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Inspired by all the brilliant "Gentlemen's Scale" models at Expo, I thought it high time to dust off my Me-262 which had become a bit of a hangar queen with other modelling projects leap-frogging this project. Like all Trumpeter kits, it needs a lot of work to come up to scratch. Of course it can be built OOB, but this simply will not do for this little black duck! I have added the Aires cockpit/wheel bay as the kit offering is pretty clunky. I have used the beautiful RB seat belts as well. Made of paper, these take quite some work to get right but look the part when finished. Instrument panel is Eduard, blended in with RLM-66.

I bogged and shaved the LE slats to give them a more aerodynamic shape and of course they promptly warped - ARGH! This is what made me put this project aside for a couple of years. Some thin plastic card has mostly fixed this issue and I'm back working on the wing. I have decided to deploy the LE slats as these were spring loaded I believe and only popped back in place once a certain airspeed was reached. I've seen footage of a Luftwaffe "black man" tweaking these slats with pliers to get then to run properly without binding. So they look a bit twisted and bent in any case. Finish on the real bird is pretty average having seen the real thing at NASM two decades ago

Here are some old shots and I will take some more as I progress. Gotta say so enjoying being back in Gentlemen's Scale! - I'm back baby!

Here's the current state of play. Lots of work on the wings and engine nacelles. LE slats have been glued on and current work is on the turbine nacelles. Fit is pretty average, so lots of carving and sanding, re-scribing and re-riveting - oh the joys of building Trumpeter!

First attempt to deal with the sink marks on the upper wing. Tamiya putty didn't work. The ol' Zap a Gap CA glue ended up doing the job. Lots of re-scribing and re-riveting needed to be done as a result.



LE slats





Turbo's in place - just loosely fitted. Still lots of work to go before glued in place.

Really nice work so far Adam, especially that cockpit!!!
The 262 is a dam pretty aeroplane!!!!
TOR

Great work there Adam but is there really any need to scream out what scale you like to work in?

Regards,
RHB.

Take it from me Ross.....Adam is a very bad influence when it comes to "Gentleman's Scale".
I have a whole 1:32 stash because of him
TOR
PS: and Capt Eric helped

You're right of course Ross - perhaps I was a bit over-exuberant! The last two years I've struggled building two 1/48 Eastern European kits (Zlin-50M & Yak-52) - both of which required so much effort to look average, so it was high time I got back into finishing this kit.
Generally speaking, I just seem to enjoy 1/32 scale more than any other scale. Admittedly, I had some role in corrupting the site owner here to the merits of this scale. We both now have two rather expensive 1/32 Mustang Reno racers in our stash! It was a classic example of Mutually Assured Destruction! I launched the "RB-51"nuke and Ray counter-struck with the "Voodoo" nuke!

Adam the Akrodude wrote: I had some role in corrupting the site owner here to the merits of this scale. We both now have two rather expensive 1/32 Mustang Reno racers in our stash! It was a classic example of Mutually Assured Destruction! I launched the "RB-51"nuke and Ray counter-struck with the "Voodoo" nuke!

Secretly though Ross...I am actually rather grateful to Adam for introducing me to the wonderful world of 1:32 as:
A/ the two afore-mentioned Reno Racer Mustangs are both just stunning models in their own right, and I am proud to have them in my stash
and
B/ I am noticing that, as I get older, the 1:144, 1:72, and 1:48 kits in the stash seem to be getting smaller, harder to see, and more difficult to handle.
TOR

Small update after a lot of work on the wing and engine pods. Lots of playing around with the l/e slats to get the right amount of deployment. Lots of work fitting the engine pods, bogging, sanding, more bogging and now the process of re-scribing and re-riveting. Oh the joy that is building Trumpeter!

Sink marks in the upper wing and the engine inlet dealt with. Also painting and adding some "grim" and "shallow" effects to the wheel well/cockpit tub. The Aires parts are just incredible and so so so much better than the kit parts.



Process of re-scribing and re-riveting after fitting engines - not finished yet!



Glorious cockpit tub/wheel well - painted. It will be further grimed once all together in the fuselage.

Amendment - Realised that some "plumbing" on the tub is not a wiring loom. but pneumatic or hydraulic lines - opps! Had to undo and repaint silver - pays to check one's references!

Cockpit/wheel well tub mainly complete and ready for insertion into the fuselage - test fitting shown below. Added some interconnecting wiring looms between parts of the Aires wheel well - blended in nicely.

Not bad for an old bloke