1/48 Heinkel He 177A-3 Greif

The Heinkel He 177 "Greif" was the only Luftwaffe heavy strategic bomber to see series production and combat deployment during World War II. Its development was accompanied by extraordinary technical ambitions - it had to meet the requirements of long range, high speed and dive-bombing capability, which was a wish for an aircraft of this size, difficult to reconcile with the capabilities of the time. The most problematic element was the Daimler-Benz DB 606/610 coupled engines, where two engines were always mechanically coupled into one power unit driving one propeller shaft. While this solution reduced aerodynamic drag, it brought chronic problems with overheating and fires, which earned the machine the nickname "Flammenbomber" among the crews. The A-3 variant, introduced in 1943, was the most widely produced version and brought partial improvements in design and equipment, while the basic powerplant concept was retained.