[MOC] Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Viper)

[Veynom]

A project that was sitting since too long on my bench: a German "Natter" on its launch ramp.

The Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Viper) is a rocket-powered interceptor developed by Germany from late 1944. It is a rather small aircraft measuring 6m by 4m, built mostly from wood except for the armored cockpit. It was launched vertically from a ramp designed to be basic. Armement of 24 rockets was installed in the nose and designed to target allied bombers.

 

The Natter never entered into operational services. Its first piloted flight ended tragically with the dead of the test pilot and crash of the prototype aircraft. No allied airplane was ever shot down by a Natter. However, at the end of WW2, allies showed a lot of interested into German late-war technologies and attempts to grab and study everything they could. Ultimately, the Natter generated more"what-if" stories during the post-war years than any result in the airs. 

Because the Natter was never deployed on large scale, I only put simple markings on it: 2 Balkenkreutz (black cross) and simple technical writings next to the cockpit hood; but no swastika on the tail.

View from the sky, with the rockets in the nose. Quite a nice and unusual view for airplanes.

I also quickly assembled a small trailer to transport equipment. Based on official models, of course.

When taking black and white photos, it almost look like photos form back-then. I really enjoy them.

 

 

As an amusing coincidence, only a couple of days before finalising the layout, I stumbled across the picture below depicting a very similar scenery: the Natter on the light launching ramp made of wood. But this photo shows american soldiers analysing the place before taking a Natter away.

Small game: Can you identify the non-LEGO element of this MOC ? There are some but in very limited quantity. (click below to reveal the hidden content and discover the details)

Spoiler

• The Natter markings are coming from 1/32 scale models
• The 2 dark tan large crates are from BrickArms.
• Minifigs body and legs are LEGO parts reprinted by BrickMania.
• Helmets and hat are also from BrickMania but on 2 helmets, there are custom decals from 1/35 scale models.
• The cable is not from LEGO. Custom purchase.
• The 2 side rails on the launch ramp are plastic tubes painted in DBG with acrylic painting. I got lucky to get the same color on my 1st tentative.

If you like this MOC, I would appreciate you to also like this Instagram post. By doing so, you would boost my participation to an online contest https://www.instagram.com/p/DMsQpPxowGA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Thank you!

As a conclusion: I truly enjoyed building this MOC. While the aircraft itself sat on my bench for 6 months before I finally completed the layout, I quite like the end result. The trees are nice as well. And the layout is not too fragile. No glue was used. :)

Edited 18 hours ago by Veynom
Improving text.

[Feuer Zug]

Cool scene and history lesson. The Ba-349 looks great on the launch pole, and the support elements are fitting. Are the non-LEGO parts the minifigs and the crates? The Wunderwaffe projects are interesting, even if they are more suited to fiction than real results. 

[Veynom]

4 minutes ago, Feuer Zug said:

Cool scene and history lesson. The Ba-349 looks great on the launch pole, and the support elements are fitting. Are the non-LEGO parts the minifigs and the crates? The Wunderwaffe projects are interesting, even if they are more suited to fiction than real results. 

Thank you!

For the detailed list of non-Lego part, just expand the "Reveal hidden content" in the original post. :)