Me 262 B-1a/U1 Night Fighter Review – Revell 04179

RoR Snapshot 20110320 – Me 262 B-1a/U1 Night Fighter Review – Revell 04179

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Reviewed by Jim Church   

This kit was a pleasure to put together right out of the box. Overall there was very little flash on the parts, always a nice touch. The fit of the parts really went well and I only needed to us a small amount of filler on the fuselage halves which in turn meant very little sanding so no detail was lost on the adjoining panel lines.

As for the detail of the panel lines, control surface separation lines, rivets, etc., I was very impressed. These all seemed to be in scale and not look oversized. In my opinion the only out of scale pieces were the various antennae on the nose and the bottom of the aircraft.

The instructions for this kit were straight forward and easy to follow. The reference for the painting of the aircraft and the list of appropriate paints were helpful in getting a realistic looking night fighter.

The decal sheet is very complete which overall makes for a really nice looking aircraft when finished. I say overall because while the larger decals are very crisp and clean, the many smaller ones have a touch of silvering on them. I used a coat of Future floor acrylic before applying the decals and a spray of Testor’s® Clear Flat. Unfortunately, as I have stated, there appeared some silvering on some of the smaller decals.

 I really wish that the canopy on this aircraft was much thinner!  The detail of the interior is suburb and when done correctly these details jump right out at you. Unfortunately, the thickness of the canopy completely obscures the beauty of the interior, from the dials and switches on the consoles and instrument panels of both compartments to the buckles on the safety harnesses. Truly a shame!

Over all, I enjoyed the build. There are many things that an advanced modeler could do to make this model really be special. This kit was purchased from the “bargain box” at Dean’s Hobby Stop in Flushing, MI. If you visit the area, stop by for one of the best selections of vintage kits in the country and tell Dean that Righton sent you!