80%-scale V1 Buzz Bomb

80%-scale V1 Buzz Bomb

The bi-annual  Classic Fighters airshow in Omaka, New Zealand, re-enacts the exploits of WW II New Zealand forces attacking a German V1 rocket site in Egypt, and this 80%-scale, RC “b uzz bomb” was one of the stars of the show! Built by a large team over six months, the nearly 200-pound “Doodlebug” is powered by five electric ducted fans using 10, 5000mAh 6S LiPo packs. The scale launcher thrusts the model into the air with 3Gs of force! Thanks to Greg Alderman for sharing these pics on Facebook and to YouTube’s Ourvideoworks for posting the video.

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Updated: March 31, 2016 — 11:46 AM

42 Comments

  1. what about a real ram jet engine several are available for model aircraft.

  2. I shudder to think the word “bomb” is used in our hobby. Not good publicity at all.

    1. We used to call them “doodlebugs” when they were flying over England during the war.

  3. A happy thought for those living in the UK.

  4. Modelers model aircraft of all kinds, some are peaceful and some are offensive. Some drop munitions and some are.
    Life goes on.

  5. Seems a little under-powered, but maybe that is a good thing!! Still very cool……….love the flaps.

  6. I must admit it’s the first time I’ve seen a model fly and said “I’m not sure why that was even built” or wondered who thought it was a good idea to re create it?…. in fact I think that’s one model that most people probably don’t really want to see fly….. warbirds are pretty epic to see fly, this is merely a weapon of mass destruction, why would anyone want to see one of those fly ever again?

    1. You seem overly sensitive, how many babies, children and adult civilians did B-24’s and B-17’s kill? You enjoy seeing those fly. How many civilians do you think these “Buzz Bombs killed? In total, 6,000 people were killed by the Buzz Bomb, does not make it great, but it is not even on the map of allied strategic bombing. Some estimates are as high as 600,000 killed and Germans build some of the nicest B-17 models. Just some points to consider, something you might consider doing before jumping to judgment of someone elses project.

  7. I wish they would have powered it with a pulse jet to not only be realistic but to get the “buzz” sound. Electric? Meh!

    1. I don’t think anyone makes a “model” pulse jet in quite that size category

  8. Aero modeling at its finest …. Well done gentlemen.

  9. @Mark Are you serious? That’s what the full scale V1 is called. In your opinion then we should omit the word “bomb” from the B-17, or B-25. And while you are at it you should omit the fighter from all fighter aircraft.

  10. Not the first Buzzbomb model. I was delivering papers in Southall when a low flying bomb flew down the street so low I could see all the details. I was even then a plane modeler so with the aid of the school lathe I produced models of the thing and sold them as fast as I could make them — for equivalent of a paper boy’s weekly pay.

    1. I thought they nose dived when the engine cut out ?, every film of the real ones nosedived after the engine cut !.
      .

      1. Those I knew about did nose dive but also rolled over as they quit and the point of impact was frequently in an area they had previously passed over.

  11. I think either a model jet turbine or one of the scale ram jets would have been far more effective then the barely flying anemic electric fans. if the real V1 had flown that lazily, the Brits could have used WWI planes, blimps or Kites to knock them down physically! Nice model building, but the follow thru in the propulsion dept is a big let down.

    1. If you check, you will see that the Spitfires used to actually fly along side the buzz bombs and ”tip” the wings by getting close and knocking the gyros off in the buzz bomb. They were not as fast as our modern cruise missiles.

  12. The doodle bug was a weapon of mass murder, terror, and destruction. Germany developed and deployed it to kill English people; the Nazis had the more industrially efficient gas chambers for certain of their own citizens, but the basic idea of terror and killing is the same, with property destruction thrown in for good measure. The English, and their American descendants like me, are not willing to forget that weapon.

  13. Nothing to “shudder” about Mark … just a very cool scale model. Remember, many of the advances in aviation, space & science were developed during war time. But … if any of you guys thought the article was offensive and want to exit the hobby … let me know. I would like to purchase your stuff!

  14. I don’t think there are ram jets available for models, since you have to be doing about 400 mph before a ram jet can light off! The real V1 used a pulse jet, which is what created the buzzing sound. I don’t know if pulse jets are still available for model aircraft. There used to be the Dynajet which was really loud and ran really hot. I had a friend who put one inside a control line Model of an F86. After a few laps, the whole model burst into flames!

  15. Why not use a pulse jet from Hobby King. Great sound.

  16. I was responsible for building the V1. Part of the motivation was to educate people about it’s existence. It’s technology was very significant as the forerunner of the cruise missile. Electric power was chosen because the geometry of the V1 makes it impossible to use a consumable fuel located at the CoG and keep within the 100kg weight limit allowed here in NZ. In other words too much dead weight needs to be carried in the nose. Also, at an airshow you have to launch within seconds of your allocated slot, and electric is the most reliable power source. Pulse jets are too unreliable.

    1. Allan; We want to build a large scale V-1. However we are unable to find plans with enough detail to allow us to build one with the degree of accuracy we want. It will just be a shell and hung from the ceiling in a museum. Are you able to share the plans you used to build your V-1?
      Phil Vere

  17. That’s a really nice reproduction of the “buzzbomb”. Perfect fuselage, lines, and stance. Like others have said it could use a pulse jet, but I don’t think anyone makes one big enough, would have to fab your own.
    As for people saying this bird should never been built, that’s your opinion and everyone is allowed to speak out freely. Ww2 should not be forgotten and I’m glad people still build models like this buzzbomb. Yes it was a horrible page in history, but one still has to admire the technology the Germans had for that era. And here is the best part, the man (Von Braun) responsible for the v2’s was the chief architect for the maned Apollo mission to the moon. So that little buzzbomb was the stepping stone to space exploration, the man is a genius. There were far worse aircrafts back then and even worse today that people build and fly. As long as we don’t strap a bomb to it than it’s all in good fun and that’s what this hobby is about.
    Happy flyin everyone.

  18. In the interests of accuracy, the V-1 did not have a ram-jet, it used a pulse-jet which is quite a different animal.

  19. N.Z. Forces attacking a V-1 site in Egypt ! Not very likely ! V-1’s were first used in action after D-Day in 1944 after extensive testing in Northern Germany. The War in North Africa ended in May 1943 when the Italian & German armies surrendered in Tunisia. Luckily for the Allies the Germans were not able to get them ready before D-Day otherwise our losses would have been much greater.

  20. THIS IS CRAZY………THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS PUTTING REGULATIONS ON OUR HOBBY. SORRY, THE WORD CRAZY IS NOT THE WORD TO USE HERE…………STUPID, THAT’S A BETTER FIT.

    1. WRONG! See my note to John below. Cant anyone read? This was in New Zealand!

  21. Bad modeling subject. This hobby is being watched closely by many government agencies. This modeler is a FOOL for building a cruise missile, even though it’s “Historical”. Very bad idea.

    1. No John, the “bad idea” is people like yourself who are cowering to the propaganda artists otherwise known as our government! Note the modeler you are questioning lives in a country with a government who isnt lying to its citizens and is allowing them to live freely.

  22. @Mark & @Rich – I & hopefully others “shudder” to think that the USA has become so PC and such a whiny lot that even an article on a modeling website comes under scrutiny for what someone built/flies! Unbelievable….

  23. Relax people. It is a model. Only a model. Nothing blew up. Was not used carry out terrorist acts. Relax!

  24. Its a scale model of an obsolete vehicle. When I started building model rockets in the 60s, the scale models were the most popular. The makes me sadf the list was the V-2. Nobody thought twice about it. You could get kits or plans for almost every surface to surface or surface to air missile there was.
    It’s a piece of history that is in New Zealand. My guess is that 99.999% of us will never even get within a thousand miles of it. That makes me sad because it’s an awesome model with a really cool catapult system and I’ll never get to see it.

  25. fly it over the white house in d.c. ha ha

  26. Some people are commenting as tho this model has the capability to be a real weapon, so should not be modeled, lest the gov’t think that modelers will be flying Buzz bombs in DC. If someone had intent to do such an terrible thing, it would not be a scale model! That would be like saying that they could attack with a model bomber. Stop being so PC people and use your heads. The Boston Bombers used pressure cookers to make a weapon. Perhaps we should not watch the cooking channels?
    That being said, Great effort at a rarely modeled subject. While I understand the builders comment regarding the problems with using the pulse jet, that would have been amazing, had it been a viable alternative.

  27. The replica was built with full cooperation from our CAA and the MFNZ (our equivalent of the AMA). We did discuss the philosophical aspects of representing a weapon. But history should never be re written or denied and if we have stimulated interest in the technology of this early cruise missile then people can form their own views. It will undergo further development now. We will work on solving the housing of five fans and the attendant lost of thrust due to exflux issues. Once telemetry is installed and we can monitor the motors a noise generator will be installed. A pneumatic ram will be used on the launch ramp. For me, the ramp, the dolly, and the release mechanism, were the most significant engineering achievements in the project.

    1. Great work I say!

  28. Nothing new and very bad taste.

  29. I would like to build a V-1 and am looking for plans. Is anyone involved in the NZ V-1 build in possession of the plans they use to construct it? The 80% scale is what got my attention.

  30. How can I obtain the plans for the 80% V1 built and flown in NZ?

  31. Please get your units correct! You say: “with 3Gs of force! “. A “g” is a non standard (not an SI unit) unit of acceleration approximately equal to 9.8 m/s^2 and a G is the gravitational constant 6.674 x 10^-11

  32. God what a bunch of pansies some of you lot are. Its a model (an unusual one too) well thought out in its planning and construct. It is a piece of history that shouldn’t be forgotten; its a lesson for the future along with the He.111, Do.17, Stuka Ju87, B.17, B.25 and your lovely B52. GET OVER IT ! My father was blown up by a doodle bug in 1944 and spent weeks in a military hospital recovering. Being an engineer, I only wish he could see the above model fly, he would have been fascinated and have bored us all again with his wartime ‘near thing’ story. LOL for (insert deity of you choice) sake! Actually we all loved his old reminiscences.

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