Revell's 1/32 scale
Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a/U1

by Brett Green

Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a/U1

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Here's my Revell 1/32 scale Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a night fighter, finally finished after stalling three years ago.

This was an early test shot from Revell. I did most of the basic assembly including adapting the Eduard interior set for the Trumpeter kit (which worked with very little modification) but I shelved it at that point in 2016.

After mocking me from the windowsill for the last three years, the model finally persuaded me to pick it up and finish it.

My Stormbird had accumulated a thick layer of dust over the years so I filled up the kitchen sink, added some detergent and thoroughly washed the model.

A few running repairs were needed. The port side wing root join had popped open, which also meant that the port side inboard flap was MIA. 

I fixed the damage, completed construction and got to the painting stage at last.

Many unanswered questions hang over the actual colours used on these expedient night fighters. No two seem to be painted exactly the same.

My best guess is that they were originally delivered as trainers in a typical late-war scheme of RLM 81 Brown Violet and RLM 82 Light Green, with lower surfaces in RLM 76 Light Blue. The easiest course of action after the conversion of these airframes to night fighters would be to simply overspray the dark upper surfaces in a more appropriate pale shade - either RLM 76 Light Blue or one of the late-war "Sky" shades - with patches of the underlying RLM 81 and 83 showing through as an apparent mottle. Contemporary photos suggest that the wings on some of these aircraft retained the dark upper surface colours.

I decided to attempt this scheme, oversprayed with the Sky shade on the upper fuselage but retaining its RLM 81/82 splinter pattern on the upper wings and tail planes.

I used a bunch of aftermarket on this one:

• Eduard Item No. 33057 – Me 262 B Interior SA

• Eduard Item No. 32867 – Seatbelts Luftwaffe WWII Fighters STEEL

• Eduard Item No. JX196 – Mask for Revell Me 262 B-1

• Scale Aircraft Conversions Item No. 32115 – Me 262 B-1a/U1 White Metal Landing Gear

• Yahu Item No. YMA3211 – Me 262 A

• Xtradecal Item No. X32068 – Me 262 B-1a / B-1a U1 Decals

Oh, and plenty of lead sinkers for nose weight!

I'll be writing this one up for a BIG article in a future issue of Military Illustrated Modeller (Aircraft Edition).

Thanks to Eduard for the sample.

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2019 by Brett Green
Page Created 22 July, 2019
Last Updated 22 July, 2019

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