Manufacturer: Academy / Minicraft
Scale: 1/144
Additional parts: Academy B-47 and Minicraft B-29 plus parts from spare part box
Model build: Dec 2013- Feb 2014
Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 247
Academy / Minicraft
1/144
1/144
The Eagles Shadow
Made with Suno
The Phoenix Takes Flight
February 5th, 1945 - Augsburg, Germany
Franz Gruber, a young test pilot for Messerschmitt, surveyed the colossal Me 247 with a mix of awe and trepidation. Nicknamed "Der Phoenix" for its supposed fiery demise and secretive rebirth, the bomber gleamed under the pale winter sun. Rumors swirled about the plane's capabilities - a transatlantic bomber, a marvel of jet and propeller technology. But Franz knew the truth - a single, barely functional prototype, a desperate gamble by a dying regime.
He climbed into the cockpit, the crew scrambling in behind him. The air crackled with nervous energy. As the starter whined to life, a cacophony of engine roars filled the air. The mixture of jet and propeller engines, a unique innovation, sent a tremor through the massive plane. Franz eased the throttle forward, the Me 247 straining against its restraints. Finally, with a burst of flame and a bone-rattling lurch, they were airborne.
The test flight was a white-knuckle ride. Engine imbalances caused the plane to yaw wildly. One of the turboprops sputtered and died. Franz fought to keep the monstrous machine under control, adrenaline coursing through him. They barely managed a twenty-minute flight before limping back to the runway, the landing gear groaning under the stress.
Back on the ground, tensions flared. The engineers huddled around the stricken engines, their faces grim. Franz reported to General Steinmetz, a man whose once-proud demeanor was etched with worry lines.
"We can't hold it, Franz," Steinmetz rasped, his voice heavy with defeat. "The Americans are at the gates. We need to destroy the Phoenix."
Franz's heart sank. This marvel, this testament to German engineering, would be reduced to ash. But then, an idea sparked in his mind, fueled by a desperate hope.
"General," he said, his voice steady, "there's another option. We can fly it out. To the Americans."
Steinmetz stared at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Franz, are you mad? You'd defect? With a weapon like this?"
"It's not a weapon, sir," Franz countered, his voice firm. "It's the future. In the right hands, it could prevent more wars, not start them."
Steinmetz's silence stretched long. Finally, he sighed, the weight of the world seemingly pressing down on him. "Very well, Franz. But be warned, if this goes wrong..."
The escape was a blur of activity. Under the cover of night, a skeleton crew readied the Me 247. The remaining engines coughed and sputtered, but they held. With a final, longing glance at the factory that birthed it, Franz taxied the Phoenix down the runway and into the unknown.
Their journey was fraught with peril. Fuel leaks plagued them, and they flew under the radar, a ghostly silhouette against the starlit sky. Finally, as dawn approached, they spotted it - an American airfield.
Franz guided the crippled bomber towards a landing, praying they wouldn't be met with gunfire. The runway seemed impossibly short, the ground rushing up to meet them. With a bone-jarring screech, the Me 247 skidded to a halt, mere feet from the end of the tarmac.
Franz emerged from the cockpit, his hands shaking. American soldiers surrounded the plane, their faces a mixture of awe and suspicion. But instead of hostility, an American officer stepped forward, a hand outstretched.
"Welcome," he said, his voice gruff but kind. "You've brought us quite a prize."
Franz, his body wracked with exhaustion and relief, could only nod. The Phoenix had landed, not in flames, but in a chance for a new dawn. The dream of a bomber might be dead, but the dream of a future free from war, that, he clung to with all his might.
Messerschmitt Me 264 and the Emergence of the Me 247 "Amerikabomber"
During the Second World War, the German Luftwaffe lacked a true heavy, long-range bomber comparable to the British Avro Lancaster or the American B-17 and B-24. To address this gap, in 1941 Messerschmitt initiated work on the Me 264, the so-called Amerikabomber. The aircraft was designed to carry a bomb load of 3,000 kilograms across the Atlantic, striking targets on the American east coast before returning to occupied France.
The first Me 264 prototype flew in December 1942. However, testing quickly revealed significant shortcomings. The engines originally intended for the design were unavailable, forcing reliance on underpowered alternatives. Performance figures fell short of the ambitious requirements, particularly in terms of range, which proved insufficient for a round trip between France and the United States. As a result, development emphasis shifted toward long-range maritime reconnaissance rather than transatlantic bombardment.
Two prototypes were completed, and a third was in construction when an Allied air raid on Augsburg in July 1944 severely damaged the aircraft. Officially, all surviving Me 264 prototypes were destroyed, and the program was formally cancelled in September 1944.
The Secret Development of the Me 247
Even before the Me 264 was cancelled, Messerschmitt engineers—aware of the design’s limitations—pursued an enlarged and radically modified version. Initially camouflaged as the Me 264 V3, this project soon gained its own designation: Me 247.
The Me 247 incorporated the latest German aerodynamic research, including swept wings to improve high-speed performance. Propulsion came from a hybrid system: two Junkers Jumo 109-022 turboprops provided efficient long-range cruise capability, while four Junkers Jumo 109-012 turbojets delivered combat thrust when needed. Rocket-assisted takeoff units were fitted to counter the immense weight of the fully loaded aircraft.
Defensive armament was formidable. The Me 247 mounted eight 20 mm cannons in remotely controlled turrets along the fuselage and two 3.7 cm cannons in the tail position. A crew of seven—pilot, bombardier, radio operator, navigator, and three gunners—operated the aircraft. With its enlarged fuel tanks, the Me 247 was projected to carry a 3-ton bomb load over 12,000 km or 6 tons over 4,500 km, surpassing the range of any existing Luftwaffe bomber.
Construction was carried out under strict secrecy. Although official records claimed the third Me 264 prototype was destroyed in the July 1944 Augsburg raid, the airframe of the emerging Me 247 survived, hidden in underground facilities. By February 1945, the prototype was completed and rolled out. On 2 February 1945, the Me 247 made a brief maiden flight, lasting only twenty minutes due to engine malfunctions.
Capture and Postwar Legacy
Within weeks of its maiden flight, American forces overran Augsburg and discovered the Me 247 project. The aircraft was immediately classified as top-secret technology and disassembled for transport to the United States.
At that time, Boeing engineers were developing the Model 424, a jet-powered derivative of the B-29 Superfortress. Examination of the Me 247’s swept wings, hybrid propulsion concepts, and remote-control armament provided critical insights. Combined with domestic research, this knowledge directly influenced Boeing’s redesign efforts, contributing to the eventual development of the B-47 Stratojet, the first truly modern American jet bomber.
The Me 247 thus became one of the most consequential of Germany’s late-war “secret projects,” not for its battlefield impact—it never flew in combat—but for its indirect role in shaping the future of Cold War strategic aviation.
The model shows the Me-247 during its roll-out on 02.02.1944 in Augsburg.
The model was build using two kits, a 1:144 Acedemy B-47 and a Minicraft B-29 of the same scale. The idea was to take the hull and wings of the B-47 and add the cockpit of the B-29 to it to give it a more "classic" bomber style. Both aircraft have about the same diameter of the hull ,therefore the cockpit fits quite good to the hull. However, the hull had to be made a bit longer, to give the plane some better looking proportions.
The position of the twin and single engines were swapped as I wanted to made some turboprops from the single engines. Additionally the landing gear had to be modified a bit, otherwise, the props would cut into the ground. The bombs under the wings were from the spare parts box.
The aircraft was air brushed with Revell Aqua color, with a standard German bomber camo, decals are made by Paddinghaus.
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