The detail that stopped me cold is the label on the instruction manual: 'Ausgabe April 1944'. A period-flavored touch on a brand-new release, and it sets the tone for kit number DW32003, Das Werk's fresh 1/32 tooling of the Messerschmitt Me 262. Andy's Hobby Headquarters went through the whole package, and given that this airframe was the first jet-powered fighter to reach operational service, a modern kit in this scale feels like a long time coming.
Assembly spreads across eight sprues. Sprue A carries the fuselage halves, tail fin, stabilizers, a separate rudder and alternate gun-bay panels for the nose. A one-piece lower wing with the main gear bays, flap hinges and ailerons molded in sits on Sprue B, while Sprue C brings the upper wing halves, separate slats and flaps, nacelle fairings and underwing rocket racks. Sprue D covers the cockpit tub, instrument panel with raised dial bezels, bulkheads and radio gear, Sprue E builds the pair of Junkers Jumo 004 turbojets, and Sprue F holds the nacelle rings, engine mounts, gear struts, hubs, weighted tires and the 30 mm cannon assemblies. Sprue G gives four clear parts, Sprue H a vinyl runner with poly caps, and a cast metal weight slots into the forward fuselage. The manual's CAD-based exploded sequences run from cockpit through fuselage, wings, gear and nacelles.
Other touches worth noting: the tires carry diamond tread, the paint chart cross-references several brands, and the closing pages offer four-view camouflage guides in full color. The fuselage wears the numbers yellow 5 and white 2.
The one catch: the kit is only up for pre-order right now, so the rest of us are waiting on the release.
Project by Andy's Hobby Headquarters. Watch it on their YouTube channel: