Small Scale Military Headquarters

I got my ME262 Nightfighter from Monkey Depot today. Right off I must say this has to be the best looking model sitting in the box. The box art is really well done, and the plane looks great. Mine has a couple of problems that kind of bum me out. First off, the little rod that keeps the main gear down was not on the right side gear. So when I put the model on its wheels, that gear would retract, and the model would hit hard. The second problem is the hinge on the front canopy was glued. The front canopy has two hinges, and when I tried to open the canopy the hinge snapped off. Part of it stayed on the canopy, and part is glued into the fuselage. If I keep the front canopy closed you really can't see it, but if I open the canopy it looks bad. All in all a great looking plane, it just suffers from a few bugs.

Just make sure you don't put it on your driveway.

I gota tell you Matthew, I thought about it.......

Sabrefan wrote:The second problem is the hinge on the front canopy was glued. The front canopy has two hinges, and when I tried to open the canopy the hinge snapped off. Part of it stayed on the canopy, and part is glued into the fuselage. If I keep the front canopy closed you really can't see it, but if I open the canopy it looks bad. All in all a great looking plane, it just suffers from a few bugs.

Mine is glued as well, so at least they are consistent when it comes to quality issues. Which goes to show that 21st never actually considered implementing more stringent QC procedures, even after raising the prices on all their XD.

What a stark contrast with Admiral Toys and their efforts to deliver quality products.

Hey Sabre, I had the same problem with the front canopy on mine. I tried and tried to loosen it but ended up snapping the front hinge anyway. Looks like its not an isolated problem.
I'm not gonna complain too much though, considering the extreme discount I got on these things.
The 3/4 ton Dodge I bought was in really bad shape with a front wheel snapped off and the bed frame cracked in two places, but a bit of Locktite superglue fixed it good as new.
I'd have been seriously pissed if I had paid full price or Private Reserve prices, but I'll take broken models at half price or less any day...



Jeffrey

Did anyone get a "good" NightFighter? Mine is due in tomorrow. I have a yellow 7 that is absolutely beautiful - from posts I've seen in the past, the NightFighter was suppossed to be even better. Now looks like I won't be able to open canopy without breaking it?

I get mine today and will post the condition.

I received my Nightfighter last Thursday and opened it after work on Friday (it is currently hanging above my desk in my office). I had no real issues with mine - both canopies were good, no bent or broken parts. The only thing I notice is that the panel fit for the nose panel (directly in front of the gun access doors) could be a bit tighter (there is a visible gap), but it's not terrible. Installing the wings was a bit of a challenge, because it was a pretty tight fit and took some effort to get them to seat properly.
But overall, it actually is one of the better quality aircraft I have purchased from 21st - nothing fell off or broke right out of the box, and there were no fingerprints or paint smudges/blemishes. It's sounding like I got very lucky on both my NightFighter and my 88 (which was also 100% intact, and didn't even require any special effort to get the gun to elevate).

I had very similar issues with my 21c ME-262A that Saberfan had with his nightfighter. Really, it stinks as these were not cheap planes at regular retail. Some were great and others were not so much. I am to the point of saying that it was hit-or-miss with the 21c ME-262s, which sort of puts them in a similar category to the Avengers. Other 21c planes seemed to have much better QC control: the F-86s, Mig-15s, F-104s, and the P-51s to some extent in my experience. Good thing you got a deal on it, though

I just ordered one last night. Now I'm a little nervous.

Had I paid full price and had these issues, I'd be pissed.

But I was thrilled to get the MD deal

How long does shipping take?

I'm eager to see if mine has any of the same problems...

I have two Admiral ME262s, and both were just about perfect.

Ok, got my 262 NF assembled and only found a few flaws:

A tail elevator would not move due to being painted shut. (easy fix)

Paint flaw above the gun hatch where someone opened it and it rubbed the wet paint. (hardly noticible with camo pattern)

One of the rear screw plugs was mangled and unusable. (this is the worse issue)

Some minor scuffs on the dullcoat. (to be expected, prolly my added a few myself)

Not bad for $25! All hatches/hinges work great and no broken pieces. I am so glad the front antenna can be added/removed with a little wiggling. This allows me to protect them when zooming around or leaving it displayed down low. Such a beautiful bird. Thank you all for talking me into it on the other 262 NF thread. Pictures distort the look of her. I would have been pissed if I had seen one in person after passing on this amazing deal.

I expect my Me-262 NF and Chinese Mig-15 to arrive today. I'll see if there are any quality control issues with ether of them.

Got my 262 NF but don't want to open it. Can I tell if the canopy is glued closed by looking at it through the box window? I'm saving it as a Christmas present or maybe birthday for my son and don't want to open it.

Fedex now has a new estimated date of delivery for me, 2/24.

My 262 NF seems to be fine. Any consideration that the MD inventory dump is due to factory seconds?

goodlord!!!!!! the 262 NF's just keep coming...is there anything else left laying around besides these and P-51s???

mikeg wrote:goodlord!!!!!! the 262 NF's just keep coming...is there anything else left laying around besides these and P-51s???

Makes you wonder huh?
I keep wishing more 109s would show but to no avail...

My 262 NF arrived today along with the Chinese Mig-15. This Me-262 NF is without defects...paint, decals, canopies and nothing bent or broken. Well done 21st!
The Mig-15 I'll open tomorrow.....this ones going to be used for a Fw Ta 183 (Luft '46) project.

I got mine in yesterday. The only real problem i had with mine was it was missing the right side landing gear support bar. I was really upset. Luckily i fabricated a new one with some thick styrene and my trusty dremel. They look identical. Good times.

Mine was missing one of the main gear support bars also. Wonder why they would leave that off?????????

had my 262NF from MD sitting on my table for a week now, and was reluctant to open it as some of you reported yours had glued canopys and missing support bars for the landing gear in the wings.
Well, today I opened it and found that both canopy's are not glued and open freely, and both main landing gear assemblies on the wings have the support bars in place. There is a bag of parts taped to the underside of the plastic flat and I haven't opened that yet. The paint looks good, only a small nick the nose, which does not detract, and both inspection doors in the front open freely. It looks like I did get a good one. Wanted to get another, but don't really know if I want to chance it again and push the envelope? Maybe best to leave well enough alone and stick with my GOOD one.
Thanks for listening
JOC