Manufacturer: S&M Models
Scale: 1/144
Additional parts: Engines from a Revell Me 262, other parts from spare part box
Model build: May-Jun 2018
Südflug Focke-Wulf FW-800
S&M Models
1/144
1/144
Summer of '63
The thrill vibrated through ten-year-old Clara as she boarded the Südflug FW-800. This wasn't your ordinary propeller plane. This was a jet, a marvel of modern engineering, whisking her away on her first family vacation to Rome. In 1963, jet travel was still a novelty, and the sleek chrome and the whine of the engines promised an adventure unlike anything Clara had ever experienced.
Her father, a history teacher, regaled her with tales of the plane's origins. Developed from wartime technology, the FW-800 was a symbol of a new era. Clara peered out the window, imagining the roar of these engines once carrying fighter pilots into battle, now carrying families like hers towards sun-drenched beaches.
The flight was a revelation. Gone were the days of long, bumpy journeys. The FW-800 sliced through the sky, offering breathtaking views of cotton-ball clouds and a miniature world unfolding beneath them. Clara pressed her nose against the window, mesmerized by the way the landscape seemed to rush by in a blur.
Upon landing in Rome, a wave of warm, humid air greeted them. The city buzzed with a vibrancy that felt worlds apart from their quiet German town. Clara spent the next week exploring ancient ruins, tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain, and devouring gelato under the warm Italian sun. Each day was a whirlwind of sights, sounds, and unfamiliar tastes.
One evening, perched on the Spanish Steps, watching the city come alive with twinkling lights, Clara confided in her mother, "This feels like something out of a storybook." Her mother smiled. "It is, my dear. And it's all thanks to this amazing jet that brought us here."
The return flight held a bittersweet tinge. Clara was sad to leave the magic of Rome behind, but she carried a newfound sense of wonder. The FW-800 wasn't just a plane; it was a bridge between the familiar and the extraordinary. It had shown her the vastness of the world and ignited a spark of wanderlust that would stay with her forever.
Back home, amongst the stacks of history books in her father's study, Clara proudly displayed a miniature model of the FW-800. It wasn't just a toy; it was a cherished reminder of her first adventure, a reminder that the world was a much bigger place than she ever imagined, waiting to be explored, one jet ride at a time.
When the Me 262 was introduced in late WW2, it was obvious for everyone that jet engines were the new aircraft propulsion in the future. So it is not surprising that engineers started to develop jet powerd passenger aircraft after the end of the war.
After the successful Battle of Britain and Operation Sea-lion which lead to Great Britain's defeat in early 1941, teams of the RLM searched for useful work in Britain's aircraft industry and transferred to the major German aircraft manufacturers.
In 1948, Focke-Wulf presented the prototype of the FW-800, a 60 passenger jet-powered passenger aircraft using the new Jumo-008 engines - which were enlarged version of the Jumo-004 used on the Me 262.
With a range of about 2000km, the plane was usable for air traffic within Europe and got a best-seller soon. Over 600 of those aircraft were build between 1949 and 1961. Lufthansa, being the initial user of the FW-800 used about 300 of all build planes which soon got the workhorse for short and medium range air travel.
With the fast development in the aircraft industry in the 1950s and 1960s, more modern jet aircraft were developed with higher range and capacity. Therefore, Lufthansa started to sell used FW-800 from the late 1950s on to other, smaller airlines.
Among those was the Südflug. Founded in 1958, Südflug was a first attempt to provide holiday traffic to the Mediterranean coast of Italy, Spain and Greece. First operating used FW200 and Ju90s, the airline took the chance to buy 11 FW-800 from Lufthansa in 1961.
The FW-800 were used by Südflug until 1968 when the airline went out-of-business.
The model shows the 9th FW-800 (D-ASME) in July 1963.
The model is mainly based on a 1/44 S&M Vickers Viscount kit with the engines of a 1/72 scale Revell Me 262. Plus a few parts of the spare part box. The S&M model is very basic (never heard of this manufacturer before), but it contains a very good decal set.
The original turboprops were removed and replaced by the Me-262 jet engines. The wings had to be swept a little bit backwards.
Airbrushed with Revell Aqua Color, the original decals were used for the window line as well as some of the Me 262 ones. Several other like the logo were elf made.
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