The Lippisch P.13b was just one of many fanciful designs of Alexander Lippisch and was basically a follow on for his P.13a design. As with that particular aircraft, this one was also to be powered by coal, something that may of us find pretty remarkable. As with the earlier design, it was to be rocketed to ram speed from the ground so that the engine could get up to speed for sustained flight. Landing was to be on a skid, like his earlier proposition. Now I have to tell you that I've never heard of a plane successfully flying on coal or coal oil or coal tars so it is pretty obvious that these folks were living a bit outside reality. Cool looking airplane, though.

This is Anigrand's first kit and a simple one it is. There are only nine parts (you make the guns), one of which is a vacuformed canopy. The parts are nicely molded with the usual flash and air bubbles in places where you'll have to take care of them. Nothing this reviewer hasn't had to deal with over the years and what I've come to expect, so no problem.

There are some generic decals supplied and the instructions are the usual Anigrand fare; a single sheet with history, exploded view and parts list on one side with colors and decal placement on the other. This one shows a splinter scheme of dark green/light green over light blue, but you can paint it any way you want. That is the beauty of these Luft '46 kits. I've a dozen or so of these that I've built over the years and they always elicit commentary.

This is the perfect kit with which to introduce someone to the world of resin kit. It has few parts, yet still requires all the usual skills needed to do a nice job on these.

Thanks to my pal Kevin for the Christmas present.

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