Focke Wulf Ta 152H-1 – the German high-altitude fighter

When the Allies began to use high-altitude bombers for raids on German territory, it became clear, that Germany did not have an adequate fighter aircraft, capable of combating bombers at such high altitudes. Design bureaus were quickly ordered to build such an airplane. Since the fighter was needed here and now, it was ordered to modify the models, already in production. This is what the designers of Messerschmitt and Focke Wulf did. The first offered the Bf-109 with an extended wing, for which a new longer centerplate was made and a high-altitude engine was installed. Focke Wulf offered a new modification of the FW-190, designated B and C, but none of them went into series production, and only the D version got it. But even this option did not fully meet the requirements for a high-altitude fighter. And only with the intervention of Kurt Tank, a new long-range modification of the FW-190D was built. Compared to the serial D-version aircraft, the new one received a new, elongated wing, which was moved forward, a new - longer - engine section of the fuselage, a keel of increased area. The changes affected other units as well: the landing gear retracting mechanism, machine guns in front of the cabin were dismantled, a 30 mm cannon was installed, firing through the hollow propeller shaft, and a hermetic cabin was installed. Due to a completely different design, the aircraft was given a new designation, derived from the main designer - Ta-152. Despite the somewhat degraded flight characteristics, the Ta-152 became an excellent high-altitude fighter, but serial production began too late and in too small quantities to have any impact on the outcome of the war.

A complex, well-designed and richly detailed model for intermediate and advanced modelers only. But with no cockpit interior, an opaque cabin canopy and retracted landing gear, and under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, this model can be assembled together perfectly even by advanced beginner modelers.