I'll let you read the basic history of this aircraft in the Reichenberg IV preview. This is the powered trainer version of the Reichenberg IV. Just for the record, the Reichenberg I was an unpowered single seat test version. Reichenberg II was an unpowered dual seat trainer. There is no photographic evidence of the Reichenberg II, though there is paperwork to support the existence of the airplane.

Since the Reichenberg III was designed as a trainer, it had a rudimentary skid on the bottom of the aircraft. This allowed the plane to come in for a safe landing. I'm not sure who sat where, though in normal trainers the trainee takes the front cockpit. I assume there was no practicing the bail-out procedure!

This kit is identical in almost all respects from the earlier Reichenberg IV kit. The only differences are that there is a new nose section and there is a canopy for the forward occupant. It has the same decal sheet and the same etched fret. The biggest change is that you will end up using all the parts for the airframe. This kit shows the ground handling trolley x'd out, but it should not be any real problem to build it should you wish to have it to display your completed model. As with the other two kits, it is flash free and has no sink marks or ejector pin marks that cannot be easily removed.

As with the other V-1/variant kits, it comes with a generic decal sheet that is naught but data information. The instructions show three painting options: RLM 71 over 65, RLM 73(?) over 76, and RLM 75 over 76. None are mottled in any way. Of course, the Luft '46 crowd could probably come up with something a lot more imaginative if they tried!

This is the first time I have seen this variant kitted. If you are into these aircraft, you really owe it to yourself to give it a try. The kit looks simple to build and should be an enjoyable experience.

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