Amusing Hobby’s Me 262 HG IV in 1/48th size

Build Guide Pt.I: Me 262 HG III

From Amusing Hobby

Kit No #48A003

1/48th scale

The decal sheet…
BUILD – Amusing Hobby 1:48 Me 262 HG III (48A003)

For the most part I prefer to have my aircraft canopies open, if I display them on the ground. Only when the model is in flight do I shut them. The main canopy is only available in a closed version from Amusing Hobby, so it was up to me to choose whether I wanted to fly the Me262HG or leave the canopy opened. The cut lines for the second choice were straight, so my decision was easy. It’s easier to cut with a visual guide. I used Tamiya flexible vinyl tape. It’s not meant to be a physical guide because the razor saw would easily cut through the tape if I was not paying attention.

Once the canopy was separated from the front windshield and rear shroud a simple right-angle mounting support was built from plastic card. This allowed for the canopy to remain in its open position securely on the cockpit sill of the starboard side. It’s not possible to fix this without vac-forming it yourself. In this case, I am going to live with this. Later, I will add some extra details like the support brace and grab handle inside the opened canopy.

When the canopy is fully open, the lower edge sits at a 90 degree angle. The slot on the side of my scratchbuilt canopy is what holds it in place. I also added this using plastic card. This allows me to remove the canopy for painting or assembly, and then slot it back into position at the completion of my build. You will need to purchase or make belts if you want them. I was impressed that Amusing Hobby provided the rear of the main instruments because this area is quite visible on the Me 262 (through the forward armoured windshield).
Being late war, the cockpit color of the Me 262 was RLM 66. The cockpit itself seems to be very tidy with minimal clutter.

Wishing to enhance the rear of the main IP, I drilled holes into the back of each instrument and added 0.25 and 0.3mm copper wire. When working with copper, it is easy to use the “annealing” technique to soften metal. The copper becomes more malleable after it has been softened, allowing for more bends and twists to be made without any kinks. You can anneal the copper by heating it with a naked flame, such as a barbecue lighter. Do not cool it quickly (by dipping it in water) as this will harden the copper, making it brittle. Do not cool it quickly (by dunking in water) as this will harden the copper, making it brittle.

A quick test fit of the cockpit and windshield reveals the “method in my madness” as now we will have a good view of the cabling through the clear parts.

Changing gears, I next turned my attention to the landing gear (undercarriage). It was hydraulically operated brakes on the Me 262 and flexible tubing ran through the axle. As you might expect, Amusing Hobby do not provide this detail and I wanted to see if I could fabricate it from scratch.

After a bit of head scratching and experimenting I settled on using styrene tube for the axle and

for the hydraulic lines. For such projects, I like the springiness and flexibility of nylon because it bends better than lead or copper wire. A dry fitting of the gears into the mounting points revealed that they fit perfectly and the alignment is near perfect. The kit wheels were too thin, and I thought the hubs to be poorly detailed. I decided to replace them with True Details resin wheel sets. The kit nosewheel was very good and I will use it instead of the one from True Details resin set (which is the smooth tread version). As the kit’s nosewheel is very good, I am going to use that instead of the True Details set which has the smooth tread. This meant making a straight cut, and adding the counter-balance using 60-thou card strips. The quickest and dirtiest way to achieve the desired angle of droop is to sand down the front edge of the elevator, then glue it in place. Since Amusing Hobby did not provide any structural detail, I chose to use Evergreen’s 10 x20 thou strips. The ribbing is just a guess, and it’s only to make the bay look “busier” when seen from the bottom. It’s worth mentioning that the fit of all the interior parts is very good with most sub-assemblies clicking into alignment.

The HG III variant would have had pretty standard air intakes and Amusing Hobby provide this in two halves (top and bottom). The resulting seam was dealt with by applying several coats of Mr Surfacer. After drying, each layer is sanded to a smooth finish using

. These flexible sanding stick are great for circular shapes like intakes and exits. They easily adapt to these. This was done using the Mr. Finishing Surfacer 15000.

. Due to the unique design of the HG III, Amusing Hobby has designed the kit’s tail in two horizontal half-sections (left and rights), while the fuselage main is divided into top and bottom sections. We have to pay attention to the rivets and seams that are present at the join of tail and fuselage. The black color of

makes it easy to see where glue/filler is left after sanding. As with all seams, you can only be sure by using a thin coat of primer. In my case, I used

. When I open a canopy, I mask and paint the inside framing along with the outside. The new Quinta/Red Fox/Kelik /… 3D-printed decal interiors have a semi-glossy finish that is not always scale-accurate (i.e. they appear too shiny). I flat-coat the entire set and use a semi or gloss clear to pick out dial glass faces. The 3D vinyl pieces will look more cohesive with the rest of your cockpit. Most of these belts were standard on aircraft across countries. The Luftwaffe used belts from cloth/fabric and leather in most of it’s fighter aircraft, the Me 262 being no exception.

There are many ways to reproduce scale aircraft belts, but one of the most realistic I have found would have to be the fabric sets from 0.3mm Invisible Nylon Thread These belts are provided as separate fabric straps with the buckles in PE. The belt has to be assembled exactly like the original. It’s easier to put the straps of fabric through buckles that are still on the fret. If you try to thread the buckle on top of the strap, it’s a sure way to lose your mind (and the buckle!) very quickly! It’s a lot of work and it takes a long time, but you will see the result. They are readily available at most online hobby shops or you can purchase them from ANYZ’s 3D Connectors T-Type (AND054) (in the Ukraine). You can buy them from the Ukraine at

. They are readily available in most hobby shops online. More on this in part 2. Keep tuned.

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