As the storm clouds of WWII gathered on the horizon, Nazi Germany's Reich Air Ministry let it be known they were in the market for a high-performance heavy-duty dive bomber/ground attack fighter. Two German glider designers, Wolfgang and Ulrich Hütter, responded with two designs for a radical single-seat aircraft. The first, the Stubo 1, would be capable of carrying two 250 kg bombs beneath its elongated fuselage. The larger Stubo 2 was even longer and was equipped with an internal bomb bay capable of carrying a 1,000 kg ordinance load.

Both planes were designed to be launched by a detachable trolley to keep their overall weight down, landing to be accomplished via a retractable skid. The pilot would sit at the rear of the aircraft, the cockpit canopy also serving as the plane's rudder.

Ultimately, the Air Ministry passed on the unusual proposal, choosing instead to manufacturer the far more conventional Henschel HS 129.

 

1:72 Scale resin kit approx 4.5" long, 14 parts.