ME-323 V2 GERMAN

Historical Note:      Designed from a glider, the Me-323 was capable of carrying about 100 armed troops or 20,000 lbs. of cargo. It served throughout 1943 and is best known for keeping the German army supplied in North Africa by ferrying supplies from Sicily and Italy. In the final weeks of the North African campaign, 43 "Gigants" were lost along with a much greater number of Ju-52 transports. Thereafter, its use was restricted to areas away from roving Allied fighters.

To lift heavy weights, the Me 323 was designed with huge high mounted wings. The knowledge for the type of wing that the Me 323 has was not yet highly developed that time. The wing is made of fabric and aluminum to lessen the weight. The fuselage is composed of a metal wood fabric with a heavy bracing to carry the weight. It is powered with six Gnome-Rhone engines to get the glider in the air. Its landing gear is composed of 10 semi-recessed wheels for it to bend easily when landing on rough terrain and to allocate the weight in a large area. It was a remarkable aircraft during its time.

The Me 323 transport is comprised of five crewmen: a radio operator, two pilots and two flight engineers. It could carry an extra two gunners. The pilot’s area is located in front of the edge of the wing and was armored. Four rockets could be mounted on each wing to help the aircraft when taking off. To avoid the harsh torque made by the six engines when spinning in the same direction, the left and right side engines of the aircraft has to rotate counter clockwise.

Scale:    1:XX
W/S:     18.0       inches
Lgth:     9.25     inches

Item Number:    TMC-MXFGM323                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Price:    $249.95