Thanks very much to Hobbyboss for providing IPMS/USA this marvelous review kit; I thought we were done with Me262 improvements, but I was wrong… at an excellent price!

When Dave Morrissette told me the Trumpeter Me262 was an outstanding kit, I bought one and put it away for another day. He was right – excellent detail and superior presentation. Now, take that excellence, shrink it to 1/48th scale, and you have the Hobbyboss Me262. In this case, it is the single seat nightfighter. Markings are provided for one version, that being Werke Nr. 170056, the history of which you may research yourself (no spoon-feeding here!).

The overall kit is state of the art; surface details are restrained, fit is excellent, and I only had a couple of areas that are probably of my doing that required extra work.

First off is the cockpit. No harness is provided, but the overall area is impressive. Dials, switches, and detail where they are supposed to be. Either paint and drybrush or use the included decals for the instrument panel and side panels. They worked well in this case, only requiring a bit of Solvaset to snuggle them into the deep crevasses. Control stick, rudder pedals, throttles, all are there. The Revi gunsight is on the sliding mount rail, and you can install it as far out or in as you want.

Included is an avionics rack which you can work up and place in the tail section. This is viewed by leaving off the side access panel on the right aft side; I left this off because I don’t have a micro-viewer to see into the area, and spiders are already a problem in my work zone. I did opt to leave the forward gun compartment open; the 20mm cannon are multiple part items, and ammo feed chutes fit perfectly. Included is a nose weight which serves to act as a floor for the gun compartment and the nose gear interior. Smart move and it works as advertised, keeping the nose gear on the ground while providing structural rigidity.

Wing center section detail is next, and the spars and longerons line up perfectly while providing structural rigidity for the wings. Engine nacelles are next, and have internal details which are not seen but hint at potential clear items. Turbine and compressor faces are particularly well done.

Wing details – I question the design of including the sharp trailing edge portion with the LOWER wing sections; usually it’s the other way around (upper, so the seam is on the bottom). In any event, this area received a bit of (but not too much) attention with light filler. Tail feathers fit tightly, and the rudder is the only separate control surface. No big deal to me, makes the assembly easier.

I painted at this point, using a more or less “1946” feel to it, as I didn’t like V056’s overall dark green tail section. I used Violet Gray and dark green for the camo, over RLM 76 undersides.

Give it shoes! Landing gear is particularly well finessed, with separate oleo scissor arms with lightening holes already in them. Have to be careful with installation, but they look great when complete. The nose gear actuator and gear door follow-up arm are included and fit where they are supposed to. Wheel and tire detail is outstanding; tread on the tires is not too deep, not too shallow, and there are no bulged areas (I do that myself, if at all). There are also two types of nose tires included – treaded and non-treaded.

RATO gear is included in the form of bottles which fit into brackets and mounting holes under the tail section. They are one piece each, so are easy to paint (scrape the seam and install!).

Clear parts are up to snuff; crystal is the word, with well-defined glass and framing. AND it all fits perfectly!

Decals also worked great; the workaround for the Hakenkreuz (two part) was employed, and the rest of them went into place without difficulty, with full stencil details and no misalignment. They stick VERY well, so flood the area with water before placing them; they tend to stay where they are, and did not silver over gloss.

At this point, I installed the nose radar array and wing radar antennas. Touch up paint, flatcoat, remove the masking on the clear parts, and done.

The only little part worth complaining about: the painting on the box shows undernose fuel tanks; these are not in the kit, nor are they shown on the instructions. Be aware you won’t have them and you won’t be disappointed; I was a bit, but got over it.

In the end, an outstanding kit; little filler required, excellent fit, external detail that holds up, and a subject not frequently modeled. Thanks again go to Hobbyboss for expanding the range, to Squadron Products for supplying the kit, and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it!