Academy 1/72 Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a
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Overview
The world’s first operational jet fighter, the history of the
Me 262 is well known. Several excellent books have been written on the
subject, including the multi-volume set by Classic Publications, and I
would recommend those looking for an in-depth history of the Me 262 to
seek those books out.
The Kit
 As
I just got this kit in a mere two days before this issue went up, I was
somewhat pressed to put together a review. Luckily, though, I happened
to have some Me 262 references out, along with my Hasegawa and Revell
1/72 kits, so with everything close at hand, here is as thorough a review
as I could put together in a couple days. Of course, with those two previous
kits out there, I was wondering what Academy could bring to the table.
On initial glance, this kit looks quite nice, with recessed panel lines,
a detailed cockpit, and an impressive decal sheet. In addition to the
basic parts for the Me 262A1a, this kit also includes an alternate tail
and associated piping for the Me 262C1a, the Me 262 with a tail-end rocket
propulsion system. That alone sets this kit above the rest, as there is
no other injection-molded 1/72 C1a variant out there.
Moving on to the assembly, there is quite a bit different in this kit
than the other available Me 262 kits out there. You start with the nose
gear assembly, and this has a separate nose wheel well with a separate
rear bulkhead. This assembly provides quite a bit of strength to the front
end, and also creates a nice little shelf for the nose weight that is
required. As the gun ports are on a separate piece, you can put the fuselage
together and add those weights afterwards, once the model is together.
This will allow you to make sure you have the right amount of weight in
there. Also, the kit includes both a smooth nosewheel and a ribbed one.
For the cockpit interior, this is designed to be inserted into the fuselage
after the fuselage is together. You have a cockpit tub that then fits
inside another tub, which provides the ‘roof’ to the main
wheel wells. This is the best out-of-box representation of this area that
I have seen in 1/72, compared to the Hasegawa kit (which has the curved
roof molded into the lower wing) and the Revell kit (which has blanking
plates with no curve molded into the lower wing; oddly it DOES have detail
molded into the bottom of the cockpit tub, you just cannot see it after
the wing goes on). In addition to having the proper shape and depth, there
is plenty of raised detailing in both the cockpit and main wheel well,
and with a bit of careful drybrushing, both of these areas will really
pop.
 While
on the subject of the wings, the engines are molded separately and are
built up of no less than seven pieces. This will allow you to paint up
the inner parts before assembly, greatly simplifying matters. A quick
test fit, though, shows that these engines will have the worst fit issues
in the kit, with both sides having about a 1.5mm gap at the wing joint.
Also, the upper wing nacelle piece is not a good fit either, so those
who thought they could paint these separately and attach them later, no
such luck here.
For underneath, the landing gear overall is nicely detailed, with sharp
inner door detail for all the gear doors. The main wheels have separate
hubs, which should make painting simple. For weaponry, this kit provides
21cm BR rocket tubes, like the Revell kit, but include a complete rocket
rather than the separate nose cone/rear piece found in the Revell kit.
The Academy kit also comes with R4M rockets, done similarly to those found
in the Hasegawa kit with separate rockets and separate rails. The detailing
is much better here, though, again putting this kit above the Hasegawa
one. Also included, but not noted in the instructions, are a pair of bombs
that would fit in the same spot as the 21cm rockets.
While on the subject of the differences between these three kits, a
cursory glance reveals the following differences. First, the rudder is
different in all three of these kits. The Revell and Hasegawa kits have
a more rounded bottom edge, while the Academy kit has a straighter edge.
A quick comparison to photos is inconclusive, and this will require some
additional research. Second up, the Hasegawa kit features the flare ports
in the port fuselage side as raised areas (incorrect), while the Revell
kit has these beautifully represented in recessed holes carefully outlined.
The Academy kit is very similar to the Revell kit, but they are not quite
as deep or as defined. In terms of overall detail levels, the Revell and
Academy kits are roughly on par, while the Hasegawa kit definitely lags
behind.
 What
really puts the Academy kit over the top, though, would have to be the
decal sheet. There are more options in this kit than there are kits to
a case (a dozen options, and only ten kits to a case). So even if you
bought a case of these, you’d still need to pick up two more to
build them all! All but one (WNr 111711, which is overall natural metal)
are shown as being in RLM 81/82/76, but I would check your references
to verify that.
1. Me 262A-1a, <+, WNr 111918, III./JG 7
2. Me 262C-1a, V186, WNr 130186, III./EJG 2, March 1945
3. Me 262A-1a, B3+BR, 7./KG(J) 54 Totenkopf, Neuberg-on-Danube, March
1945
4. Me 262A-1a, Yellow 7, WNr 500491, 11./JG 7, Obfw. Heinz Arnold, March
1945
5. Me 262A-1a, 'Ginny H,’ WNr 500491, USAAF, May 1945
6. Me 262A-1a, FE-111, WNr 500491, USAAF, October 1945
7. Me 262A-1a, Red 13, WNr 111591, III./EJG 2, Obstlt. Heinz Bar, March
1945
8. Me 262A-1a, WNr 111711, Test Pilot Hans Fey, March 1945
9. Me 262A-1a, White 8, WNr 110400, Kommando Nowotny, November 1944
10. Me 262A-1a, 11./JG 7, Obfw. Heinz Arnold, April 1945
11. Me 262A-1a, 'Jabo Bait,' WNr 11367?, USAAF, Newark, September 1945
12. Me 262A-1a, <-+-, JV 44, Gen. Lt. Adolf Galland, 1945
It is quite nice to see some of the captured aircraft portrayed here,
as those always make for an interesting model. Most of these I have seen
before, but number ten in the list, Heinz Arnold’s aircraft from
April 1945, is a new one to me. Overall RLM 81 with RLM 76 undersides,
this plane has no markings other than Arnold’s kill markings on
the rear fuselage (43 surrounded by oak leaves, and an additional set
of bars denoting his Western Front kills). If anyone knows of a photo
of that one, I would appreciate the reference.
Conclusion
Academy just keeps adding to the great number of 1/72 kits out there,
and this is no exception. The excellent molding, coupled with the great
options (like the C1a tail) really set this one apart. With a retail price
of only $22, it will be quite affordable as well (I expect discount sales
to have this around $15 before too long). My thanks to MRC
for the review sample.
References
Balous, Miroslav and Jiri Rajlich. Messerschmitt Me 262. Prague:
MBI, 1995.
Peczkowski, Robert. Messerschmitt Me 262A Schwalbe. Redbourne,
UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2002.
Murawski, Marek J. Me 262 Units. Lublin, Poland: Kagero, 2005. |
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