Messerschmitt Me262, Airfix 1/72 (kit No.A03088)

The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft.  Design work started before World War II began, but problems with engines, metallurgy and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262's roles included light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions.

The Airfix kit (A03088) in 1/72 scale is a new tool with great detail, both inside and outside, and grasps perfectly the lines of this beautiful fighter. The clear parts are thin and very transparent, while the decal sheet offers a choice between two aircraft and the signature of Cartograf.

Construction

We began, as always, from the cockpit in which the detail is very good. However, we used Eduard (SS600) photo etched set for more detail and also Eduard masks (CX486) for the clear parts. For anyone who wants to use the set with photo etched parts, these will need a lot of attention in their placement, as many things can easily go wrong, spoiling the good appearence of the completed model. Everything in the cockpit area was painted with Humbrol 32 (RLM 66) and then we added the details using different shades. Finally we applied a dry brush with light gray and a wash with oil paint to give some depth to the area and show the detail. The rest of the build rolled without problems with a little putty being used only at the bottom of the central wing - fuselage joint and a little bit around the wing roots.

Painting

Instead of a gray primer this time we decided to use a black base in our model before painting and then airbrush it with a black Gunze shiny color. Starting with the lighter color of the camouflage pattern, we first sprayed undersurfaces with the Light Gray, using Gunze/Mr.Color H417 (RLM76). Using blue tack, the undersurfaces were masked and then the Gunze H422 (RLM82) was sprayed to the uppersurfaces. A meticulous and long-term masking followed, in order to achieve the right symmetry of the splinter scheme and so we sprayed our last color, Gunze H421 (RLM81). With our basic colors painted, we used some thinned white and gray to apply a careful fading, while with RLM76 we added little mottle patterns to the areas suggested by the instructions.

We sprayed the model with two gloss coats of Future, and then we were ready for the decals. These turned out to be the hardest point in our kit build. Though there is the Cartograf's signature printed on them, they were pretty rough and difficult in their placement. With a lot of patience and with a lot of Mr. Mark Softer, we managed to apply them in our model without any problems. With brown and black shades of oil paint, we emphasized some areas on the model. The wash technique was used to reproduce some leaks and damage to specific points. A final spray with Humbrol satin varnish and a few smoke powders on machine guns were the final touches to our completed model.

In Conclusion...

Overall, we would say that it was a pleasant construction of a legendary and historic aircraft, whose lines Airfix managed to reproduce with great success and realism. 

You can order the Airfix Me262 kit here.