Modelmaking giant Revell has pulled its Nazi UFO kit from the German market, after the model drew criticism for its glaring historical inaccuracies and, uh, its prominent Third Reich symbology.
Revell billed the Haunebu II Flying Saucer kit as a scale model of a prototype developed by Nazi forces during World War II.
The box states the aircraft was the “first space flight capable object in the world,” and could fly at “speeds of 6,000 km/hr.”
The problem here is that those facts are straight bullshit. While Nazi engineers were heavily involved in advancing jet propulsion, they were never anywhere near creating a disc-shaped space machine capable of gunning down Allied fighters.
Speaking to German newspaper Frankfurter Allemaigne Zeitung, historian Jens Wehner said “at that time it was technologically impossible to build something like this.”
Wehner also criticised Revell for mythologising the Nazi war effort, which has long been a staple of oddball conspiracy theories that distract from the horrific reality of Nazi Germany’s actions.
In a statement, a Revell spokesperson said the company is sorry for not adequately portraying the fact the Haunebu II was nothing but a “legendary” aircraft. They also said the company is trying to work out exactly how the model hit shelves in the first place.
While that recall may be in effect, a secondhand market has already sprung up for the decidedly cooked models. At time of writing, one eBay listing for a new Haunebu II kit is sitting at around $285 after 33 bids.
We’d suggest buying literally anything else, tbh. Or, buying all of them, and donating them to The Big Museum Of Real Shit Ideas.
