Luftwaffe WWII Combat Vet Jets: 1/48th TriMaster Me 262A-1a Schwalbe

Trimaster produced a series of 1/48 scale Luftwaffe subject kits, which had fine surface scribing and were highly detailed with metal parts and photo-etch. They were all notable kits, however the company went out of business after a few years (in the early 90s) perhaps partially because the kits came with a hefty price tag. Luckily for model makers, the molds were sold and re-issued by DML (Dragon) as well as Revell AG and Italeri, so you can still try them out.

Notable Kit Features:

• Nicely done surface details

• Photo-etch for gear bays, cockpit, and other details

• Metal main and nose gear

• Vinyl tires

• Cast metal guns

• Copper tubes for gun barrels

• Steel tubes and wires for pitot and antennas

• Nose weights

• Good thin & clear 'glass' parts which can be positioned open or closed

• Optional Jabo version parts

• Optional wing / fuselage rocket packs / tubes

Build Inspiration:

As the Me 262 represented one of the frightening technological advancements WWII, I had wanted to build one for my collection. I had the old Monogram kit in the stash for some time however, while at a model show, I came across this 1/48th TriMaster Me 262A-1a kit selling for a reasonable price and decided to upgrade the stash. Now it was just a matter of honing my skills to be able to produce a decent Luftwaffe mottle for the project. Originally I had planned to build Heinz Arnold's jet, however issues with these decals forced me to switch to White 4, which was first used in Kommando Nowotny (hence the distinctive tail) and then transferred to III/EJG 2 where it was flown by Rudolf Harbort who made Ace in this aircraft.

Heads-Up Report:

• Nose area did not fit well requiring filling and sanding to shape

• Fit between fuselage and wing is problematic along the underside

• Shims required in wing join to fill gaps next to fuselage

• Engine nacelles required shim for better fit on wing

• Nacelles to wing-join will need filling and sanding (even with shims)

• I added my own disaster by gluing the wings together and then realizing I had not installed the photo-etch wheel bays... had to rip the wings apart and install the very nice gear wells and then repair my damage to the wing. (Note: read the instructions and don't rush or try and pick-up where you think you left off ;)

Kit Additions / Modifications:

There is not much you'll need to add to this 1/48th TriMaster Me 262A-1a kit. You get seat belts included in the photo etch details, you even get bootstraps... although I never got mine fitted. The gun-bay and other delicate detail adds some interest to your display. I made the gun-bay panel props from steel needles.

Finishing:

The paint finish on this aircraft didn't end up as challenging as originally planned, after I changed aircraft subjects, as this Schwalbe didn't have much fuselage mottling on it. I sprayed the RLM76 undersides and tail and then proceeded to apply the RLM81/83 wing and upper fuselage camouflage. The upper camouflage was blended down the fuselage heavily covering the sides. The distinct Kommando Nowotny mottling on the tail was done freehand with a pointed brush and suitably thinned paint. I painted on the RLM02 Yellow fuselage stripe (which is always better than a decal) as my decal sheet was not included in the kit which meant that I also had to make my own #4 marking and scrounge the decal spares for the rest. From what I read the original decal sheet was a lovely triple decal sheet, so I missed that nicety.

The After-Build Report:

I am quite happy with the end result using this 1/48th TriMaster Me 262A-1a kit, despite the fact that a couple of areas required some extra work. The open gun bays add some interest and the delicate details give the kit a good scale look. The After-Build Report on this Schwalbe kit is that I would still recommend it for an experienced model maker. Due to the photo-etch, gun bay and cockpit details (not to mention the minor fit issue fixes) you probably need to have a few kits behind you before you tackle this one. With the extra details provided, in photo etch, metals, and vinyl, you can produce a very nice aircraft to display given some time and patience.

Completed build #246 - January 2021 using the 1/48th scale Trimaster #MAB-112 (MA-12) kit.

Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is suppose to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers