1/48 DML Me-262A-1A Nachtjager

Gallery Article by Peter Pelka

 

This is DML’s difficult Me262A-1a nightfighter built straight out of the box. The model represents the nightfighter prototype V056, W.Nr. 170056 with the FuG226 radar. It was my first Luftwaffe aircraft built and one of the most difficult kits I ever built (well, I only built about 5 or so).

 

Click on images below to see larger images

The fit is very poor, especially the wings. They just would not fit properly and a lot of putty was necessary (lower wing with fuselage). Thanks to advice from RMS and Steve Bamford of ARC. I avoided most pitfalls with the upper wings, the trick is to attach these separately and then attach the bottom half. After I finished the model it was still tail heavy, even after adding what I thought was more than enough noseweight. Thankfully, there are holes on the underside where empty shells come thru, and I used this to put in some more weight. When building this model, make sure you add A LOT of noseweight to avoid the problem I had.

I painted the plane using my Paasche VL airbrush and Gunze and Tamiya acrylics, I found it quite easy to do it freehand and I got better results than I did when trying to mask it with some Play-Doh (which works OK, I just find it easier, faster and cleaner when done freehand). I applied highly diluted ModelMaster gloss black as a wash to accentuate the panel lines.

The decals were a pain, they disintegrated in water and since I didn’t have any aftermarket decals I basically had microscopic jigsaw puzzles to put together, some of them look a little weird when you look up close but it doesn’t show on the pictures. Weathering was done lightly with pastels brushed on and then sealed with clear flat. The aerial was made from stretched sprue. Overall I think, it is a pleasing model of this interesting plane. Pictures might not look too good, but I’m getting better!

Peter Pelka

I don't know, Pete....they sure look good to me!  -Ed.

      

Photos and text © by Peter Pelka