Trumpeter 1/32 Me 262B-1a/U1
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Overview
A couple years ago, Trumpeter came out with a new-tool 1/32 Me 262A,
and many immediately wondered when the two-seater would show up. Well,
it has taken quite a few months, but it is finally here. As would be expected,
this kit shares a great number of parts with the single-seat variant,
with only four new sprues out of the total of ten. For a close look at
the single-seater Me 262A, I will refer you to the first
look and build
articles of that kit, and just touch on the differences in this review.
The Kit
 Of
course, the most obvious difference is the fuselage, and in this release
we see a whole new fuselage. This is far smarter than trying to provide
a plug for the top of the fuselage, like some smaller scale kits have
done, and the result is no extra seams to fill. The cockpit, like the
single seater, is quite well done, and this time you get to do things
twice, since it is a two-seater. Like the single seater, this kit comes
with quite a bit of extraneous bits and pieces for inside the fuselage,
such as the fuel tanks and cannons. Should you choose to have the nose
panels open, you can show off these assemblies nicely. If you button it
up, though, it is probably best to save those for the spare parts bin.
 Beyond
the fuselage and cockpit, the parts and assembly mimic the single-seater,
including the complete engines (with their clear nacelle pieces), separate
control surfaces, and detailed landing gear. New to this kit are the under-fuselage
drop tanks and their racks, which are well done, and the nose radar assembly,
neither of which will offer anything challenging in terms of assembly.
 For
paint schemes, the decal sheet provides two aircraft: Red 10 flown by
Oblt. Kurt Welter from 10./NJG 11 and Red 11 flowby by Lt. Herbert Altner.
Both are finished with black undersurfaces with RLM 76 upper surfaces
covered with mottling. The decals are nicely done and include stenciling
in addition to the national insignia and individual markings.
Conclusion
For those wanting to do the night fighter Me 262, the wait is over.
This should prove to be as good a build as the single-seater, and would
make a great addition to a 1/32 night fighter collection. My thanks to
Stevens International for the review sample.
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