SPA Modeler

Stikpusher wrote:I wonder if the fuel tank wear was due to proximity to the nose wheel, and stuff thrown up off of wet runways. Since the photos show the tanks, but no other equal such abrasion wear on the aircraft.

Floki wrote:I'm guessing like other aircraft the drop tanks on the Me262 was well droppable. Could the wear seen here be due to multiple drops and retrievals. I'm sure them falling back down to earth say hitting trees on the way could cause more wear than what in flight would do alone.

Good guesses! Another thing to consider is the life of the drop tank when it was not mounted on the aircraft. How was it stored? How was it moved to the aircraft? Was it filled while mounted? If so, maybe these things were dragged and thrown around while empty. My personal guess as a possible factor is that the quality of the black paint was inferior to the paint used on the aircraft.

An interesting conversation indeed I'd certainly agree with John in that the paint would have been pretty inferior to the rest of the aircraft. However I doubt it was damage from being dropped regularly - because I wonder if they were ever dropped in flight at all The purpose of the tanks would be to extend the range (obviously) which would be more than needed in the nightfighter role, with the extended hunting/loitering times, but I doubt they dropped them in combat as they wouldn't have needed too. Day fighters only let them go if they were going to be doing hard manoeuvring against other fighters and it wasn't uncommon for P-51s and the like to return to England with them still attached. Night Fighters stalking heavy bombers wouldn't have done that kind of manoeuvring and probably kept these tanks attached for extended periods. Personally I'd go with Carlos's suggestion that this ware and tare was down to them being behind the nose gear - I can imagine they took a beating - especially in the winter or when operating on less than perfect surfaces - interesting.

Another stunning build John - the painting and the weathering are superb and really being out how well you prepared the surfaces. I actually quite like where you've done the hairspray - it looks subtle and not over done.

John, I like what you do very much, please don't take my comment as any kind of criticism. I had not seen those photos you just posted, and it looks like the tanks (and the nacelles sides and bottom) just got a thin hasty paint job, almost like a mottle.

As for me, when I grow up and can build a really nice clean model, then I will feel qualified to start weathering things. I am working in that direction, in tiny little steps, as below! My biggest handicap is that just like when I was a flea, the finished model is a destination I am trying to reach, whereas in your case I suspect modeling is an interesting and rewarding journey and it is done when you can't think of anything else to improve. I, however, can see as I look back later that I have been a little more hasty than I might have been due to impatience, and many of my models would benefit from a little more work.

This is a very stimulating conversation and I have learned quite a lot as well. Something that moves me intellectually about following such a beautifully researched project is the degree of integrity involved, and the work is certainly a showcase for thoughtfulness and care; the hands of the maker define the degree of accuracy, and the work here is of the highest caliber.

Something I do, which may be of interest to some would be to isolate the photographic imagery for clues. Here I have used a combination of color blending to reveal the patterns on the form. It’s a highly subjective approach but I feel this supports what John concluded—these were at one point painted blue than brushed over with black, very crudely, and it looks to me as though fuel filling is the probable culprit—filling and then wiping the surface itself took away the black paint.

Getting back to the subject of drop tanks. They are left on the aircraft if no maneuvering combat is done. Gun camera footage of airplanes carrying tanks while being shot down means that they were taken by surprise. As soon as fighter combat is commenced or expected to commence, tanks are jettisoned. That is a standard practice in all air forces. They have a weight and drag penalty while maneuvering. Once those tanks are punched off, they are falling to earth, and will likely reach terminal velocity, especially when dropped from more than a few hundred feet up. The construction of the tank is not strong enough to survive the impact undamaged, so the tank has to be salvaged and melted down. That was one reason that US fighters switched to paper tanks. Why give the enemy a strategic material, aluminum, for free. They already would get some from aircraft shot down over enemy held territory. Paper drop tanks on the other hand were pretty worthless on the other hand for recycling purposes. They cant be turned into an aircraft or other item of war.

Unused dropped tanks are usually kept empty in some sort of stacked rows near the flight line where the aircraft are prepped for flight. And the usual practice is to fill them once installed on the aircraft when the aircraft itself is fueled up.

Thanks for the discussion guys! I don't take anything personal and welcome all comments both positive and negative. In the end, we are all modelers here and represent a wide spectrum of interests and passions and I respect all of you even though we may have different opinions on what we think looks authentic.

The drop tank discussion is interesting too. I'm sure the wear is a combination of all of the factors that were brought up. Luckily, I don't have to explain it ... just mimic it.

The flat coat has been applied to the Nachtjager. I've been using Model Master Acryl Flat after trying many different clear flat products. It's not perfect but a dependable flat coat can be difficult to find. You may notice the very light post-shading that was performed. A VERY thin mix of black/brown is sprayed along joints and panel lines. I like this to be BARELY noticeable.





The bottom was given a flat coat too. Post-shading was done using a light tan color and instead of running along panel lines, I used it to create random streaks, front to back.


I decided to install the landing gear at this point. The last bits of hydraulic lines in the wells have finally been connected.





I'm going to let the landing gear cure overnight. I want them solid before attaching the wheels.

The streaking looks really good on the bottom and not overdone. I'm getting excited to see the radar go on!

Very nice. I still marvel at your work on landing gears.

LyleW wrote:Very nice. I still marvel at your work on landing gears.

Thanks guys! Now that the landing gear legs have been solidly glued into place, I can check to see if I've added enough weight to the nose to keep the model from tail-sitting... ok!


It's probably easier to mount the landing gear doors without the wheels in the way so that's what I've done next.