In Box Review of Hasegawa 1/32nd Scale
German Me-262A First Operational Jet Aircraft
Kit no. JS-979:600
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1973
Out of production
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1973
Out of production
HISTORY:
The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but problems with engines, metallurgy and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944.
The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262's roles included light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions.
Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied aircraft shot down, although higher claims are sometimes made. The Allies countered its effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Strategic materials shortages and design compromises on the Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines led to reliability problems.
Attacks by Allied forces on fuel supplies during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force. Armament production within Germany was focused on more easily manufactured aircraft.In the end, the Me 262 had a negligible impact on the course of the war as a result of its late introduction and the consequently small numbers put in operational service.
While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of World War II, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. It also heavily influenced several designs, such as the Sukhoi Su-9 (1946) and Nakajima Kikka. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight-tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre, MiG-15 and Boeing B-47 Stratojet.
Several aircraft survive on static display in museums, and there are several privately built flying reproductions that use modern General Electric J85 engines.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Wingspan: 40 feet 11 ½ inches
Length: 34 feet 9 ½ inches
Engines: two Junkers 004 B-1 jet engines, 1,980 lbs of thrust each
Speed: 540 mph at 19,684 ft.
The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but problems with engines, metallurgy and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944.
The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262's roles included light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions.
Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied aircraft shot down, although higher claims are sometimes made. The Allies countered its effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Strategic materials shortages and design compromises on the Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines led to reliability problems.
Attacks by Allied forces on fuel supplies during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force. Armament production within Germany was focused on more easily manufactured aircraft.In the end, the Me 262 had a negligible impact on the course of the war as a result of its late introduction and the consequently small numbers put in operational service.
While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of World War II, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. It also heavily influenced several designs, such as the Sukhoi Su-9 (1946) and Nakajima Kikka. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight-tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre, MiG-15 and Boeing B-47 Stratojet.
Several aircraft survive on static display in museums, and there are several privately built flying reproductions that use modern General Electric J85 engines.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Wingspan: 40 feet 11 ½ inches
Length: 34 feet 9 ½ inches
Engines: two Junkers 004 B-1 jet engines, 1,980 lbs of thrust each
Speed: 540 mph at 19,684 ft.
THE KIT:
Hasegawa, now Minicraft, is based in Torrance, CA. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of 2 Me-262 A’s attacking a formation of 3 U.S. B-24 bombers.
The Me-262A in the foreground is climbing. It is in a base of gray with green mottling camouflage, over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a yellow fuselage band, white skeletal German cross and white no. 3 on its fuselage sides.
The other Me-262A in the background is climbing and just shows its bottom, which is light-blue and the German crosses on the bottom of its wings and a yellow fuselage band.
The B-24’s are all overall olive-drab. The leading one has a white slogan “ANDY BIRD” on the side of its nose. No other markings are visible.
There is a black column of smoke going down. Perhaps from a B-24 that was shot down??
One side panel of the box says the kit was packaged in the USA, manufactured by Hasegawa in Shizuoka, Japan and their street address there is provided. Followed by 2 side-view illustrations of the Me-262A in overall light-blue and features of the kit: Two fully detailed Jumo engines. Optional parts to build as an A1, 1B or 2A version. Decals for 3 aircraft. Cannon, rocket and bomb armament. Tricycle landing gear, with rubber tires. Easy to assemble.
Hasegawa, now Minicraft, is based in Torrance, CA. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of 2 Me-262 A’s attacking a formation of 3 U.S. B-24 bombers.
The Me-262A in the foreground is climbing. It is in a base of gray with green mottling camouflage, over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a yellow fuselage band, white skeletal German cross and white no. 3 on its fuselage sides.
The other Me-262A in the background is climbing and just shows its bottom, which is light-blue and the German crosses on the bottom of its wings and a yellow fuselage band.
The B-24’s are all overall olive-drab. The leading one has a white slogan “ANDY BIRD” on the side of its nose. No other markings are visible.
There is a black column of smoke going down. Perhaps from a B-24 that was shot down??
One side panel of the box says the kit was packaged in the USA, manufactured by Hasegawa in Shizuoka, Japan and their street address there is provided. Followed by 2 side-view illustrations of the Me-262A in overall light-blue and features of the kit: Two fully detailed Jumo engines. Optional parts to build as an A1, 1B or 2A version. Decals for 3 aircraft. Cannon, rocket and bomb armament. Tricycle landing gear, with rubber tires. Easy to assemble.
Years ago, due to heavy rains, the ground outside my house became super-saturated. The water came up through my basement floor and through the north wall. It sprayed a bit on the box of this kit and made mud spots on this side panel, as you can see. The contents of the kit were not hurt at all.
The other side-panel of the box shows 5 color box arts of other aircraft kits that Hasegawa manufactured: a Focke Wulf Fw-190, a Curtiss BF2C-1, a Boeing F4B-4, a Mitsubishi Type Zero A6M5 and a Messerschmitt Bf-109E.
No kit numbers are given for these 5 kits. I assume they are all to 1/32nd scale ?
No kit numbers are given for these 5 kits. I assume they are all to 1/32nd scale ?
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 4 dark-green parts trees, a clear tree, black vinyl tires, decal sheet and instructions.
Only the vinyl tires are cello bagged.
The instructions consist of an unbound booklet of 8 pages in 8 ½” x 13” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white side-view of a Me-262A in the box art scheme, but with a white fuselage no. 8, over the history of the aircraft in English and Minecraft's street address again in Torrance, CA.
The bottom of the page has a black and white wartime photo of a Me-262A on a runway, with a pilot standing on its wing and 2 ground-crewmen standing beside it.
Page 2 is the parts-trees illustrations, with a listing of the names of the parts in the kit, over 2 black and white illustrations of a Me-109 and a Fw-190.
Page 3 through to page 6 give a grand total of 12 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 6 has a repeat of the black and white photo shown on page 1.
Pages 7 & 8 are painting and marking guides.
Page 7 shows the seated pilot figure at the top and how to paint him, beside an illustration of one of the engines.
A top view that has a wide splinter-pattern of gray and dark green and a bottom view showing as light blue and the underwing rocket racks is shown.
Below is 4 side-view profiles of Me-262 A’s.
The first one is in the box art scheme. It has a metal panel on top of its nose, white no. 10 on side of nose in front of the cockpit’s wind screen and a yellow fuselage band followed by white skeletal German crosses. Black German swastika with white borders on the rudder sides. It was with Komando Nowotny.1944.
The second one is in the same camouflage as the first one. It has a red nose tip. A black fuselage no. 2. Yellow fuselage band, white skeletal German cross and an all-white swastika on its rudder sides. It was with II KG-54 -1945.
The third one also is in the same camouflage as the other three. But not as heavily done. It has a red heart insignia under the cockpit on its sides, followed by a white German skeletal cross and a black swastika with white borders on the rudder.
The fourth is a Me-262A-1B version. It is overall light-gray over a pale-blue undercarriage. I has a skeletal white German cross on its fuselage sides and a black swastika, outlined in white on the rudder sides. Unit is not named.
The fifth one is a Me-262A-2a version. It is in a heavy wave pattern camouflage of dark-green bands over light-gray and a light-blue undercarriage. It has an insignia of a pale-blue shield with a yellow Edelweiss flower on it on the sides of its nose, white skeletal German crosses on sides of the fuselage and white swastika on rudder sides. It was with KG51 Edelweiss, 1944.
Page 8 of the instructions shows 2 illustrations of the tops of Me-262As that are in variations of the heavy splinter pattern. Over a side view of the box art subject (already described above). It is a Me-262A-1B variant. It was with III /JG7, 1945.
The instrument panel is shown and said to paint it RLM gray with black dial faces with white dials. Also how to paint instruments on the side walls of the cockpit.
Below are 2 more side views.
The first one is in the mottle camouflage of green spots over pale-gray. With a yellow fuselage no. 8, white skeletal German cross and yellow fuselage band. Black swastika with white border on rudder sides. It has a medium-blue shield with black diagonal stripe across it and a white greyhound dog on the stripe. It was with 3/JG7. 1945.
The second one has a heavy squiggle pattern camouflage of gray with green squiggles over light-blue undercarriage. It has a white nose tip. White letter Y on fuselage sides with white skeletal German cross and white swastika on rudder sides. It was with I KG51 1944.
Trees are alphabetized.
Dark-green letter A tree holds: the fuselage halves, seat, nose cowl, pilot figure halves, gun panel, cockpit floor, rudder (11 parts)
The kit holds 4 dark-green parts trees, a clear tree, black vinyl tires, decal sheet and instructions.
Only the vinyl tires are cello bagged.
The instructions consist of an unbound booklet of 8 pages in 8 ½” x 13” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white side-view of a Me-262A in the box art scheme, but with a white fuselage no. 8, over the history of the aircraft in English and Minecraft's street address again in Torrance, CA.
The bottom of the page has a black and white wartime photo of a Me-262A on a runway, with a pilot standing on its wing and 2 ground-crewmen standing beside it.
Page 2 is the parts-trees illustrations, with a listing of the names of the parts in the kit, over 2 black and white illustrations of a Me-109 and a Fw-190.
Page 3 through to page 6 give a grand total of 12 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 6 has a repeat of the black and white photo shown on page 1.
Pages 7 & 8 are painting and marking guides.
Page 7 shows the seated pilot figure at the top and how to paint him, beside an illustration of one of the engines.
A top view that has a wide splinter-pattern of gray and dark green and a bottom view showing as light blue and the underwing rocket racks is shown.
Below is 4 side-view profiles of Me-262 A’s.
The first one is in the box art scheme. It has a metal panel on top of its nose, white no. 10 on side of nose in front of the cockpit’s wind screen and a yellow fuselage band followed by white skeletal German crosses. Black German swastika with white borders on the rudder sides. It was with Komando Nowotny.1944.
The second one is in the same camouflage as the first one. It has a red nose tip. A black fuselage no. 2. Yellow fuselage band, white skeletal German cross and an all-white swastika on its rudder sides. It was with II KG-54 -1945.
The third one also is in the same camouflage as the other three. But not as heavily done. It has a red heart insignia under the cockpit on its sides, followed by a white German skeletal cross and a black swastika with white borders on the rudder.
The fourth is a Me-262A-1B version. It is overall light-gray over a pale-blue undercarriage. I has a skeletal white German cross on its fuselage sides and a black swastika, outlined in white on the rudder sides. Unit is not named.
The fifth one is a Me-262A-2a version. It is in a heavy wave pattern camouflage of dark-green bands over light-gray and a light-blue undercarriage. It has an insignia of a pale-blue shield with a yellow Edelweiss flower on it on the sides of its nose, white skeletal German crosses on sides of the fuselage and white swastika on rudder sides. It was with KG51 Edelweiss, 1944.
Page 8 of the instructions shows 2 illustrations of the tops of Me-262As that are in variations of the heavy splinter pattern. Over a side view of the box art subject (already described above). It is a Me-262A-1B variant. It was with III /JG7, 1945.
The instrument panel is shown and said to paint it RLM gray with black dial faces with white dials. Also how to paint instruments on the side walls of the cockpit.
Below are 2 more side views.
The first one is in the mottle camouflage of green spots over pale-gray. With a yellow fuselage no. 8, white skeletal German cross and yellow fuselage band. Black swastika with white border on rudder sides. It has a medium-blue shield with black diagonal stripe across it and a white greyhound dog on the stripe. It was with 3/JG7. 1945.
The second one has a heavy squiggle pattern camouflage of gray with green squiggles over light-blue undercarriage. It has a white nose tip. White letter Y on fuselage sides with white skeletal German cross and white swastika on rudder sides. It was with I KG51 1944.
Trees are alphabetized.
Dark-green letter A tree holds: the fuselage halves, seat, nose cowl, pilot figure halves, gun panel, cockpit floor, rudder (11 parts)
Dark-green letter B tree holds: wing halves, nacelle halves, elevator halves (14 parts)
Dark-green letter C tree holds: center lower wing section, main gear doors, rocket launchers, rockets, exhaust cones parts, pitot tube, antenna, oleo scissors, crank, ammo belts, instrument panel, gunsight, rudder pedals, armor plating, braces, small and large nose wheel doors, nose wheel strut, main wheel struts, bomb parts ( 65 parts)
Dark-green letter D tree holds: cockpit front and rear walls, gun compartments, engine tops and bottoms, main wheel halves, loop antenna, cowlings, gun shelf, nose wheel halves, statars, turbine, intake cones, retracting arm, nacelle bottom, machine guns, more bombs, nose wheel with tire, main wheels with tires (42 parts)
The clear tree is not alphabetized. It holds canopy parts and gunsight reflector (4 parts)
The 3 black vinyl tires are next. The acid used in formulating the vinyl has eaten these tires and congealed them. They are worthless now. I have thrown some plastic tires in the kit from my spare parts box. They may or may not work however I have found there are aftermarket replacements for them.
The decal sheet completes the kit.
I have partially built the model.
Detail is excellent. Panel lines are the raised type and flaps are all molded solid.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.