ME-262: Reich Defender II 10/09-7/10

Steve-great build-nice paint work...very nicely done.

Frank & the gang-thanks for the welcome back.  I think things will improve once I get a couple of weeks in on the new routine.

Steve love your build we get another see thru 262.  I really like the way you scalloped the paint lines on the clear side and your camo is great. Cant wait to see the finished pictures with all the detail on the clear side very well done.

As I told you all last week I finally started my Me 262 build, I have the cockpit tub done and ready to go in and the fuse sides are glued together. As with most Monogram kits the fuse halves need some filling and sanding, I hope to get done tomorrow. With luck I will have a few pictures to share the first part of the week.

Steve- That 262 is looking VERY good indeed, love the camo!  Not sure about the stance question, but they do sit fairly tall.  Most pics I have seen of them shows them sitting almost level.  About the bracing rod, there was a cable that kept the canopy from falling completely over the side of the fuselage.  This photo is from the ME-262 Project in Texas, but you get the idea.

Hey Bob, good to see ya back on the forums and hope the building bug hits ya soon.

Good to see you too Razor.

sorry for the double post earlier folks

Steve

Well fellas Im almost there. Flatcoat after decals etc is done and I am getting a lot of work done today. If all goes well it will be done today or tomorrow. Heres where I am,

I do have a few questions for you all. First, is it me or does this bird sit very tall. I thought the tail on the 262 sat very low, on this kit by scale it would take a ladder for the pilot to get up there. Secondly, on the open canopy would there be a bracing rod or wire to hold the canopy when open.

Thanks for looking and all comments welcome

Steve

Well fellas Im almost there. Flatcoat after decals etc is done and I am getting a lot of work done today. If all goes well it will be done today or tomorrow. Heres where I am,

I do have a few questions for you all. First, is it me or does this bird sit very tall. I thought the tail on the 262 sat very low, on this kit by scale it would take a ladder for the pilot to get up there. Secondly, on the open canopy would there be a bracing rod or wire to hold the canopy when open.

Thanks for looking and all comments welcome

Steve

Charles- I looked and looked, but no definitive answer on the colors of Red 13.  The most reliable source I have (Jerry Crandall from Eagle Editions) states that it is either 74/75/76 or 82/83/76.  Not much of an answer I'm afraid, sorry!

Mike- Glad to hear that the Future is going well.  One other trick I have found to help is to add a drop or two of liquid dishwashing detergent to help ease the surface tension.  Might help a bit!

Bob- Sorry that you have fighting for inspiration on your builds, employment issues can really wear a fella down.  I hope you are able to solve it soon.  Glad to have you here no matter whether you are building or not, I really enjoy your company!

Thanks all for the kind words of encouragement.

Dave-I hope you find work soon.  No fun not working-I feel for you.

Charles, I'm a little late to the party but that is some out standing work on the Red 13!!! 

Mike, that is one crazy camo pattern you have there.  Can't wait to see more.

Bob, good to hear you've found work again.  I've been off quite a bit lately myself and it is hard to get motivated even though you "supposedly" have all this spare time.

Karl I get my Gunze from the same place, very good service.

Bob, good luck with your new job, I hope it all works out well for you.

Mucker, your build looks great whatever the colours should be, I've fallen foul of the Tamiya callouts myself in the past.

Sprayed my first future last night and it went pretty well, I will be able to start the Decals tomorrow.

Cheers...

Thanks Charles-I think once I get back into a routine, I will rekindle the desire to work on reducing my stash....or maybe adding to it.....once things settle down this afternoon, I may lay claim to the kitchen table and finish up a work in process while the Mrs. watches the Olympics and the teenager does whatever teenagers do.....

Bob - I'm glad to hear you've found work! We truly live in depressing times so I can understand the hiatus, but I hope you find something that sparks your return to the bench - some fancy nose art, a plane at a museum, at TV show, etc. I always enjoy both your outstanding work and easy going personality..it's guys like you that make this a great place to be.

mucker

 

Thunderbolt379:

 

I'm building rhe same kit in the same markings

 

 

Mike: A word of warning...I've just learned from another site that the RLM 74/75/76 is incorrect for Red 13. This modeler claimed that 74/81/83 is the correct color scheme. SOme of the more Luftwaffe experten here (Frank, for one) may be able to confirm or deny this, but either way you might want to look into this. I followed the Tamiya instructions (or so I think I did), but wish I would have checked other sources...

Just my 2 cents.

Charles-I wouldn't worry about it....I built Red 13 several years ago and while researching builds on ModelingMadness.com, found that there was an argument for either paint scheme....with only B&W photos to go on, it could go either way.  And besides, that is a beautiful paint job, one to be proud of.

Frank-dunno if I am ever going to get started on my build.  After seven months of unemployment (and plenty of free time but no desire to build), I start work at a new job (something completely different than what I have done for the last thirty years.....change is good, right?) and will have to wait and see how I adjust.  A lot of great work being shown here.  A lot of nice builds.

Mike (Tbolt379)- I cannot remember what they call for to thin Microscale clears, was it distilled water perhaps?  I'll take a look when I get home.  Isoproyl alcohol can usually be found at a pharmacy like Walgreens (not sure what you have in Oz) or a cosmetics store.  Most any large chain department store should have it too.

Mike (Spike190)- Glad to help my friend!  I usually spray a little until it looks close, then walk away for a few minutes.  When you come back and it almost looks right, that's when I quit.

Charles- Hmmm... interesting!  I'll take a look when I get home to see what I can come up with.  Pretty sure I have a color photo of that AC somewhere.

Mike, that has to be the weirdest camo scheme I've ever seen, reminds me of a mown lawn!

Great looking job though.

Mucker, stunning looking build.

I've got a colour photo of White 17, werknummer 110956 in full RLM 74/75/76.

Given that the werknummer for Red 13 is 400 lower than White 17, I think RLM 74/75/76 is the correct scheme.

Steve, looking sharp, and looking forward to seeing that one done.

As for Gunze in the UK, this is where I get mine from.

http://www.shopcreator.com/mall/departmentpage.cfm/ModelDesignConstruction/_-/1

Karl

Thunderbolt379

I'm building rhe same kit in the same markings

Mike: A word of warning...I've just learned from another site that the RLM 74/75/76 is incorrect for Red 13. This modeler claimed that 74/81/83 is the correct color scheme. SOme of the more Luftwaffe experten here (Frank, for one) may be able to confirm or deny this, but either way you might want to look into this. I followed the Tamiya instructions (or so I think I did), but wish I would have checked other sources...

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks Steve, I thought stripes would be a change. I got the impression from pictures and profiles that it was a slightly 'relaxed' stripe so that helped.

Frank that's just what I wanted to know, thanks very much.

Cheers...

Beautiful job on that, Mucker!  The paint and finish is superb.

-Fred

Agreed muchly -- Charles, that's a stupendous finish! I'm building rhe same kit in the same markings and this gives me a standard to aim for! (I might just ignore that gap around the forward transparency... basically, pondering what to do with it has stopped the show for a long time now.)

Frank -- isopropyl alcohol... is that the stuff to use to thin the Microscale system clear finishes? I've never been able to get a straight answer from the company about that and it doesn't say on the packaging. What I will say is I've never seen a clear gloss self-level like theirs, and if it'll do that when sprayed instead of brushed, it should be a great system to use.

I found isopropyl at my local hardware store -- the liquid was bright green, so I obiously can't use that a s apaint additive. I think there's a clear version available through a casting supplies company, I might have to take a trip out there and see.

Almost finished my second eight-wheeler and a turretless tank, and my F-84 is dying for it's metallic coat, but when those builds are out of the way I think I'll get the 262 back on the roster!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Charles- OUTSTANDING!!!  That is a superb rendition of the 262, bravo!  Especially the paint, incredible stuff.  Thank you so much for building her here!

Mike- Are you going to use the Tamiya Buff as an overspray?  When I do that, I thin it about 10% paint 90% Isopropyl alcohol (91%).  I gradually spray it about 8 inches from the model, at about 20-25 psi.  When it looks ALMOST right, STOP!  Nice thing about thinning it so much is it takes quite a few passes to be noticeable, so you have some flexibility.  Good luck!

Mike, nice progress on your build. the pics are fine for a phone pic, mine would be not that great. I really like your cammo scheme onyour build. Straighr lines are not that easy to pull off.

Steve

Mucker, realy nice finish on your build. The flatcoat really blends it all together well and the red contrast shows very well. Excellent build

Steve

Mucker I found the polyscale available from Hannants but they seem to be limited availability and quite pricey, I'm leaning towards the Vallejo range for brush painting as I believe they are extremely good and I can get them locally.

Almost ready for the gloss coat so I will get some proper pictures sorted asap.

Cheers.... 

Well done Mucker!   I really love the gun bay... looks nice and deadly.

WOW! Great looking 262 Mucker. Stunning camo. I really like the grey's very cool contrasted with the excellent red 13 decal application. Very cool looking fighter.

 Mobious

Spike: So far I like the Gunze/Tamiya acrylics for spraying (although they don't brush very nicely) with the Gunze line having more colors pre-mixed. I'm not sure how available they are in the UK, but Polyscale makes a great line of colors which brush nicer, but don't spray as nice.

I'll be looking for your Tensocrom review!

Mucker, I looked at the xtracrylix when I started using the gunze, I think I just read a few more better reviews for the gunze thats all. Would you reccommend them? I quite fancied the lifecolor range but I think they are a little trickier to spray? I've got a few of the 'Tensocrom' weathering colours to try which should be fun . I 've not tried the other make.

Cheers...

Spike190

Mucker what a great looking 262 , I love the finish you've achieved, really nice subtle weathering, nice pictures aswell. I'm using Gunze aqueous colours, I find them very good, quick drying and very durable.

Thanks, Spike. I'm with you on the Gunze. It's too bad they didn't conform to the MSDS requiremnets here in the colonies, as I now have to buy them from overseas. Above and beyond the quick drying and durability that you mentioned, they spray clean, clean up easy and offer a great range of specific colors. I just wish they became more readiliy available over here.

Have you tried any of the Xtracrylix, Lifecolors or Agama paints?

Mucker what a great looking 262 , I love the finish you've achieved, really nice subtle weathering, nice pictures aswell. I'm using Gunze aqueous colours, I find them very good, quick drying and very durable.

Frank thanks for the info on the sol/set, I will take it carefully and hope to come up trumps. I have another question, I was thinking of having ago with Tamiya buff, do I thin it lots and what kind of psi would you suggest?

Hope to get a little more done tonight, keep the ball rolling,

Cheers...

mucker Excellent Me-262! The decals look painted on and the tri-grey color scheme looks perfect. The upper surfaces have a sun faded appearance without loosing the splinter scheme. I really like this one and it should hold its own on contest tables if thats your thing.