firing difficult, and the short powered flight time gave pilots little opportunity to make repeated attacks.
Rocket propulsion

The Komet's propulsion system was revolutionary but exceptionally hazardous.

The rocket engine used two highly reactive propellants:

T-Stoff: concentrated hydrogen peroxide

C-Stoff: a fuel mixture based on hydrazine/methanol

The substances were extremely dangerous to handle. Their chemical properties also created major safety problems during maintenance, refuelling and accidents.

The engine could produce enormous thrust relative to the aircraft's size, giving the Me 163 an exceptional climb rate.
Performance

Published figures vary according to the specific production configuration, but the Me 163B was capable of approximately:

Crew: 1

Engine: Walter HWK 109-509 rocket

Armament: 2 × 30 mm MK 108 cannon

Maximum speed: approximately 960 km/h

Role: Point-defence interceptor

Powerplant: Liquid-fuel rocket

The aircraft's extraordinary climb performance was its greatest advantage. Its weakness was endurance: once the rocket propellants were exhausted, the aircraft had to glide back to its airfield.
Operational service

The Me 163 entered operational service in 1944, primarily with JG 400.

Its mission was to intercept Allied heavy bombers. The aircraft could climb extremely rapidly to the bomber altitude, make a high-speed attack and then glide back to base.

In practice, the Komet's operational effectiveness was limited by several factors:

Very short powered endurance

Difficult handling at high speed

Dangerous propellants

Limited opportunities for repeated attacks

Vulnerability during landing

Difficulty maintaining a reliable supply of specialised fuel

Although the aircraft was exceptionally fast for its time, only a relatively small number of Allied aircraft were destroyed by Me 163s.
Landing hazards

One of the aircraft's most distinctive features was its retractable landing skid.

The Me 163 took off using a detachable two-wheel trolley. Once airborne, the trolley was jettisoned. The aircraft then returned to its airfield and landed on the retractable skid.

This created a particularly vulnerable landing phase. With the rocket fuel exhausted and the aircraft committed to a glide approach, the pilot had little opportunity to go around.
Historical significance

The Komet is historically significant because it demonstrated several technologies that would influence post-war aviation:

Rocket propulsion

Extremely high-speed flight

Swept-wing aerodynamics

Tailless aircraft configuration

High-speed point defence

Advanced lightweight construction

Its operational career was short, but the aircraft pushed the boundaries of what was possible with manned aircraft in the early 1940s.