Tamiya 1/48 DO335 Anteater German WW2 Trainer Aircraft kit (61076)

The unique design of this multi-purpose aircraft featured two liquid cooled engines powering two props. The design was nothing short of revolutio- ary and provided top speeds of 760 km/h. The original was designed with a single cockpit, however due to the considerable number of accidents during test flights, the plane was converted mid-production to this dual cockpit trainer. The extra hump caused by the trainer cockpit on the fuselage led pilots to nickname it "Anteater".

Although the hopes of the Luftwaffe rested on the twin-engine Dorner Do335 becoming Germany's next overpowering force in the sky, its deployment was prematurely cut short by the close of WWII. The unique design of this multipurpose aircraft featured two liquid cooled engines powering two propellers. The design of the Do335 was nothing short of revolutionary, and provided an incredible top-speed of 760km/h.

However, the aircraft demanded of its pilot supreme flying technique, especially during take-off and landing when the cross-shaped tail and rear propeller frequently collided with the runway. For that reason, the twin seater A-12 trainer version of the Do335 was developed, a conversion of the single-seater fighter-bomber A-1 version. Originally, only a few trainer versions were planned to be produced. However, because of the considerable number of accidents during flight tests of the A-0 and the heightened need to properly instruct pilots, orders were made to convert the mid-production A-1 into A-12 trainer aircraft.

The bizarre appearance of the Do335 was taken one step further on the A-12 version, with the addition of a trainer cockpit above and behind the main cockpit. This extra "hump" on the fuselage led pilots to nickname it "Anteater". Of the eleven A-1 types produced, eight were supposed to be changed to A-12 types, but only two or three were actually completed. At least one of these aircraft was ultimately seized by the invading Allies, and transported to England for display and experimentation.