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Planet Models - 1/72 - AUD $ 35
The P.20 can best be described as an Me 163 with a jet instead of a rocket that has been squashed slightly from either end to produce a slightly fatter shorter Me 163 - it's ugly. This was intended to compete against the Me 262 but lost out signalling the end of Dr. Lippisch's relationship with Messerschmitt.
This is a typical Planet Models / Czechmaster kit with 5 parts for the wings , body halves and fin. The rest is the jet intake and exhaust with the usual small amount of cockpit detailing and U/c. The two body halves should be prepainted in RLM 66 ( cockpit ) and RLM 02 for the rest except the exhaust and intake in appropriate shades of burnt metal and aluminium. The inside of the fuselage is nicely divided up and lead weight can easily be placed at the front of the cockpit and intake area to weight it. The underside of the body has a small step line for much of it's length but this and the few air bubbles mostly in the wing are easily filled and sanded. The intake area is nicely hollow and provides a good illusion of depth.
Assembly started with the body with the cockpit details of stick, seat and dash added . Given it's small size it's not worth doing much if any superdetailing but it's up to you.
24/2/97 - Yesterday I got out the two wings to fit to the body . On offering them up to the body (sounds like a ritual sacrifice doesn't it ) I found the right wing to be slightly smaller than the other at the wing root . The smallness is along the flap area and could be corrected if keen by cutting this out and redoing but as it isn't that noticeable it's more easily corrected by shaving the wing root on the body after assembly . While I was looking at the wings I got out the Heller Me 163B kit for comparison and found that it's wing was slightly smaller and more straight at the wing tip than the P.20 and had a noticeable leading edge flap not on the P.20.
I finished this kit and found it an easy build with no dramas involved . It is again another early Planet kit and now out of production unfortunately . You may like to try the Unicraft kit below after noting the review. Below is a scan of the kit instructions.
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Unicraft - 1/72
Linzi Mumford
Single Jet powered version of Me 163, fat and kinda cute. Green resin, less pin holes than Me Libelle but still too many. Vac canopy, very thin and clear.
Construction, Wings in one piece, no wheel wells so much careful work with minicraft. Fuselage too thick again so more grinding, parts fitted together well after preparation but canopy very thin and easy to cock-up, I did and had to do a repair which I can see but no-one else has noticed yet! No U/C legs but main wheels supplied, no doors either.
Finish, better surface than Llibelle but more complex curves so more difficult to blend wings to fuselage etc.
Conclusion, looks lovely beside Me 163 but Planet Models example probably a better bet.