Tamiya 1:48 Heinkel He162 A-2 Salamander

1:48 scale plastic assembly kit. Requires glue and paints to complete.

The Heinkel He-162 Salamander is a German, single-seat, single-engine jet fighter from the end of World War II, the flight of the prototype taking place on December 6, 1944. He-162 turned out to be a winner on the so-called People's fighter (German: Volksjäger), which was to protect the German sky against attacks by Allied heavy bombers. The plane had an unusual layout with the engine (Either the MW 003E-1 or the E-2, depending on availability) placed on top, on the fuselage, with short trapezoidal wings and a very aerodynamic silhouette. Like the Me-262, it was one of the milestones in the development of jet aviation, however due to a rushed design and sabatoge by slave labour workers, the aircraft was incredibly unreliable and dangerous to fly, the wooden wings often disintegrating in flight. Lucky for the pilot, this aircraft featured one of the earliest ejection seats, though it's performance was also unreliable and unsafe. By the end of the war, only about 300 aircraft of this type were produced, and on a small scale they were used in combat in April and May 1945. Only one kill has been credited to this aircraft, however this claim is contested. 

Technical data: length: 9.05m, wingspan: 7.2m, height: 2.6m, maximum speed: 790km / h, rate of climb: 23.4m / s, maximum range: 975km, maximum ceiling 12000m, armament: permanent -2 20mm MG151 / 20 cannons.