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Living in the Washington D.C. area allows me to experience one of the worst traffic jams in the U.S.A. on a daily basis. It also allows me to see some of the most important and impressive pieces of aeronautic and space-flight history at the world famous Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It was at this museum that I first laid eyes on the Me 262.
It came as something as a shock to see a jet fighter wearing what were unmistakably WWII German markings. I must have spent an hour just looking over the plane as it sat on display. The placard said the Me 262 was called the "Swallow", but to me it looked like nothing less than a shark. Had it been an American plane, I have no doubt it would have been painted accordingly, with a bright red mouth and nasty pointed teeth.
I built the Hasegawa kit of the 262 several years ago. Like most Hasegawa kits, it was very easy to build. I chose 1/48 scale, because at the time it seemed like the 1/72 scale kits were just too darn tiny. The construction was straightforward, and I quickly finished the kit. I only wish I'd put more weight in the nose, because this model is decidedly tail heavy. I eventually purchased a 1/48 scale kettenkrad tow vehicle to use as a more aesthetically appealing counterbalance. The kettenkrad was an all white-metal kit, save for the photo-etched rear-view mirror and license plates. I will add a picture of the kettenkrad soon, as it is a fairly nice kit in it's own right.
The instructions for the 262 had two camoflage variations drawn out. I chose the splinter camo (I'm fond of that pattern), with the spattering transition from green to blue along the sides of the fuselage. The underside was supposed to be light blue (lichblau), but by mistake, I painted it gray blue (grayblau), or something like that. The gray blue color was used for my Heinkel 111, and I must have grabbed it by mistake. Oops. The decals were easy to apply, though it wasn't until some time after finishing that I realized the swastika markings were missing. The same is the case on my He111. Apparently, there are laws in many countries prohibiting the use of the swastika in printed materials. There are aftermarket decals which can remedy this shortcoming. Or, if you aren't lazy like me, you could mask over the proper area and paint your own marking.
