Messerschmitt Me 262  

Scale 1 : 6

Wing span  2080mm

Fully fiber glass, highly detailed surface with imitated rivet heads on all surfaces,

suitable for two gas turbines from 50N to 70 N

Kit consists of fuselage with separate nose cone, wings with ailerons and flaps, the two engine nacelles, elevator and rudder, canopy and landing gear doors.

The whole engine controls as ECU, fuel pump and battery fit easily into the wings so there are only servo leads, retract lines and the fuel lines to be disconnected for transport. The wings come with already built in connectors and can be completed in one or two parts version.

To complete the Messerschmitt 262 you only need to fit the control surfaces, install your formers, retracts, your gas turbines and your electronics, adapt the engine nacelles to your engines and do the paint works.

Parts of the kit

Click on the picture to see detailed pictures of all Messerschmitt 262 parts

Assembled Me 262

Me 262 Schwalbe

- Background information on the original -

The Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first jet-powered aircraft ever to see combat. The project began in 1938 when Messerschmitt was called upon to design a new fighter powered by two gas turbine engines being developed by B.M.W. The configuration eventually chosen featured a sleek streamlined fuselage with the two podded engines carried beneath a low-mounted wing.
Although the airframe was ready to fly by 1941, the early BMW turbojet engines were well behind schedule due to prolonged development delays. German designers chose to make the first flights using a single piston engine located in the nose. These early flights confirmed the good handling characteristics of the Me 262 and allowed other systems to be tested until the jet engines were finally ready a year later. First Flight with piston engine was on 18 April 1941
 First Flight with jet engines was on 25 March 1942 .The designers decided to keep the piston engine in the nose as a backup. Luckily, this move paid off. On its first jet-powered flight, the Me 262 had barely become airborne using the combined power of all three engines when both jets failed. The auxiliary piston engine provided just enough power to make a safe landing, thereby saving the plane for future testing.
Junkers had finally developed engines of sufficient power and reliability by late 1943 to make the new fighter feasible.
The Luftwaffe began committing the remarkable Me 262A-1a to combat in mid-1944 when air defense squadrons were pitted against the columns of heavy bombers making daily raids on German cities and military targets. Later models included the Me 262A-2a Sturmvogel (Stormbird) bomber and the Me 262B two-seat night fighter carrying an early form of airborne radar.

Despite being well-armed with 30-mm cannons and air-to-air rockets, the Me 262 was simply too little too late to turn the tide of war in Germany's favor. Maintaining production was difficult due to Allied attacks on industrial centers, and many aircraft were destroyed on the ground or shot down because of poor pilot training. The few that did see action may have outclassed their Allied opponents in terms of speed, but several were lost to the superior numbers and better maneuverability of enemy piston-powered fighters.

A total of about 1,430 examples of the Me 262 were ultimately built, though only about 300 ever saw combat. Many of the survivors were captured by the victorious Allies and used to help jumpstart the blossoming jet age.

Technical Data for Me 262A-1a