Thanks for the clarification. I did a quick look at my infamous stash and found the following 1/72 scale kits that the box top labeled as nightfighters:
Dragon P-38M Night Lightning
AMT Hurricane (Matchbox kit)
Revell Arado AR-240C-02
Frog P-61 Black Widow
I also have a Johan Me-262 B-1a/U1kit that includes radar antenna, which I assume makes it a nightfighter.

hi robin, i built the revell ar 240 recently (only finished it last month) its a nice kit to build, but the decals in mine were unuseable, and i had to cobble together decals from my spares box. here is a link to the thread with a bit more explanation and some pics. doh!

this should be it!
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/56523&page=1

Sabot,

I've heard the JoHan kits are really very good. Never seen one--what say you?

OMG! TedMamere mentioned this thread to me.
Reading those posts gives me a stronge urge to visit some LHS and go out for a nightfighter...

I just cracked it open. I believe I got it in a lot of models on eBay or from one of the various modeling sale forums. The decals are missing and it does not look like anything special. More along the lines of old Revell. Doesn't look like anything I'd build and I'd probably prefer the Heller one I just ran across.

Found a few more night fighters in the stash:
Heller Me 262 B1a/U1
Revell Dornier Do 335 A6
Frog Bf 110G Night fighter
MPC Hurricane Mk I
Frog Hurricane Mk 2C

I wonder why I have so many Hurricanes? I'll probably build the easiest aircraft kit, maybe the all black Hurricane.

Thank you harry, I was considering doing it as an online build but as the others have all stalled I plan on putting it up as an on-line build after it is completed. However I do plan on posting updates and here is the latest:
Most of the resin parts are cleaned up, not as difficult as it first appeard. I have only lost one foot rest. The biggest problem in using the Aires cockpit is having to dispense with the cockpit weight. I will have to get pretty inventive to preven a tail sitter.
Mal

Hi there

Like Mal, I've made a start cleaning up the parts for my build. I was lucky at work this week - a repetitive job, with 30 minute breaks while I copied video tapes.



My colleagues were slightly bewildered as I sanded Classic Airframes' resin pieces in a bowl of water... and backed off when I mentioned the cancer risk!

Still, the time was well spent and now I've just got to keep the momentum going; all too many of my kits don't get finished...

All the best

Rowan

Here are my Resin pieces, from the Aires cockpit set. I don't do anything quite so girly as sanding underwater as I don't do much sanding of resin. I do as little sanding as possible, for the reason stated by Rowan. I either saw off the pouring block (while wearing a mask) or, more often, I nibble away at the pouring block with a pair of side cutters, then use a scalpel to pare away as much as possible. Only then do I sand.

The Aires resin cockpit with the main parts cleaned up. As you can see I managed to break off both the foot rests on the radio operators seat and his headrest from the seat top. I also deliberately broke off one of the sensors (?) on the seat top. It was about to come off anyway and with the handling while cleaning up it would have almost certainly have broken off and would, more than likely have been lost. At least by pre-empting it I have a chance to fix it.

This is just to show the metal cockpit insert, around which the Tamiya cockpit parts fit. This cannot be used as intended when using the Aires resin cockpit, but some of it will be use, how is the question.
Mal

MAl, does that metal weight come with every tamiya aircraft kit? or just ones that have nose gear?

LOL! Mal. You girlie!

Seriously everyone... resin dust is EVIL STUFF and a cancer risk! When you're sanding or sawing, wear a mask and have plenty of ventilation. Wet sanding helps trap the dust - and, of course, sanding in a bowl of water also helps protect those around you who don't have the benefit of mask!

Resin dust has a distinctive smell - and the Golden Rule is "If you can smell it - you're at risk."

All the best and take care

Rowan

AJ,
I think the He219 is the only Tamiya model that has a weight around which the cockpit parts fit, in this way. There are others that have weights though, the Gloster Meteor and N1K1 Rex float plane have a cylindrical weight, The Rex for one of the floats. The 219 needs quite a bit of ballast, hence the clever cockpit. This of cours makes it more difficult when using a resin one
Mal

Never thought of that. Thanks for this idea!

well it had to happen, after all the FW190's and TA154's that have been on these forums recently, yesterday while hanging around my lhs i was torn between an academy TA154 and a revell FW 190A, deciding to get the 190 (i like the "chunky" look of these as opposed to the stretched 154) while queing at the checkout i realised that the boxart was a wild sau version. that will be my first kit for this build, hopefully followed by the 262 nightfighter

Is there a Way we can get a folder in the MSN armorama site for our group build so we can show off the finished products?

I managed to repair the headrest and sensor (?) using CA. I also attatched the seat top and headrest section to the pilots seat. I just have to scratch build the foot rests for the radio ops seat.

With a bit of luck I should be able to paint the cockpit over the week end, reviews permitting
Mal


AJ, I think we can have one here.

Hi AJ

I think storage is at a premium on the MSN sites, but Mal's right - there's no reason why we can't have pics of the finished builds in content storage on the Main Site. Good idea.

All the best

Rowan

I've spoken to AJ, via PM. I have a bit of a cunning plan, which actually ties in with something I have been thinking of doing for some time. I'll let you know in a PM soon, Rowan. It's no biggy, but you know how you generally come up with good ideas.

Mal

Just for grins and giggles, I made three options for a ribbon for our group build. Not official, just for grins and giggles, I can post them to see which one you all like.

Cheers AJ

We can always add the ribbon to our banners.

All the best

Rowan

Here they are, I did them in Microsft paint.

Darktrooper, those are great ribbons. Are they based on real ones? If so, what's the difference between the three?

Well, my first night fighter will be the Messerschmitt Me 262 B from SMER in 1:72. I did not open the box yet, because I'll recieve it officially next week for my birthday from my daughter :-)
I hope it's a good kit. I know it have PE parts.
I also hope the decals are good: I do have very bad experiences with decals from SMER. Somehow they always break.

Paul

Last night, after I managed to tear myself away from Armorama, I did a Google picture search on the He 219. I found the site of a German museum on ejection seats, where the owner had scratch built the pilots seat out of a He 219. It looks really good, but it has seat cushions for seat and back rest, which aren’t included in the kit seats or the Aires resin set, this got me thinking. RAF seats, generally, had padded backs with a bucket seat for the parachute pack, on which the pilot sat. Luftwaffe seats, generally, had padded seats with the seat back designed to take the parachute pack, worn on the pilot’s back. Not knowing if these He 219 seats housed the crew parachutes or if the crew wore them it is impossible to say if this replica seat is correct. However apparently, the builder of the seat, has the necessary technical documents, so why would he add seat cushions for no reason? The seat top could house the parachute/s (the seats are joined) and there are leavers on this that may deploy them?
No model I have seen depicts any seat cushions and neither does the only surviving He 219. However there is tantalising evidence that the replica seat is correct. On the picture of the pilots seat from the surviving 219 there is what appears to be a stud, (of the press stud kind) high on the seat back, in the middle, exactly where on the replica there is a press stud connection. Sorry I have been watching CSI.
So, do I add seat cushions or do I join the queue of non cushion He 219’s?
Replica seat
Mal

Hi Paul!

That's strange... I build a few Smer kits and found that the best part of those kits were actually the decals! But considering the quality of the plastic, it's not difficult! :-)

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc,

Funny you respond, because you are the cause I'm in this group (because you mentioned to me in the bomber forum, and I -as campaign junkie- was sold right away) and the choice of kit was based on your article about early jets... :-)

I must be honest; my experience with the SMER decals are from some couple years back. Perhaps they are bether now and perhaps I have more patient now with the decals.
My worst experience was with a SMER 1:48 Sopwith Camel. Not a single decal came of right. I painted the registraton numbers on the plane: this was possible because the numbers were molded on the plastic parts :-) :-) :-) (Oh, you are so right about that plastic!)

On the other hand. This is a SMER 'HIGH TECH' model and I believe the standard of these kits is a bit bether than the usual SMER kits. I builded their 1:72 Fieseler Storch with skies under it also about 4 years back and that kit went very well, specially considering my building skills at that time

BTW, do you (or someone else) know how I can do those little green spots on the plane best? I tried once simular spots on a 1:35 AFV with an AB, but that didn't go well at all.
What's the trick?

Paul