Italeri – 1488 – DO 217 K-1/K-2 with FRITZ X

Description:

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a German Dornier Do 217 aircraft.

The Dornier Do 217 K-1 was a major revision of the earlier Do 217 bomber, introduced by the Luftwaffe in 1942. It featured a redesigned forward fuselage with a stepped-less glazed nose, providing better visibility for the bombardier and improved aerodynamics. Powered by two BMW 801 radial engines, the K-1 offered increased speed and payload capacity over its predecessors. It retained a defensive armament of multiple MG 131 and MG 151 machine guns, with a bomb load of up to 4,000 kg internally or externally. The K-1 served as a conventional level bomber and was deployed mainly in night raids over Britain and the Mediterranean.

The K-2 variant was developed specifically as a long-range anti-shipping platform, modified to carry the newly introduced Fritz X and Hs 293 guided bombs. To accommodate these large glide weapons, the K-2 featured an extended wingspan and reinforced underwing hardpoints, sacrificing some bomb load and agility in exchange for greater stand-off strike capabilities. K-2s were operated by units such as KG 100 and played a significant role in attacks on Allied naval forces, most notably in the sinking of the Italian battleship Roma in September 1943. While production numbers were limited, the K-series represented a shift in Luftwaffe doctrine toward precision-guided munitions and long-range strike missions late in the war.

The Fritz X, officially known as the Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, was a pioneering German guided bomb developed during World War II for use against heavily armored naval targets. It was essentially a 1,400 kg armor-piercing bomb fitted with four small wings and a radio-control guidance system that allowed a bombardier to steer it in flight after release. Dropped from high altitude by aircraft such as the Dornier Do 217 K-2, the Fritz X was manually guided using a joystick linked to a flare in the bomb’s tail. It proved devastatingly effective in early operations, most famously sinking the Italian battleship Roma in 1943. As one of the first precision-guided munitions ever used in combat, the Fritz X marked a major leap forward in aerial warfare, though its success was eventually limited by Allied jamming and the vulnerability of the launch aircraft.

The origins of the kits date from the old Italaerei tool of 1977, and was not till 1986 that a K-2 variant was released for first time already under Italeri brand and so the kit arrives till today without further changes, as the 1986 tool already include the Fritz X bomb, which here takes two sprue for two bombs. In the original release a Hs-123 bomb was also included (and an external fuel tank), but it’s not here. For this 1986 release, the engines also had been some how improved since the 1977 original tool.

There is a tricky assembly step on this models. Italeri did not tooled new full wings for the K-2 variant, which as said above, had an increased wingspan. Instead, Italeri added the extensions, and the original wings of the 1977 kit need to be cut and then you can attach the “new” extensions. Even if the cut is on a panel line, which helps as guide, this is an ugly step in any build.

Worth it to mention too that as a 1977 tool, this is a raised panel lines kit, instead of the nowadays preferred engraved way. Details such wheels or cockpit are quite spartan and basic as you can expect from a so old tooled kit. The landing gear doors are single piece and need to be cut off too unless you are looking for an in-flight model.

Decal sheet is very generous and top quality print, with 6 markings to chose from, 3 for the K-1 variant and the other three for the K-2.

Despite it’s an interesting subject, in our opinion, a 1977 raised panel lines kit is not what you want to see reissued in 2025, but don’t forget that this is the only Do 217 K-1/K-2 1/72 scale kit available in the market.