German jet fighter Messerschmitt Me 262A -1a COBI 5776 - World War II 1:32

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262A-1A | COBI 5776

The new model of the famous German aircraft in the livery of the legendary "Kommando Nowotny" squadron features authentic period markings. The Me 262 features folding landing gear and a removable cockpit canopy for easy minifigure placement. A nice detail is the yellow nacelle lip rings on the Jumo jet engines. Included is a figure of the Austrian-born German fighter ace Walter Nowotny in a flight uniform. The assembled model can stand on its own landing gear or be securely placed in the display stand with a nameplate.

Did you know that:

The development of the aircraft was commissioned to Messerschmitt back in 1938, which means that German engineers already had a clear vision of a jet-powered aircraft at that time. The first flight took place on April 18, 1941, but still with a piston engine mounted in the nose of the fuselage. The jet engines were delivered by BMW only after a long and painful development process. Yes, it is the same company that produces premium cars today, and the current BMW emblem depicting a spinning propeller in a circle also dates back to this era. However, the BMW powerplants were not powerful or reliable enough, and the third prototype was already fitted with JUMO engines. In the seventh prototype, a pressurized cabin was added to the new engine. The Me 262 was literally packed with new technologies that laid the foundation for at least two post-war generations of jet aircraft. 

The first aerial combat took place on July 26, 1944, when German pilot Alfred Schreiber, nicknamed "Bubi", claimed the shootdown of a British Mosquito aircraft. Probably the largest deployment of Me 262s in terms of numbers occurred on Tuesday, April 10, 1945, during a single operation against the US Eighth Air Force. A total of 21 Messerschmitts attacked a bomber formation escorted by fighters. The engagement ended in disaster for the Luftwaffe. Allied pilots shot down 17 German aircraft that day.

The Me 262 probably holds an unofficial aviation record. When German pilot Hans Guido Mutke was diving from an altitude of 12,000 m at an angle of 40° on April 9, 1945, his airspeed indicator got stuck at 870 km/h. During the steep dive, the aircraft began to buffet and shake amid the roar of a sonic boom. Mutke thus likely became the first pilot in the world to break the sound barrier. The sonic boom was also confirmed by ground personnel. During inspection of the aircraft after landing, several missing rivets were found on the wings.

Walter Nowotny, renowned as one of Germany's greatest fighter aces, also flew the Me 262. After the destruction of ZG26, Nowotny was assigned to a new unit bearing his name, "Kommando Nowotny", with an operational complement of 40 Me 262 aircraft. Combat operations did not last long. Just one week after the unit's formation, 10 aircraft were lost in combat and others were grounded due to mechanical failures.

Toward the end of the war, Germany no longer had sufficient resources to manufacture aircraft in large numbers. Another problem was the short service life of the engines, which lasted at most 20 flight hours. Although it was an extraordinary milestone in aviation, the new aircraft could no longer impact Germany's war effort. The only country that managed to keep pace with the rapid development in aviation was Great Britain with the Gloster Meteor.

Interestingly, the forward fuselage sections were manufactured by Avia in occupied Czechoslovakia. After the war, several Me 262 aircraft served in the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951.

In total, about 1,400 units were produced or under construction across several variants.

Technical specifications: 

• dimensions: wingspan 12.51 m, length 10.61 m, height 3.85 m
• empty weight 3,800 kg
• maximum takeoff weight 7,130 kg
• powerplant 2 x Jumo 004 turbojet engines with a max thrust of 8.83 kN each 
• fuel tank capacity 2,490 kg of fuel
• maximum speed 870 km/h
• rate of climb 20 m/s
• service ceiling 11,800 m
• range 520 km
• primary armament 4 x 30 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 108 cannons (fired 43.5 kg of ammunition in 3 seconds)
• secondary armament 24 x R4M unguided rockets

From the memoirs of French pilot Pierre Clostermann:

"It's a Messerschmitt 262. A magnificent bird – a triangular fuselage like a shark's head, small swept-back wings, two elongated jet engines... I fire the first burst. Missed. I adjust my aim and fire again, quickly, because it's pulling away. This time I see two hits on the fuselage, a third on the wing... An explosion in the right turbine, and it immediately starts pouring out huge billows of black smoke. The Me-262 keeps flying on one engine. A few minutes later, my own engine begins to overheat. With regret, I abandon the escaping prey, swearing that I'll skin alive that idiot who recently wrote in the Air Ministry technical bulletin that the Messerschmitt 262 is incapable of flying on just one engine."

About the COBI construction set:

• the COBI 5776 set consists of 505 high-quality ABS parts
• number of figures: 1
• collection: World War II
• scale: 1:32
• pad printed – no stickers
• faithful historical detailing
• made in the EU
• compatible with other building block brands
• recommended age: 8+