Modelling the Messerschmitt Me 262

The first generation of Me 262 kits included releases from Frog, Airfix and Revell in 1/72 scale, and 1/48-scale models from Lindberg and Monogram. Most of these kits have since been superseded, but Monogram’s Me 262 is still widely available today.

Revell and Minicraft both released 1/32-scale Me 262s in the 1960s and 1970s. Revell’s 1/32-scale Me 262 displayed some serious shape problems, but Minicraft’s model was reasonably accurate. The Minicraft kit was also boxed by Frog and Hasegawa, with Hasegawa later offering a ‘High Tech’ two-seater Me 262B-1a/U1 night fighter.

The second half of the 1980s saw a major resurgence in the hobby with a large number of high-quality releases. The Me 262 fared well in this period. In early 1989, Trimaster of Japan offered the first in its genus of 1/48-scale Me 262 kits. With the untimely demise of Trimaster, these moulds were taken up by Dragon of Hong Kong and also later released by Revell and Italeri. By 1997, Hasegawa had launched an updated family of 1/72-scale Stormbirds. In the late 1990s, Revell also delivered a series of new-tool 1/72-scale Me 262s, including several versions of the P.1099, a heavily armoured development of the original Me 262 design that never left the drawing board.

Tamiya surprised modellers with the first of its 1/48-scale Me 262 kits in 2002. Tamiya also re-released its old 1/100-scale Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a kit in the same box as a 1/100-scale Me 163 in 2003.


Modellers are well served with Me 262 kit choices, whether their criterion is accuracy, ease of construction or price.

Hasegawa’s Me 262 kits have the edge in terms of accuracy in 1/72 scale, but Revell’s new-tool kits are crisply rendered and are available for pocket-money prices.

Tamiya’s family of 1/48-scale Me 262s are beautifully detailed, cleverly engineered and a joy to build. In these respects, Tamiya offers the best Me 262 kits on the market today in any scale.

Dragon’s 1/48-scale Me 262 kits are undoubtedly more challenging to build,but detail is almost to the same standard as Tamiya and more variants are available. The price of the Dragon kits – also available in Revell and Italeri boxes – is usually significantly cheaper than Tamiya’s too. Even the old 1/48-scale Monogram kit is still worth considering due to its accuracy and very low price, despite its raised panel lines and poorly fitting nose parts.

Hasegawa’s 1/32-scale Me 262A-1a is the only large-scale Stormbird currently in release. Many details are oversimplified but the outline is quite accurate and its size is impressive, making it a good contender for a comprehensive re-fit.