Trumpeter 1/32 Me262A-1 Yellow 3

[speedgraflex]

I was not sure about the crosses either, actually—I am glad Fermis visited! What a save at the last minute. Also, I am grateful for any built project which goes to the Completed Builds section, John. I’m still referencing two of yours on the WWII Forum (the Wog and Ta 152 Reich Defender). This is usually my first research port of call. I do recall a sluggish responsiveness on my part to one of the Dora’s you built when you featured it within Completed Builds, but I promise to make up for this, John—or to continue to try to be better with comments from now on. Part of this is, frankly, as far as historical knowledge I am limited, but pictorially I will take the Pepsi challenge with anyone basically anywhere, and give the modeler I care about my very best.

I feel you on these landing gear changes. If this is your white whale, then it has fought well and the fight between you and he has reached its apex, and now classically speaking, there will be rising and falling actions on both parts until the end is reached.

[jkim]

That's the second time this has happened to me on the upper wing crosses. Some sort of weird visual dyslexia that I have? It bugged me so much that I went back into the modeling room late last night and made the repairs. Which were quite simple. But yeah, I'm really thankful that Fermis pointed it out before I posted final shots. I'm not beyond goofy mistakes, no sir. I put the wheel covers on my P-51B build backwards! I think it has to do with not having 100% focus on a single project. I'm thinking about too many things right now. Packing Red 1. Finishing the 262. Starting the F4U. Waiting for the King Tiger.

Don't worry about any lack of comments on your part. You have been very generous and consistent with your feedback. I realize that this is a smaller and more intimate site than LSP and maybe the lack of posting activity reflects that. Or maybe I have not quite fit in. I don't know. There are still members here that do not participate in any other builds except their own and I wonder why that is. Do I keep providing comments on theirs even though they never comment on mine?

[speedgraflex]

You do a masterful job of keeping all the hats a modeler wears on at all times, John, truly. Not to worry about the cause. There are a lot of variables to solve—and when a project reaches critical mass (sorry I am mixing metaphors again) there are a lot of issues to resolve. I know what you mean about being kept awake by a project, and I am grateful you made the fix.

My perspective is what makes me a better modeler is how much I devote to following and being of service to others. Having access to your approach is pretty much a revelation. There are a group of modelers here whom truly care about building models and helping modelers learn. It may be a small group but it is full of deep wisdom. However, to answer you specifically, I was taught to say hello to folks on the street, too, but I leave their response up to them. I think many modelers simply build their own subjects their own way, without interacting with other modelers, which I find sad. Even the busiest individual has time or should make time to reply to another. This is basic kindness.

[Stikpusher]

That's the second time this has happened to me on the upper wing crosses. Some sort of weird visual dyslexia that I have? It bugged me so much that I went back into the modeling room late last night and made the repairs. Which were quite simple. But yeah, I'm really thankful that Fermis pointed it out before I posted final shots. I'm not beyond goofy mistakes, no sir. I put the wheel covers on my P-51B build backwards! I think it has to do with not having 100% focus on a single project. I'm thinking about too many things right now. Packing Red 1. Finishing the 262. Starting the F4U. Waiting for the King Tiger.

Don't worry about any lack of comments on your part. You have been very generous and consistent with your feedback. I realize that this is a smaller and more intimate site than LSP and maybe the lack of posting activity reflects that. Or maybe I have not quite fit in. I don't know. There are still members here that do not participate in any other builds except their own and I wonder why that is. Do I keep providing comments on theirs even though they never comment on mine?

John, your builds are masterworks to watch as you progress. I personally dial back my comments because I can only say wow, great work, beautiful results, etc. in so many ways. It gets to feel like I am saying the same things over and over. I don’t have Bruce’s eloquence in praising your work.
As far as the other builders here go, the ones who only post on their own build threads, pay them no mind. You’re a good man and a great modeler, follow what your instincts tell you to do.
Like Bruce said, this is a small place, but also a pretty tight crew as well. We have a core group that really gets along, posts frequently, and keeps things rolling along here. In my personal life, I’d rather spend my free time with five guys that I am really tight with, than fifty guys that I know, but don’t know well. And that’s what I think of here. I’m active on other sites and with few exceptions, most of the folks that I am tight with on those sites have died, or stopped posting and moved on elsewhere.
Your 262 is looking fantastic.

[jkim]

Thanks for weighing in on a potentially awkward issue, Carlos. I appreciate your words, especially as one of the senior contributors here. So ok... I'm not gonna worry too much about it. It is what it is... as they say.

Here's the wing fix that I started last night and finished this evening. Not the kind of mistake that stands out but once you notice it... it's very obvious.


Verifying that it is the port wing that needs correction, I have to eradicate the existing white cross. Just spraying it with the RLM 83 Dark Green will result in an obvious patch. Which I guess might be plausible for a worn bird like Yellow 3. But I decided to make the repair as invisible as possible.


So I erase the cross with Neutral Grey. I extend the patch into a square just to get away from the shape of the cross. After this pic, I pre-shaded the panel lines in a darker grey.


The RLM 83 is applied in uneven scribbles, similar to how the original coat was applied. It stands out now because it is flat vs satin... should even out when I clear coat it.


Luckily, I saved the Montex masks and was able to re-use a mask to put a new white cross in the correct location.


Check the positioning of the crosses to make sure they match. A gloss coat is applied and allowed to dry overnight. This is where I left it last night.


Today, I applied a dark wash over the re-painted area to match the rest of the wing.



All of the spray work is done so I can take off the canopy masks now. Always nervous when I do this reveal because you are never quite sure how it is going to turn out. Looks a-ok from here.


Ok here too.


From the front.... what the heck is that white thing stuck to the inside of the windscreen?

[Floki]

Great save, I can't tell that you ever patched the area. So what is that in the windscreen?
I feel the same as Carlos sometimes it feels like I'm saying the same things over and over again but I am learning a lot from this group, you all have been so nice to me in my short time here and I'm grateful. So what's next going to ease the canopy open and pick that out?

[jkim]

Ok, I won't keep my dear readers in suspense over this. But I do think it was worth a dramatic pause. Why? It was a potential build-ender for me. The white thing was STUCK between the windscreen and the armored glass. I tried tapping it out from the outside but it wasn't moving at all.

I couldn't just leave it alone. But removal of the clear parts would be very dicey. Which one COULD I remove without damage. The windscreen? Probably not since I made sure I glued this piece in pretty solidly. That left the middle canopy.

I grabbed between my thumb and forefinger and tried to move it but if felt pretty solid. I started trying to rock it back and forth when suddenly... SNAP. It popped off with a loud noise that I thought for sure had cracked the canopy and this build would've been over. But when I looked... it appeared to be in one piece! A big sight of relief.


With the canopy off, it was simple to remove that piece of whatever from the front windscreen. I think it was a long paint chip. I glued everything back together and it looks alright. Disaster averted!




I fashioned a mounting post from a piece of aluminum can to serve as a mount for the aerial radio antenna. A tension spring was spun from fine electrical wire and the isolators were cut from brass tubing. This time I rounded off the edges of the tubing to better replicate the shape of the isolators. EZ Line Fine was used for the aerial. I will paint aerial with a brush and... Yellow 3 will be complete! Finished photos this weekend!

[jkim]

I THINK I'm done. I've got the author of the Experten Decal Sheet depicting Yellow 3 messaging me that my blue bands are "way too bright".

[speedgraflex]

I was actually going back through the documentation of your project to see what caused a sliver to become lodged inside the windshield! Hah! So good that you were able to fix that.

Re blue bands being too bright, I didn’t find a blue example, however...

[LyleW]

I second what Stick said, "John, your builds are masterworks to watch as you progress. I personally dial back my comments because I can only say wow, great work, beautiful results, etc. in so many ways. It gets to feel like I am saying the same things over and over. I don’t have Bruce’s eloquence in praising your work."

I am such a novice when compared to you guys, and laying off for the time I did has not helped at all! This is some kind of special - The Me-262 is such a sleek bird to start with.