Full title: miniTOPCOLORS 37 Last Hope of the Luftwaffe: Me 163, He 162, Me 262
Authors: Jacek Pasieczny, Simon Schatz, Arkadiusz Wróbel

Luftwaffe is always a popular and grateful object to illustrate. A large variety of types, time frames and fronts implying types of camouflage and weathering makes this topic almost inexhaustible for scale modeling. As the planes with hakenkreuzes on the tail can be finished in a very eye catching styles, this feature makes it even more attractive. Kagero Publishing seems to understand this issue and keeps us busy providing more and more Luftwaffe painting and decaling options. In the 37th issue of miniTopcolors series we are given decals and painting instructions for German late war fighter jets.

This issue is a slightly larger than usual. The "mini"series content comprises from eight painting options while this time are are given ten different schemes for three types of airplanes. In a typical format of the series we are given painting schemes and decals for three Messerschmitt Me 163's, three Messerschmitt Me 262's and four Heikel He 162's. Detailed selection of the depicted planes comprises of following machines:

• Messerschmitt Me 163 B V53; W.Nr. 16310062, 'white 9', pilot: Uffz. Kurt Schiebeler from 1./JG 400, Brandis, Germany, early August 1944
  
• Messerschmitt Me 163 B; 'white 10', pilot: Lt. Hans-Ludwig Löscher z 1./JG 400, Brandis, Germany, late February 1945
  
• Messerschmitt Me 163 B V52; W.Nr. 16310061, 'yellow 1', pilot: Lt. Reinhard Opitz, commander of 7./JG 400, Nordholz, Germany, April 1945
  
• Heinkel He 162 A-1; W.Nr. 310003, 'yellow 5' from 3./JG 1, Leck, Germany, May 1945
  
• Heinkel He 162 A-2; W.Nr. 120067, 'white 4' from 1./JG 1, Leck, Germany, May 1945
  
• Heinkel He 162 A-2; W.Nr. 120028, 'white 3' from 1./JG 1, Leck, Germany, May 1945
  
• Heinkel He 162 A-2; W.Nr. 120231, 'white 6' from 1./JG 1, Leck, Germany, May 1945
  
• Messerschmitt Me 262 A-2a, W.Nr. 110613, '9K DK', pilot: Ofw. Hermann Wieczorek from 2./KG 51, Rheine-Hopsten, Germany, 25th February 1945
  
• Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a, 'yellow 2' from 3./KG(J) 54, Prague-Ruzyně, Czechoslovakia, May 1945
  
• Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a, 'white 34' z III./EJG 2, Brunnthal, Germany, May 1945

All these planes are illustrated on a great quality and large colored silhouette drawn by well known artists: Jacek Pasieczny, Simon Schatz, Arkadiusz Wróbel. Detailed descriptions of each bird are bilingual. It provides many useful notes and suggestions of individual painting characteristics of depicted planes. All this content is published on 20 page thick booklet in the size of 205x275 mm.

Decal sheet included in the publication is printed by Cartograf and consists of individual markings for all depicted planes in three scales: 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32. Quality of this decal is great, as usual. Very thin carrier film without any unnecessary excess, good colours and very detailed badges printed without any error nor misalignment. Practice of using Cartograf decals proves its good reaction for Micro Set and Sol decal agents.

With the interesting selection of very attractive painting schemes and plenty of model kits of German fighters in many scales available on the market, and even more incoming in the near future, you will have plenty of options to keep occupied in the autumn and winter evenings.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.