For me every model project starts with a story. Researching the story, even the weather, is nearly as much fun as building the model to illustrate that story.
I still had to build a model. This one is from the 1/32 Trumpeter kit. It’s a very nice kit and the fit is superb, some parts literally snap together. I did leave out some interior parts as, being posed in flight, I wanted to save a bit of weight. I can hardly have access panels open anyway! It's out of the box though I did take down some of the slightly overdone detail on the surface. It’s painted with all sorts though the camouflage colours are White Ensign Colourcoats. Decals are from an Eagle Cals sheet, the kit sheet and the spares box.
The Story:
V.E. Day,8th May 1942,14.40 Hrs. Lt Heinrich Haffner of I./KG51 lands “Yellow 5” an Me262A-1a,Werknummer 501232,at Munchen-Riem airfield. He is accompanied by Hptm.Rudolph Abrahamczik in another Me262,”Black L” of KG 51.
It is a bright dry day, the snow of the previous week is long gone and the airfield is dry. Haffner has only to avoid the numerous craters as he lands. He is a little grim faced as he has flown the 300Km from Zatec, near Prague, to Munchen-Riem, over the Bohmerwald mountains with his undercarriage down. It had failed to retract.
The aircraft is painted in a standard RLM 81/82 over RLM 76 camouflage scheme. Most of the stencilling is present. It was delivered to III./KG(J) 6, “Gefechtsverband Hogeback”, in late April 1945. It is virtually brand new with only a handful of hours on the clock. It carries the red and black checked tail band of that unit. The tail band is incomplete on the starboard side.
Here's a sort of "fly around".
This was not the end for this particular Me262!
It was taken over by the famous “Watson’s Whizzers”. It was named by the 54th ADS (?) as “Beverly Ann” on the port side and “Feudin’54th” on the starboard side.
On the 15th of May it was flown by Karl Bauer, Messerschmitt’s chief test pilot, already working for the Americans, to Lechfeld. Lt Robert Strobell test flew it here and renamed it “111” and “Screamin’ Meanie”.
On 10th June it was flown to Melun, France and on the 27th June was one of three aircraft flown in a demonstration arranged by Col.Watson (of Whizzers fame) for General Carl Spaatz.
Shortly afterwards it was flown to Cherbourg, loaded onto HMS Reaper and shipped as “aircraft 20” to the USA.
On arrival in the USA it became Bureau of Aeronautics “BuAer 121442”. It was tested by the Navy between December 1945 and April 1946. Its last known flight ended in an emergency landing (engine flame out) on 29th January 1946.
It was now transferred to Naval Ammunition Storage Depot (NASD) Philadelphia and then to the USAF at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB). It was removed from the US Navy inventory on 31st January 1947.
Now things get a little hazy! It seems to have been dumped in a land fill at Patuxent Naval Air Station (NAS) from where it was recovered and restored in 1957. It was again restored in 1976 and then 1979 at the USAF museum.
It can be seen on display at the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio today. It has come a long way since it left the Regensburg-Obertraubling facility in April 1945.
It is currently painted in an incorrect paint scheme.
Colour is a tricky thing. Here's an original reference photograph.
Note how low the contrast is between the colours. If we render the model in B+W we get something similar.
At least it survives and if you are ever in Ohio you can pop in and see it!
Thanks for looking and reading.
Any comments or questions just fire away!
Cheers
Steve
I still had to build a model. This one is from the 1/32 Trumpeter kit. It’s a very nice kit and the fit is superb, some parts literally snap together. I did leave out some interior parts as, being posed in flight, I wanted to save a bit of weight. I can hardly have access panels open anyway! It's out of the box though I did take down some of the slightly overdone detail on the surface. It’s painted with all sorts though the camouflage colours are White Ensign Colourcoats. Decals are from an Eagle Cals sheet, the kit sheet and the spares box.
The Story:
V.E. Day,8th May 1942,14.40 Hrs. Lt Heinrich Haffner of I./KG51 lands “Yellow 5” an Me262A-1a,Werknummer 501232,at Munchen-Riem airfield. He is accompanied by Hptm.Rudolph Abrahamczik in another Me262,”Black L” of KG 51.
It is a bright dry day, the snow of the previous week is long gone and the airfield is dry. Haffner has only to avoid the numerous craters as he lands. He is a little grim faced as he has flown the 300Km from Zatec, near Prague, to Munchen-Riem, over the Bohmerwald mountains with his undercarriage down. It had failed to retract.
The aircraft is painted in a standard RLM 81/82 over RLM 76 camouflage scheme. Most of the stencilling is present. It was delivered to III./KG(J) 6, “Gefechtsverband Hogeback”, in late April 1945. It is virtually brand new with only a handful of hours on the clock. It carries the red and black checked tail band of that unit. The tail band is incomplete on the starboard side.
Here's a sort of "fly around".
This was not the end for this particular Me262!
It was taken over by the famous “Watson’s Whizzers”. It was named by the 54th ADS (?) as “Beverly Ann” on the port side and “Feudin’54th” on the starboard side.
On the 15th of May it was flown by Karl Bauer, Messerschmitt’s chief test pilot, already working for the Americans, to Lechfeld. Lt Robert Strobell test flew it here and renamed it “111” and “Screamin’ Meanie”.
On 10th June it was flown to Melun, France and on the 27th June was one of three aircraft flown in a demonstration arranged by Col.Watson (of Whizzers fame) for General Carl Spaatz.
Shortly afterwards it was flown to Cherbourg, loaded onto HMS Reaper and shipped as “aircraft 20” to the USA.
On arrival in the USA it became Bureau of Aeronautics “BuAer 121442”. It was tested by the Navy between December 1945 and April 1946. Its last known flight ended in an emergency landing (engine flame out) on 29th January 1946.
It was now transferred to Naval Ammunition Storage Depot (NASD) Philadelphia and then to the USAF at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB). It was removed from the US Navy inventory on 31st January 1947.
Now things get a little hazy! It seems to have been dumped in a land fill at Patuxent Naval Air Station (NAS) from where it was recovered and restored in 1957. It was again restored in 1976 and then 1979 at the USAF museum.
It can be seen on display at the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio today. It has come a long way since it left the Regensburg-Obertraubling facility in April 1945.
It is currently painted in an incorrect paint scheme.
Colour is a tricky thing. Here's an original reference photograph.
Note how low the contrast is between the colours. If we render the model in B+W we get something similar.
At least it survives and if you are ever in Ohio you can pop in and see it!
Thanks for looking and reading.
Any comments or questions just fire away!
Cheers
Steve
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