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

RDIII ? Write me down, sir! I have many kits that need building and I'm sure that four or five of 'em fit the bill.

A little progress on the U3. Got her masked and an overall coat of 76. This old gal is far from flawless so I'll post the pics small.

If this thing was green it would look like Kermit the frog in this view...

Hopefully I can get another color on tomorrow.

JMABX -- I see what you mean about the "Kermit" effect! Nice looking build!

Frank, just confirming I'm definitely in RDIII with a Ramjager.

Hasegawa have a 262 B/1a of KG(J)-54 in 1:72 -- I've not been able to find an online review, does anybody have any info on this one? The vintage doesn't look too old, but they do put old kits in new boxes at times.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Mike I've got two of those kits as i plan on doing both versions. As far as i know its brand new, i'm not sure if they have done a two seater before. From the once over i gave the kits in the box they look very nice. If you wait till tomorrow i will have a closer look when i get back to barracks. I know Revell do the same version, but i am not sure how the two compare. I just decided to go with the more expensive Hasa kits assuming they would be better.  

Thanks dudes! I hope to have the cockpit painted and installed today. Now that it will be a in flight display looks like I will need to scratch build a pilot. Thinking of useing brass to get the porportions and positioning correct, then Mill putty green to add mass and detail. I like the longer cure time of it and one trick I found to keep it from sticking to tools after its on is use Tallic (baby) powder. Im getting anxious to put the fusealage halves together and paint so the glass will be left off for the pilot. Probally best I paint the canopy seperate anyways.

I assume a blue flight suit with a leather helmit? Hmm should be fun to create a Mini-Me pilot...

That photo is COOOOOL!  Certainly does look like Kermit there LOL.

Mike- Right on!  Glad to hear you are up for part three.  I added your name to my list.  Can't help you with the little 262, have never seen one of those in the box.

SuppressionFire- I have seen late war Luftwaffe pilots in an all-black leather flying suit and helmet.  Then again, I have also seen them in USAAF flight jackets.  Seems like at the end of the war, the brass didn't care too much about what they were wearing.  You will probably be correct no matter what you choose!

BTW, can I ask you your first name?  Feels a bit strange calling you by your user name.  My name is Frank, glad to meet you.

Jeremy, you're right that profile does look like Kermie. LOL

 SF, looking forward to seeing a pilot for mini-Me

Mobious

Daywalker The wind blew, paint flew onto you know who? Mini Me of course. Made the dash board by drilling just the convex part of bit into the plastic. Grey primer straight out of the rattle can, darkened Panzer grey arcylic wash and lightened enamel grey dry brush. Details inside the cockpit were picked out with a yellow, red pencil crayon and some with a lead pencil.

BTW~ my name is Jason, pleased to meet you Frank.

Shown below is the masks for spray painting the inside of the fuselage and the cockpit. Also pictured is the detail added to the drop tanks and engine nacelle's filler. First time I used acidtone for removeing filler...Dam that works slick!  Should have been useing that for years!

Painted cockpit. Dabs of Future added to the larger gauges, stopped while I figured i was ahead. Installed to the upper fuselage with crazy glue. Haves together and once seams and lost pannel lines are fixed up will be ready for paint!

Mini-Me is looking great... can't wait to see some paint on it!

Did some painting myself tonight. Didn't come out too bad. I've got myself a nice gap in that canopy though.

Hope to finish her up sometime next weekend.

Jason, the  acetone can also be used to smooth scribe lines too. Just be careful on certain "softer" type plastics, it can melt it almost as good as tenax. The detail work on such a small scale is incredible. Really enjoy watching  your progress.

Jeremy, Awesome looking camo. Very nice airbrush work. You may want to try using white glue to seal up the gaps in the canopy, then touch it up with alittle paint. 

Mobious

Jason, great work on mini-me, that things tiny, look forward to more progress.

Jeremy, top skills on that camo , I cant wait to see it finished.

I've got the wings attached on mine plus started to fit all the nose panels etc, I need to mask the canopy and then I'm gonna be getting somewhere close to paint time. Will post some progress shots asap.

Cheers folks, keep up the good work.

Jeremy, that camo came out fantastic - great job!

-Fred

Mike That new hasagawa kit is an older molding. I just compared it to the C-1a kit which i have had for years and they are the same. The C-1a  (Just an A-1a kit with different marking) even has the cutout for a twin seater, which i hadn't noticed before. I didn't realise they had done a twin seater before. So i ain't sure if i missed it before or they just waited till now to release it.  Both kits are still in the wrappers, but they do look nice kits, everything seems to be in the right place and nice engraved panel lines. Not sure if your an OOB builder or a PE freak like me, but if its the latter, the only set i could find was an Eduard one for the Revel B-1a kits.

jmabx awsome paint job.

Jeremy, awesome work on the Paint Job!!!    What colours did you use and did you use a mist coat over top to get it to blend together so nicely?

SF, Mini-me is looking great too.  So much detail in such a small scale.

Mike, Bish is right, those Hasegawa kits have been around since at least the mid eighties.  Hasegawa recently re-released the B1-a version as did Revell.  As for how the two compare I've built both and would definitely go with the Revell which is just as good quality wise for half the price.  The Revell kit has more cockpit detail than the Hasegawa but the canopy of the Revell is not as nice as the Hasegawa.  I built the 1/72 Hasegawa kit for this GB, got it at a vendor table at a show for cheap, finished pics are on page 29.

EDIT:  oops... the finished pics are on page 39 not 29 as Frank posted on page 1!!!  FRANK... 

BTW:  RDIII huh?  I'm trying to get some unfinished builds done this year but if I can swing it I've got an Academy Fw190A 6/8 in the stash.

Bugger. Wish i had known that a couple of months ago before i bought two of the hasagawa kits. O well. One thing i did notice about those kits, the front wheel is fixed to the undercarrage leg, and it shows.  Would be nice if academt brouhgt out a two seater, that kit is very nice.

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Jason!  Excellent work on "Mini-me" LOL.

Jeremy- Ooohhh yeah, love that paint!  Well done.

Mike- I'll be looking for those pics soon my friend!  Always enjoy seeing how you do things.

Dave- AAACCCKKK!!!  You're right- sorry about that!  Page 1 edited.  Good to see you again, it's been a while!

Nice camo job, Jeremy!

Frank: Count me in for RDIII. I missed I and II. I have too many options to choose from so let me finish this darned 262 and go from there...

Well its was a good, bad and ugly day...

The good, Enamel flat black wash. Pre shadeing if I may...

The bad, Mist coat looks great! Then it fell off the stick, 10 feet into snow! Noticed the tail fin was missing...

The ugly...Looked for 15 minutes in snow.. tail fin was on bench. 'Spring Grass' paint looks just like it said, don't worry as it will be sanded down with wet 1500 grit. Minor fish eye. Plan on a quick drybrush of lighter green before darker camo color. Besides it aint' over till the last coat of clear flat is on...

Jeremy -- KILLER camo, your airbrush work is superb! I'm looking forward to seeing this one decaled!

Bish -- thanks for the rundown! I tried for the Revell kit a few months ago but couldn't catch one at a decent price. I went ahead and bought the Hasegawa on eBay for an excellent price. I guess it's the same moulds as the nightfighter version I have somewhere in my stash. If the panel lines are engraved, I'm happy! I'm not sure if it'll get here in time for the end of the build, it goes via a frind who collects and repacks in bulk for international shipment. We'll see, if it gets here I might try a quick build before the end! But I think I'll probably be going well to get the big Tamiya done on schedule.

Cheers,

Mike/starhawk379

Supressionfire Your build is just sick man, all the fine detail on the Mini-me. I shudder to think what you could do with one in 1/32 scale. Cant wait to see what you do next with it.

Jmabx That is a STUNNING paint job ! Talk about mastering the airbrush, I think you have done just that.

Jeremy, that is an outstanding camo job, I would love to try one of those one day, any particular method you used on it.

Jason its comming along great.

Sorry I have been missing for the last week, been out of town for work and a funeral. When I got back found that my basement/paint shop is flooded so its going to be a few more days before I can get some paint down. Hope to have an update soon.

Steve

Jason, Nice save on the flying 262.  Can't wait to see more progress reports.

Steve, Sorry to hear about your shop flood.  Hope everything is still in working order.

John

Mike Glad to help. Hopefully you will be able to get it in time. I haven't built any of the hasagawa kits yet, so would be nice to see how they go together. If you have got one cheap, then i think you have done ok. Over here in the Uk the hasagawa kit is twice the price of the Revell kit, we seem to be paying alot more for the stuff from asia.

Hi Bish -- I picked it up for US 7.99 on eBay, and got an in-scale Hase Bf 109 G-6 for the same price from the same seller. That's a lot less than the shelf price of the Revell kit, so I was quite pleased. The shelf price on kits of that series and vintage was $16 or more in the Squadron catalog from '96, so I reckon I got a good deal.

If they're anything like the way Hasegawa goes together at 1:48, they should build a breeze. I should think the 262 would have 40-50 parts with very true fit. I last built one of their 72s many years ago but remember it being a real gem, their Mustang, this was even back in the raised detail era. But the fit was superb. (I tell a lie, my last Hasegawa 72 was an old F-4E in 2003 -- it appeared as a finishing techniques article in FSM!)

My latest build is for the Turretless AFVs GB, a Trumpeter 1:35 STRV 103B, which has pretty much fallen together this week, it's practically ready for paint now. I must get my F-84 done for NMF, then I'll feel I'm getting on top of my build schedule.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Charles- You got it my friend, I put you on the list!

Jason- Love the "wash" preshading, great idea!  I see what you mean about the green.  I'll tell you something about that Fusion paint- it REALLY adheres itself to plastic.  I used it to paint some soft plastic parts on my motorcycle a few years ago, and to this day it looks like brand new.  Better than the factory paint even!

Steve- Oh, man!  I am so sorry to hear that.  Good luck fixing up the basement.

Mike- Sorry I haven't been over to the 8-wheel GB in a while, the projects on my bench are taking MUCH longer than I had anticipated!

Over here the Revell B-1 kit goes for around £5 while the Hasagawa one is over 11, so you got a good deal. I have built quite a few hasa kits over the years, and i would say close to half my aircraft stash is that brand. The next build after my MiG 19 is going to be one of theirs, though i think it will be a bit more complicated than a 1/72nd 262. Its one of their new B-24 kits. So thats going to be fun.

Thanks everyone! The wet sanding helped dull down the 'spring grass' Tried to keep the splinter camo. look without worrying about getting it exactly like the instructions. My moto is quick on, quick off with the tape. All edges were wet sanded with 1500 grit useing isoprople alcohol after alowing to dry 30 min.

Blue poster tack putty used for wavey line seperating the green from the black, once again more about the theme than accuracy. Dark green wet sanded before blue mask for the black paint was applied. Dark grey primer used underneath before a mist of black.

BMX! we struck oil! Repeat POW"s in camp...Over. ~ Blaster, Uncomon Valour

Under the blue goo ... Mini-Me!

Future brushed on pannels which recieve decals. Goofed up canopy so waiting for new future to cure. Will wait to uncover cockpit untill decal clear flat is sprayed. Below shows differance in color between the instructions and my Me 262. Not a worry as the theme is strong, the clear flat will harmonize it all after decals 

Looking good Jason!

I have a few photos of my cockpit progress, but Photobucket is giving me some trouble right now.  Hope to have it sorted out soon!

Forums are also giving me fits, timing out before it can load.  Really, REALLY hope they get this mess sorted out soon.

Wow! Mini-Me is lookin' great.   Love the way you masked it up.

Nice paint work, the wet sanding smoothed the masked edges out nicely. Very nice work Jason.

M0

Excellent work on mini-me Jason, nice masking and paint job on something so small.

I've hit a bit of a bump on my 262, got a nasty step on the gun bay cover which I'm trying to slowly sort out with mr surfacer and wet sanding, very annoying but think I'm getting there slowly whilst trying not to lose to much detail. I will post a small update picture in the next day or two.

Cheers...