Tamiya 262

[T. van Vuuren]

I eventually got arround to starting my Tamiya 1/48 Me 262 bomber version.

It is the typical "shake 'n bake" kit with exelemt detail and fit sofar.

I will be doing it out the box ,no aftermarket stuff and there is really no extras you need to scrathbuild either. I just added masking tape seat straps and foot retention straps on the rudder peddals.

The gunbay looks very overdone in the pix, but to the naked eye it looks just about right with some gun/oil staining.The guns, or rather the cannons are actually gunmetal grey, they apear to be black in the pic.

Having allot of fun with the build sofar, maybe I forgot how easy Tamiya is to build LOL!

I will most likelybe doing it in the sceeme of "Y" of 1./KG51 Autumn '44.The splinter cammo on the wings/tail I like, but the fuse "squigly line" cammo might be a real problem to do neatly.Hopefully someone can post a pic of what it looked like so I can get some ideas.

The undersides is Tamiya AS5 Hellblau. Wouls Humbrol 122 be acurate?

Theuns

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[munkster]

This might be my next project so will follow with interest. Looks v.nice so far...!

 

[stona]

Hi Theuns,I'll look for some piccies tomorrow when I get home.

The underside colour was RLM 76 so look for an equivalent of that.

Cheers

Steve

 

[AlanG]

Tamiya AS-5 = RLM 76 = Vallejo Model Air 46 / Humbrol 175 / Tamiya XF23? / Xtracrylix XA1208

 

[colin m]

Looking great. Nice level of detail.

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Thanx lads, that helps, hopefully I can get some work on it done this week.

Theuns

 

[saguy]

hi theuns - i built a me262 A1a a year or so ago (is in my gallery) ... is it the same as the one u r building?

Also what is the "squiggly" camo u refering to which appears on the fuselage ...?

rgds

lindsey

 

[stona]

Hi Theuns,I've got several good photos of your subject. That scheme is going to be fun to do. Smith and Creek's book says it was finished in the two late war greens (RLM 82 and RLM 83) over RLM 76. I think Merrick was their advisor so I won't argue with that!

The full code was 9K+HY but the 9K and H were done in small black letters leaving the fancy Y in a large white letter. The tip of the fin and nose cone were also in white,the Staffel colour. The gun ports were not painted white (or a Staffel colour) as is seen on some of its contemporaries.

It was fitted with two ETC 503 bomb racks in the usual position,under the forward fuselage.

I'll try and send you a scan or two later once SWMBO is out of the office!

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

Here's what Theuns is attempting.

From Smith and Creek,Me262 Volume Two.

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Thanx Steve. Was Merric the piloto of "y" ? That sceeme will be chalanging to say the least.

The other sceemes for the kit is a squigle on the fuse and wings of KG51 "Edelweiss" Oct'44 and a mottle effect of KG 51 Rheine Sept'44 plane "white B"

I did the mottle on my 109 Trop, so this time I want to do the splinter cammo. Was the edges of the splinter hard or feathered?

@ SA GUY - my kit is the 262A-2a.

Theuns

 

[stona]

Sorry Theuns.I should have been more specific,Merrick is Ken Merrick a well known researcher who has written one of the most authoratative books on Luftwaffe camouflage and markings.

The splinter scheme used on the Me262 was the same as that originally devised for the Bf110C and was also used on the Me210 and its development,the Me410. It was adjusted to fit different aircraft types by working out a size for various rectangles that formed an imaginary grid which could be superimposed on the aircraft. The size of these rectangles was calculated from various dimensions of the airframe. This gave a VERY precise pattern,it is quite wrong to imagine that the factory applied splinter was in any way random. There is no evidence that Messerschmitt used any kind of masks,unlike the British manufacturers,but the schemes were initially sprayed with a fairly hard edge. I believe this was done by skilled paint sprayers,freehand. They must have marked or chalked out the pattern. Later schemes seem to have become somewhat softer edged. Have a look at the Bf109 in the Australian War Memorial,it is the only one in the world with its original war time paint.

It shows a softer demarcation. I think this softening may have been due to less skilled painters working on the aircraft. For your Me262,in scale,the demarcation will be hard but you might want to soften it a little,maybe by raising your masks,to give an artistic effect. It's definitely art rather than science on a model!

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Exelent info as usual Steve!

Do you know who was the pilot of "Y" KG 51?

Theuns

 

[saguy]

whew .....u r a braver person than me to do that camo theuns ... looking forward to seeing yr handiwork ... have a look at this model which i found whilst browsing around ......cheers lindsey

Messerschmitt Me 262A-2a by Bob Oehler (Tamiya 1/48)

 

[T. van Vuuren]

That's the same kit, thanx coppied to harddrive for later "review"

Brave or stupid...........the question will be apparent soon I think! LOL

Theuns

 

[stona]

That's a lovely model. I would say that he has chosen to do the squiggle pattern in RLM 81,at least to my eye. I think that this is generally accepted to have been in the darker of the two upper surface colours RLM 83. There is no right and wrong here,B+W photos are very hard to interpret.

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

A little bit of progress.

The cockpit tub and gunbay/wheelwell installed. I need to respray the internal sidewalls of the fuse under the tub silver, I didn't read the instructions to well here !

The weighted nosewheel well is a rather nifty idea.

Would there be any staining of the gun fairings when the guns (cannons actually) were fired? Something like on a P-51 or spit wing where the muzzle flash in basically up against the fuselarge or wing???

Theuns

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[stona]

Would there be any staining of the gun fairings when the guns (cannons actually) were fired? Something like on a P-51 or spit wing where the muzzle flash in basically up against the fuselarge or wing???

Theuns

There will be plenty who disagree but I think staining from guns is much overdone. I don't see much evidence of it on contemporary photos.WWII era cartridges were using modern propellants not black powder! I think a slight discolouration around the muzzle is okay but the long black lines featured on many models? Not for me.

This is about the WORSE staining I've found.It's probably there as the aircraft has landed in enemy territory and therefore hasn't been cleaned.I think the oil leaking from the cowling may give an idea of why it was forced to land.

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Ok ,thanx Steve.

I have managed to put all the "goodies" in the fuse halves and joined it.Looks very good sofar. I like the simple pannellines of German (and US Grumman) aircraft that seem to be simple "lapjoints". Eazy to repair after joint sanding LOL!

Theuns

 

[stona]

Indeed,and Messerschmitt liked simple curves. The skins don't go over the middle of the fuselage so that one side is a mirror image of the other,also much simpler than the complicated skins on something like a Spitfire.

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Did the skins of the fuse make a joint on the top of the spine and the bottom, or were they wrap arround?

Here is the latest.

The dryfit of the wing to fuse looks very good.I have lost one of the undercart doors, will have to make another

Theuns

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