Kit: Me-262 V9

Scale: 1/72

Kit Number: ???

Manufacturer: MPM

Price: $15.00

Media: Injected plastic, vacuform canopy, brass bits.

Decals : one version (its a prototype!)

Accuracy: seems good

Overall: see review

Comments: MPM has been putting out limited run kits like crazy. They are known for Propagteam decals, Eduard brass and a vacuform canopy. Frankly, I'm not so crazy about all the brass, but I will admit that most of it can help add a lot to the kit.

This kit builds pretty well like a standard kit. The fit is not very good, but can be gotten around. For instance, there are huge gaps between the engine pods and the wings that must be filled with scrap plastic. Be sure to get the engines square!! The interior fits pretty well with some work and the instrument panel is a jewel. I found that several of the brass parts were a bit too big and interfered with others. The brass wheel wells are a real jewel, unfortunately they make it impossible to get a good wing/fuselage fit since the wells are too deep. This means crushing the wells and massive putty at the underside wing/fuselage joint. The fuselage is too wide for the wings and require the top fuselage/wing joint to be filed down until you get a good fit.

All the gear doors are brass as are the wheel centers, antennas, df loop. Injected plastic doors are available, but are very thick indeed and best left off. The vacuform canopy is what makes this a V9. It is very small and thick so much of your fancy interior cannot be seen. Once the kit was assembled, it was painted overall 76 with 75 squiggles all over the upper surfaces. This kit has the best mottle job I have ever done. A shame to waste it on a less than perfect kit. I added bare metal foil to the gun access panels and the fronts of the engine pods. Anyway, the Propagteam decals are really very good and fit beautifully.

If you have experience in multi-media kits and can overcome the fit problems, give it a try. I haven't given up on MPM as I have another of their kits currently in work. MPM is successful because they choose subject material that a mainstream company would not touch. Thanks MPM.