{"product_id":"special-hobby-plastic-model-kit-supermarine-spitfire-pr-mk-x-1-72","title":"Special Hobby Plastic Model Kit Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk.X — 1:72 damaged box","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer and kit history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSpecial Hobby is a Czech model-kit manufacturer specialising in aircraft and other subjects that are often overlooked by larger mainstream manufacturers. This particular kit is a reissue of an older model originally produced under the Condor range. Special Hobby describes the He 178 as one of the perennial subjects of its production, with the current boxing bringing the model back under the Special Hobby name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit was originally catalogued around 2015, and the current product is explicitly described by Special Hobby as a reissue.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe SH72321 is a relatively small 1:72 aircraft kit but represents a historically important prototype.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe contents include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Injection-moulded plastic components\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fuselage halves\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Wings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Tail surfaces\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Detailed cockpit\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Pilot's cockpit tub\/interior\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Clear injection-moulded canopy\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Photo-etched detail parts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Landing gear\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine intake and exhaust details\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Decals for the He 178 V-1 prototype\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Assembly instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArt Scale Kit's current description confirms that the kit contains one plastic sprue, a clear injection-moulded cockpit\/canopy component and a photo-etched sheet for additional detail. Paint and adhesive are not included.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe full-size Heinkel He 178 V-1\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Heinkel He 178 V-1 occupies a unique position in aviation history. It was the world's first aircraft to fly solely under jet power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft was developed by Ernst Heinkel's company in Germany during the late 1930s as a private research project into the potential of jet propulsion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeinkel had become interested in the work of physicist and engineer Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain, who was developing a radically different form of aircraft propulsion: the gas-turbine jet engine.\n\u003cbr\u003eDevelopment of the jet engine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1936, Ernst Heinkel recruited von Ohain and his assistant Max Hahn to work on jet propulsion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir first experimental engine was the HeS 1. It was tested on a ground test stand in September 1937.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe HeS 1 used hydrogen and was essentially a proof-of-concept engine. It demonstrated that von Ohain's basic principle could produce useful thrust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe next development was the HeS 3, which used liquid fuel and was much more suitable for installation in an aircraft.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe He 178 airframe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 was designed specifically around the new propulsion system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a remarkably compact aircraft with:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    A metal fuselage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Wooden wings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    A high-mounted wing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    A single pilot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    A centrally mounted jet intake\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    A tail-mounted exhaust\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fixed\/early retractable undercarriage arrangements during development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe engine's air intake was positioned in the nose, with airflow passing through the fuselage to the centrally mounted jet engine before exiting through the rear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis arrangement gave the aircraft its distinctive appearance.\n\u003cbr\u003eFirst flight\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 V-1 made its first flight on 27 August 1939, with Erich Warsitz at the controls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis was a historic event because the aircraft flew using the thrust generated solely by its Heinkel-Hirth HeS 3b turbojet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first flight occurred only a few days before the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe achievement therefore represented a major technological milestone immediately before Germany entered the war.\n\u003cbr\u003ePerformance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 was extremely small compared with later jet aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRepresentative figures include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Crew: 1\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine: Heinkel-Hirth HeS 3b turbojet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Thrust: approximately 5 kN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Maximum speed: approximately 650 km\/h\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Role: Experimental aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Wings: Wooden construction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fuselage: Metal construction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe approximately 650 km\/h figure is frequently quoted for the aircraft's performance, although experimental-flight figures naturally varied with configuration and test conditions.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhy the He 178 mattered\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 was not designed as an operational fighter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts importance was technological.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt demonstrated that an aircraft could successfully fly using a turbojet engine instead of a piston engine and propeller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis represented the beginning of the jet age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the time, aircraft were overwhelmingly powered by piston engines driving propellers. The He 178 demonstrated a fundamentally different approach in which hot gases generated thrust directly through a jet exhaust.\n\u003cbr\u003eLimited development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite its historic achievement, the He 178 did not proceed into production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeinkel subsequently developed the larger He 280, which was a purpose-built jet fighter incorporating the lessons learned from the He 178 programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOther German companies, particularly Junkers and Messerschmitt, were also developing jet aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Messerschmitt Me 262 eventually became the first operational jet fighter to enter significant service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 itself therefore remained an experimental aircraft rather than becoming a combat type.\n\u003cbr\u003eComparison with the He 280\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 demonstrated the feasibility of jet propulsion but was essentially a technology demonstrator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe subsequent He 280 was designed as a proper fighter, with two engines, retractable landing gear and armament.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe transition from He 178 to He 280 illustrates how quickly German aviation engineers moved from experimental jet propulsion toward practical military jet aircraft.\n\u003cbr\u003eHistorical significance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe He 178 is important because its first flight occurred before the Second World War, making it the aircraft that opened the practical era of jet-powered flight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough it never became an operational aircraft, its significance is comparable to other experimental aircraft that introduced entirely new technologies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor collectors, the He 178 is particularly appealing because the complete aircraft was very small and visually distinctive, making it an excellent subject for a 1:72 scale display model.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Special Hobby","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57504168968572,"sku":"SPH72037","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/784D74C7-F994-4047-9A38-94EEBBC68571.jpg?v=1790405288","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/special-hobby-plastic-model-kit-supermarine-spitfire-pr-mk-x-1-72","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}