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

Nice looking build but I notice he's left the horizontal panel line below the gun bay where Tamiya have you insert the shell ejection port insert.

Karl

Wonderful detail work Karl! I hope mine turns out that good!

Wow Karl your build is inspiring me to build another better 262 That is some fantastic detail work you have done there.

Thanks for the comments guys.

I'm sorting out the seams on the fuselage at the moment, something I always make a pigs ear of.

Even using CA & talc, I keep finding seams re-appearing.

Am I missing something here?

Karl

If you are still finding them then, no, you are not missing anything. Seriously, better now then after you start the top coats.

Well had a bit of progress tonight, got the RLM 76 facsscimile on the bottom and sides. Nothing to write home about but a lil bit forward nonetheless. All the references I have checked point towards Tamiya XF-53, and Humbrol 126 and concoctions of many which I am not game enough to do consistantly. So I decided to get the paints I had on hand together and dab a bit onto a test piece and compare to the color chips I have from Luftwaffe camo & markings Vol 2. The two colors mentioned earlier weren't even close. My gf went to a market awhile back and picked up some old tins of humbrol and a few rattle cans for next to nothing. One of those tins was Humbrol 87, a close enough dead ringer for RLM 76. Problem solved! YIPPEE! Splinters and mottles going on next.

Had some quality bench time tonight/morning. Found out I don't like Polly Scale paints for airbrushing at all!!! They are entirely different creatures, or is it just me??? Anyhooo I had a Humbrol tin that was purt near so I used that, took awhile to get consistant flow but finally had a good mix and settled down to putting the RLM 82 on. Tomorrow going to shoot the 81, well later today anyway. Here's a few pics.

Man it's quiet here!!!!! The end date is passed , but that doesn't mean the build is over, for some of us lol. Anyways, found out I don't much like Xtracrylix either. Tried several ways of thinning, and they either didn't mix up, or dried too fast and kept drying on the needle tip, even with my final thinning with Windex. Shot it last night/this morning and finally called it quits bout 3:30am!!! The manufacturers thinner probably would work a charm but didn't get any when I bought the paint thinking it's just another acrylic. WRONG!!!! Being it was the closest color I had for RLM 81 I was forced to fight with it and I think I finally won the battle. Here's a couple pics, any comments welcome.

Bummer about the paint Richie, looks like you have got it licked!  Love the mottle, very well done.  Must be something in the air this week with acrylics- I have been fighting with my Tamiya paints all week, and guess what?  I'm stripping paint AGAIN!!!

Frank it would not be normal if you did'nt strip one of your builds at leadt two or three times before you were happy with it.

Richie your still building? Man your making Frank look  fast!

Soulcrusher

Richie looks really good to me you nailed that paint job

Cheers guys!!!! Hopefully the lil bit of irregularity on the 81 will dissipate with the future, which will be going on in short order after a bit of touchup with some more 76. Then decals yayyyyyy!!!! Then the fiddly bits.

Richie the paint looks good from here. I struggled with the Xtracrylix as well, go down nicely if you can get them to spray, gave up in the end and went back to the Gunze, I have found they brush nicely for detail painting etc so hang on to them.

Frank what a pain having to strip the paint, which kit was it?

Cheers...

Thanks Mike!! Glad i'm not the only one with Xtracrylix woes.

Coming together nicely Richie! The mottling looks perfect... well done!

Well i got two coats of future on and will start putting on the decals shortly. Working on when to actually put my canopy on.   Anyhoo here is a few pics with the gloss on that smoothed out all blotchiness on the brown as hoped.

Got the "stickers" on and settled. I like Academy decals compared to the old Hase ones from the Jake!!! If they were large area ones like on the Jake I might have had probs but these went on easy peasy!!! A few pics.

....and got the two-piece swastikas purt near spot on I'd say

Ohhh.. SHINEY!!!   Looking good Richie, you're really flying now with that one!

Howdy all,

Alrighty, I am getting close!  Finishing up the canopy, need to do the front of the engine nacelles, and a few little bits and then its to the decaling!  Not sure if I am going to try giving it a coat of future before hand.  I have not had what I consider the best of luck with that route.  I s'pose I could be doing it wrong but the best decal job I have ever done was on a Revellogram Stuka, straight onto the flat paint using the kit decals then dull-coated.  Looks great!  The worst was a Czech model ME-209 over future and then dull-coated.  Both the underwing crosses have since fallen off.  Hmmmm?  I do love the smell of future though so maybe I will give it a go.

Regardless, here are some WIP pics:

The underside has my biggest 'oopsies' of the whole thing so far:   I put the landing gear in out of order and forgot to put in lever/actuator in.  I tried to squeeze it by but no luck.  I gave the gear a bit of a tug but the CA had set pretty good and I was worried I would do more harm than good if I forced it.  Ah well....

All the paints are acrylic, mostly craft paints but some MM.  All were 'blown' with a Badger 155.  I am really digging that brush!  I am considering getting a second airbrush just to have a spare but that is another conversation.  :)

With any luck I will be decaling by the end of the week!

Enjoy!

Mike

Jeez, I put the same photo twice.  This one should have been included:

Richie, looking really good mate, you got that future on nicely, much smoother than I managed. Stickers look good, that finish line must be getting pretty close.

Mike, nice airbrush work, I like the preshading, look forward to more.

Cheers...

Thanks guys!!! Yes, the finish line is getting close!!!

Mike that is looking great!!! Love the paintwork!!!

Great stuff Mike, and glad to see another 262 about ready for page 1!  Which markings are you using?

I am using the "...white fuselage letter “Y”, werk no. 170120 of the 1/KG51, Autumn 1944..."

Just looks so cool to me!

Got a lil progress to show. Got the clear parts masked and painted, will install them shortly before the flat coat. Also have the nose wheel on the strut finally. Will be doing the mains soon. Had to take off the mold line down the centerline of the wheels and then repaint. Letting them dry completely then will build the mains up. Had an oops after demasking the office area. Was so caught up in getting the Xtracrylix paint to flow that I failed to notice the corner of the tape I placed over the office had stuck to the fuse, and upon removal I was left with a perfectly masked grey area. begrudgingly put same said paint in AB and touched up the area and futured. Tamiya acrylic thinner works with Xtracrylix as well I found out, then the flow problems persisted. No matter how I have thinned it , it still doesn't flow like Tamiya does. Anyway, without further ramblings, the pics!

clear bits masked, interior color, and exterior color with the nose gear....

the offending area found after demasking office....

and said area touched up with no masks the more I use my AB the more I love it!! lol

Fiddly bits to go and then the finish line.

Richie- Too bad about the masking issue, but honestly from the "after" photo, you can't even tell it happened- great recovery!

Nice one Ritchie. The before picture really made me smile...been there many a time! Well done on the fix.

OK so my clock reads 11:50 PM so I figure I just made it in by the 7/10 deadline.  Honestly I can't say it is 100% done as I still need to seal the decals with some Future and then Dullcoat, but c'mon, done enough, right?

Fun build overall, though once again I tried to decal over Future and wasn't totally happy.  I experimented with this build as only the upper body and sides of the fuselage were Future'd;  I just left the underside untreated.  I do think the gloss-side was a bit easier but not by much.  I think I am just not getting a good enough coat on.  I have to admit I have a bit of trouble seeing it go on, Future being clear and all.  I am constantly worried about layering it on too thick.  As I paint with acrylics, trying to strip off a bad patch of Future will more than likely damage the paint job.  I'll have ta keep on truckin' I s'pose!

As for damaging the paint job, I did have a h#ll of a time using Mr Mark Softer.  This is the first time and I managed to eat off some of the paint job today. 

Here is a pick of the damage.  Now seeing as I was rushing to get this done I was very bummed at having to fix the paint job.  Fortunately it came out OK.

Getting the decals on was a bit of a marathon today.  I had a bit more fun than usual which is odd as I find this stage to be my least favorite.  I went the 'extra mile' and did a lot of trimming and separating of the sections of the decals like the number on the tail fin and the fuselage/upper wing crosses.  All in all I am pretty happy.  I haven't decided weather to try and do any more shading or weathering.  For now I am calling it done!

Thanks for looking!

Mike

Mike -- for all your problems and uncertainties, let me assure you, you have a VERY good build here. The finish is superb and looks extremely convincing!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thanks guys for the kudos!!!

Mike, she's looking good mate!!! Nice save on the paint!!!

Got a bit more done today. Got the gear built up and ready to install.

.... and got her flat coated.

Almost there!!