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Airfix new mould Me262A-1a


John

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This morning the postie delivered a package from Wonderland Models containing the new Airfix Me262 and I've posted up some quick shots of the box contents here:

 

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235026581-airfix-me262-a-look-in-the-box/

 

but I think I'm going to go straight ahead and build it as a respite from my current 1/35th scale figure project.

 

2621_zpszxakvttd.jpg

 

I'm not a huge Luftwaffe modeller but I've always liked the shape of the Me262 and you certainly can't deny its place in history. I think my first Me262 would have been the old Airfix mould in the Me262 and Mosquito Dogfight Double boxing:

 

http://www.vintage-airfix.com/images/Type 3 Dog Fight - Mosq and Me262.jpg

 

I also had the 1/72 Revell kit that scored over the Airfix one in having a hinged cockpit canopy:

 

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/jpegs/r/Revell H624 Me262blue.JPG

 

These things were important in the late 1960s!

 

I never built the FROG or Heller kits but I did get the Matchbox, which was "chunky".

 

In bigger scales I got the all-singing-and-dancing Nichimo kit, complete with retracting undercarriage, engines, guns and so on:

 

https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/0/8/1/145081-11104-pristine.jpg

 

and, soon after it came out, the Monogram 1/48th scale kit:

 

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/jpegs/m/Monogram 5410 Me262OK.JPG

 

The Monogram kit was really nice, and I expect it still holds its own. 

 

So, it's been 35 years since I built a 262. Let's see how things have improved...

 

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Plenty of dry-fitting before committing, I would think.

 

A rake in the paint cabinet produces the Humbrol late-War greens and RLM76 in acrylic:

 

26214_zpsmnqh1bhs.jpg

 

I used the Humbrol acrylics for the 74/75/76 scheme on the Airfix Fw190 a while ago and liked the finish, so we'll see how we get on with these.

 

John

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And so battle commences:

 

26215_zpspaz6kz6e.jpg

 

Preparatory work includes painting the parts identified as 56 Aluminium in the instructions with Matt Aluminium MetalCote, and the hot end of the engine parts with Polished Steel MetalCote. If you don't polish the Polished Steel it dries to a nice matt metallic dark grey.

 

John

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Just picked on of these up today from my local model shop.... it looks beautifully molded, but...... I notice on the main undercarriage, that mounting points are present, but there's no scissor suspension present, or on any sprues to add around the oleos......   Every other ME-262 that I've seen or built have had them either to attach, or already folded to the legs...  
Is there something different about the particular aircraft that Airfix have represented, in that these were not present?  Or have they made an error?  Cheers!

Looking forward to following this build... it looks a well designed and molded kit, and I can't wait to see how this pans-out :)  
Cheers!

Steve.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Work progresses slowly but it does progress...

 

The interior design is innovative, with everything mostly just clicking into place. Cockpit detail is adequate for this scale, particularly as I'm planning on installing the pilot. My "go to" RLM 66 is Humbrol 79 Blue Grey which to me gives a nice scale effect. It's a bit washed out in this photo of the cockpit under construction:

 

26216_zpsaw0ibesz.jpg

 

The fit of the seat isn't particularly positive and needs care and, in this case, super glue. The pilot has had a base coat of Humbrol RC404 Garter Blue.

 

Cockpit sidewall detail has had a thin wash of 79 over the Aluminium MetalCote:

 

26217_zpsmggg6yqv.jpg

 

The insides of the intakes have a prominemnt mould seam which I'm dealing with using a Swann Morton Standard Stitch Cutter blade. This is one of the most useful tools I have for dealing with awkward seams and mould lines:

 

26218_zpsjcenldud.jpg

 

The hot ends of the engines are finished in unbuffed MetalCoat Polished Steel.

 

When I was a teenaged plastic mangler back in the 1970s I had a poster on my wall of a JG7 Me262, which I think came with a first edition of one of those magazine partworks that were so popular back then. Ever since, in my head, Me262s have red and blue fuselage bands and greyhound badges so that's what I'll be doing here. Apart from the MetalCotes, all paints will be Humbrol acrylics.

 

Swann Morton page for Stitch Cutter blades:

 

http://www.swann-morton.com/product_range/9.php

 

John

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

I haven't had a huge amount of modelling time recently but what I have had has gone on this kit - and it has needed it. It feels like this wee beastie is fighting me every step of the way.

 

I had major problems getting the wings to seat properly on the lower surfaces and ended up with a bit of carving and finishing with Games Workshop Liquid Green Stuff:

 

26220_zpswrclbzv5.jpg

 

I'm not entirely sure but I think the cockpit tub might not have been properly fitted. That's all I can think of that might have caused the problem. I opened out the slots in the wing roots that the spar fits into as they were very tight and in fact pulled the spar off the bottom wing before I fixed it.

 

I've also decided on a wheels-up stand mounted model, and the closed main wheel well doors need a bit of fettling.

 

The fitting of the nacelles has been commented on elsewhere. Once again a bit of carving and making good with Liquid Green Stuff:

 

26219_zps0e2gehfe.jpg

 

26221_zpsk7au30p7.jpg

 

I broke the pitot, like I've done on just about every new 1/72 scale Airfix aircraft I've built.

 

Next step is to chuck some primer at it and see where we go from there.

 

John 

 

 

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