Hobby Boss Me.262A-2/U2 Almost OOB 1:48

[Mike]

After much doing of anything else other than modelling, I finally managed to get round to doing some modelling I put the gloss coat on, flatted it back a bit and then put another wet layer over the top, which has given me a decent surface for decaling.  While I was waiting for that to dry I prepared the last of the small parts, replacing the "cat whiskers" at the front with some micro-tubing, as one had got damaged and they look better in metal.  I also replaced the pitot and the antenna on the underside with tubing, as they're just better.  I'm going to use the RATO pods on this, but not the bombs.  Does anyone know what colour the pods were usually painted?

 

 

[trickyrich]

you're slowly getting there but I'm glad you're not rushing her as she looks superb!!! Awesome job so far. 

[Martian]

Nice one Boss!

 

Martian 👽

[Mike]

Cheers gents I might try to slap some decals on in a bit.  You never know!

[Mike]

The glacial 262 continues its slow, inexorable slide toward completion with the decals now having been applied, and their carrier film disguised/hidden by copious use of Aqua Gloss varnish and a fine sanding stick.  I've already prepared the wheels & gear legs, so have been pottering around putting the last few bits through their baptism by paint.  The little whiskers at the front have been upgraded with a bit of micro-tubing, as has the pitot and an aerial under the fuselage, while I thinned down the DF loop and painted that the darker green to match its location.  I'm going to let this last coat of gloss cure overnight, and tomorrow (maybe) will wash the panel lines and matt coat the lot in preparation for weathering.

 

 

I've also been beavering away making up the towing arm, as I wasn't happy with the original and was struggling to get the brass to stick using solder (I'll use paste next time), so I made this one out of styrene rod, and just need to add the little attachment points for the assist-cables that fit to the main gear legs to spread the load and avoid pulling off the nose gear leg, which wasn't particularly strong when pulled in that direction.

 

While I'm writing, what is the purpose of those red circled on the outer sides of the engine nacelles?  They don't correspond to any panel lines, and they're in different positions on each nacelle.  Is it to guide crew in an emergency to hack that area open to switch off fuel or something?

[janneman36]

Hello Mike those red circles should be place on the panel line above and they are centered with those lines..

I suspect that these circles are alignment circles to check the panels to be properly aligned and prevent them from falling off ..

You are doing a fabulous job on that plane!

Just follow this linky 

https://www.google.nl/search?q=me262&client=tablet-android-samsung&source=android-browser&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjutPXEnPreAhVHaFAKHWLNAIYQ_AUoAXoECAsQAQ&biw=962&bih=601

 

Cheers, Jan

Edited November 29, 2018 by janneman36

[Martian]

@Mike's on the cusp of finishing an aircraft on BM and @CedB is building a model with everything hanging; I need to have a lay down in a very dark room! 

 

Bewildered of Mars 👽

[Mike]

2 hours ago, janneman36 said:

Hello Mike those red circles should be place on the panel line above and they are centered with those lines..

 

Cheers, Jan

Bah I trusted their decal guide, so it's a bit late now I spotted a few errors on it, but didn't check that one.  Oh well, I've got LOTS more 262s to build over the years, so I'll get it right next time

[trickyrich]

gee she's looking awesome Mike, the finish on her is superb, well done.  

 

To be honest the majority of use wouldn't have notice, the overall finish out weighs any minor errors. 

[janneman36]

2 hours ago, Mike said:

Bah I trusted their decal guide, so it's a bit late now I spotted a few errors on it, but didn't check that one.  Oh well, I've got LOTS more 262s to build over the years, so I'll get it right next time

Made the same mistake the first time haha, i trusted the airfix decal guide ...

Lesson learned about those guides....🤣

[Mike]

21 hours ago, janneman36 said:

Made the same mistake the first time haha, i trusted the airfix decal guide ...

No-one's perfect

[Mike]

After the last coat of gloss, I washed the topside with AMMO dark brown wash for green vehicles (A.MIG-1005).  Planes are vehicles! I washed the underside with AK Interior wash (AK 093), which is kinda green, but looks ok over the grey/blue of the underside.  I sealed that with another coat of gloss, then matted it down with my current favourite matt varnish, which is AKAN (74004), of which I'm gonna need a new bottle soon.  I decided to test out the finesse of the Gunze PS-770 airbrush I'm currently using thanks to @Jetblast, who we know better as Martin @ Air-craft.  I loaded some diluted Tamiya Smoke, which I plopped a drop of Tamiya Tan into, and started drifting on some muck here and there, sooting up the tail pipes a little (not too much), adding some dirt around the gear areas, and some handling marks around the cockpit apertures.  It's a classy airbrush, and the 0.18mm nozzle gives a super-fine line, but can actually fill larger areas just as well.  I'll blather about it a bit more when I'm finished testing it.

 

I reflatted anything that had gone a bit glossy, and after deciding to fit the RATO bottles to the underside, I set about finding the correct(ish) colour, which turned out to be RLM02, so I painted those and added a couple of stencils to busy them up a bit, remembering to add some faint marks on the fuselage to imply it had used them before.  I also decided to use the bombs afterall, as there are some pics of them loaded, and it was the type's primary purpose after all is said and done.  I finished painting all the little parts ready to go on while I was doing some extra weathering, including some streaking, chipping with a paint brush, and a tiny quantity of pigments as well, with a few splatters on the undersides of the wings for good luck.  It wasn't long after I started putting the bombs and their pylons together that I noticed I couldn't find the nose gear leg I remembered there's actually a spare in the box, so I've just cut that off, dealt with the seams and given it a coat of glossy black so I can put the usual Molotow liquid chrome on the oleo.  That'll take a day or two to dry, so she won't be standing on her legs just yet, but we're getting there.

 

 

I'll need the gear leg finished before I can attach the towing bar that you can see in black over on the right, after which I can also sort out the assist cables and attach it to the T-Stoff wagen behind.  Should get 'er done before Christmas

[trickyrich]

wow!!!

[woody37]

You certainly have a knack with the airbrush Mr Williams, that's rather stunning. I'm admiring the truck as much as the plane too!

[Silenoz]

Looking really nice... 

[Timmas]

Fabulous work. It's the level of skill that mere mortals like me aspire to. On a side note, the plane looks huge alongside the truck. but to must be an illusion created by the camera angle.

[Martian]

18 hours ago, Mike said:

 Should get 'er done before Christmas

But which Christmas they are all asking. I know, kettles calling pots black and all that!

 

Mischievous of Mars 👽

 

 

[Mike]

4 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

But which Christmas they are all asking. I know, kettles calling pots black and all that!

That's fightin' talk where I come from Good job we moved

 

Thanks for the kind words ladies and haemorrhoids

 

13 hours ago, Timmas said:

Fabulous work. It's the level of skill that mere mortals like me aspire to. On a side note, the plane looks huge alongside the truck. but to must be an illusion created by the camera angle.

I think you're right Tim.  An optical contusion I'd say it's about half as long as the 262, give or take.

[Martian]

Well if you will hand me ammunition, it would be rude of me not to fire it!

 

Martian 👽

[Mike]

I forgive you Martin - but you must do three hail Marys and three hows your fathers as penance.

 

While we're on the subject of 262s (we were at some point), I've just finished the painting of the bombs and their pylons, and have given them a matt coat.  Going to do a bit of fading on the bombs next, as they were usually kept outdoors away from buildings due to their propensity for going BANG! Meanwhile I've also painted the new landing gear leg, which needs to dry off & get a coat of gloss so I can wash it with some mucky brown.  It's not worth posting pictures at this stage though

[Martian]

17 minutes ago, Mike said:

I forgive you Martin - but you must do three hail Marys and three hows your fathers as penance.

This Alien is C of E!

 

Martian 👽

[Mike]

I know so little about religion (other than ) that I'm just going to nod sagely

 

Meanwhile in bomb central, the weathering is complete and has been sealed in with some matt varnish.  Gosh!  The progress is dizzying!

[Frank083]

Very nice built! The display will be Awesome with that tanker!😜

 

Frank

[Mike]

Well, me lovelies.  Those that have soldiered on through what seems like eons of inactivity... we finally got somewhere today

 

I finished off the towing bar first, as I noticed there were a few aspects of that missing.  I needed to add the little plate to which the two assist-cables hitch, plus the two ends of the lynch-pin that goes through the hollow axle.  The former was done using a small punched disk that I cut down and reshaped, then drilled two holes in and notched the bar so it would sit better in it.  The latter were a couple of bits of 1mm rod that I sawed a groove in the end of.  One was left as is, the other had a small hoop of copper wire glued in, as this is the end they yank on to remove it after towing.  There's supposed to be another pin through the other end, but it's so small I didn't bother making it up I cut the hitch head to match the angle, glued it to the front wheel, and once that had set up, threaded some invisible mending thread through the holes, knotting and then gluing it in place.  I drew the other end back and trying not to bend the bar (it's only made of styrene), I glued the other end in place on the main gear legs.  It took a couple of goes to get it right, but it's looking nice and straight, although a little high, which is kind of a good thing, because when it's pushed into the hitch on the truck, it helps keep the wires nice and taut

 

There were a few bits needing fitting, such as the bombs, which I'd given a good going over, the RATO pods that I mentioned earlier, canopy etc., so they've all be added, but I've just remembered that i haven't added the whip aerial under the wing (I can never remember the name for that), or the pitot probe on the wingtip The canopy was glued in the open position, but I left the front one loose, as it's a good friction fit and I can have a look in if I want to.  It also hides the lack of belts therein

 

It wasn't until I came to take the pictures that I realised that the round Mark 54 base I have is a bit wee for larger subjects like this, and all the wheels only just fit on    Here's a teaser pic, and you can find the rest here
 

 

[trickyrich]

awesome job Mike, she's beautifully done and well worth the wait.