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

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!

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

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

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.... 

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

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

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!

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

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

-Fred

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...

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.....

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...

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.

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 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!

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

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

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.

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-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 Excellent job on the clear parts showing the interior of the 262! A few photos I seen from WWII shows the 262 sitting tall as well. The front landing gear strut looks to be almost 5 feet tall includeing the wheel. The origional tail draggers sat at a steep angle makeing taxing around the areodome very difficult. The front strut helped only to introduce a new hazard of being under engineered and prone to breakage on landing.

Great looking buid, Steve .  Put the two of ours together and we'd have a completely invisible plane, LOL.

I wish Trumpeter had included a clear gun cowling like on the kit you built - it's much more visually interesting.

To answer your questions, yes it does sit fairly tall.  If you look at the engines, there are hand/foot holds for the pilot and crew, so they can get up there.  Like a boarding ladder, but not, LOL.  And the canopy has (at least on the reference pictures I have) a wire and tension spring set-up to keep the canopy from flopping over and breaking off.  If you go back to my pictures, you can see the scratchbuild of the system that I made.

-Fred

Steve, the smooth paint job coupled with the clear see-through "cutaway" really give deminsion and depth to this bird! Tremendous display of talent on your 262! I really  like how you've masked off only the areas you want to be seen.

Steve, your clear Schwalbe looks stunning.

Really liking the visible engine and fuel tank.

Karl