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Jimmy Zed
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Tamiyas Me262, JV44 mini diorama part 1 of 2

May 11, 2020 · in Aviation · · 30 · 2.2K
This article is part of a series:
  1. Tamiyas Me262, JV44 mini diorama part 1 of 2
  2. JV44 FW190D9 Mini Diorama Part 2 of 2

The plan for this was to do a really quick build Me262 after spending a lot more time than i planned on my Skyraider. But upon opening the kit i noticed one of the schemes was a job and i thought...this a great excuse to add a JV 44 D9 and have them in an airfield setting. Back down to the shop for a D9, and a Kettenrad, and some drums...and some trees and tufts of grass...and a 1/48 newspaper. I showed my mate the newspaper and he just looked at me weirdly and said..'You're in deep aren't you'

So off home with all the goodies, hacked another piece of wood from the bed frame slowly dwindling away in the corner of the shed and got to building. After finishing the very basic 262 build, and starting to position things around the wood i realised that both planes were not going to fit comfortably. My base, as usual, is restricted by the size of the cabinet it will end up in. So, one base for each and i'll try and make them look like a split pair and sit them opposite each other in the cabinets.

The 262 i left really clean, one test flight was my mindset so pretty much zero weathering, just a very minimal oil wash and some dust for underneath. The figures are terrible under close scrutiny but pass muster well enough in the cabinet..i hate figure painting, and it hates me. Those two ground crew are on a hot ticket to the Eastern Front judging by the oil spill around the drums anyway.

I had a few decal issues with this kit so i've sacked the Markfit and finally invested in some set and sol to try out on the D9. If anyone knows where i can get hold of a 1/48 JV44 decal kit, stripes not needed, i would be much obliged as i am struggling to find one 🙂

Cheers all!

Reader reactions:
13  Awesome

21 additional images. Click to enlarge.


30 responses

  1. That's fantastic work, Jimmy. I am deeply amazed!

  2. and he just looked at me weirdly and said..’You’re in deep aren’t you’

    Nice friend you have there - I suppose we all need to be reminded now and then 😀

    However, all the wierd looks and all the strange comments dissolves when they see the result here. Well done! Looking forward to part 2. . .

  3. Jimmy, nice job and great display!

  4. Extremely good looking.
    Although you call it a mini diorama, it sure looks great.

  5. I love the way support gear and personnel give aircraft models a perspective and purpose. Nice composition and well done Jimmy.

  6. Profile Photo
    Walt said on May 11, 2020

    That is awesome! I did similar with Me-262 Test Bed aircraft. Yours is SO much better, love the trees and barrels, variation in landscaping, it just adds so much more interest, and is very reminiscent of those late war photos of planes in the forest. Good looking model and great display. I think its pretty cool though that we used the same vehicles also. For me your display is inspirational to do better the next time on mine.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

    • Your 262 is much better looking than mine! I'm still struggling to capture that clean but in a frontline unit look. And how did you get the Kettenrad driver to fit? my guy hovered above the seat and looked weird so i was going to chop his shoes off to have him seated.

      • Profile Photo
        Walt said on May 12, 2020

        Thanks for the kind words Jimmy, as for my guy in the Kettenrad, I don't remember having much of an issue getting him to sit right. It may be like one of those magic puzzles, it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit, it fits...and you never move it again, but he sits pretty good in it for me. I can't wait to see part 2 of your post!

  7. Hey Jimmy Z @hetstaine
    This diorama is way too too cool. I catch something new each time I look at it. Your comments made me chuckle too. Thanks !
    JG 44 with it's red and white striped 190's and those shark like 262's checked all the boxes. My very favorite Luftwaffe unit was JG 54 because of the odd paint schemes they wore. JG 44 is my second favorite group.

    "liked"

  8. Great looking dio. Love you kept it tight and not huge to keep wings inside it.

  9. Around fall when the trees are matching your diorama you should get this outside, set it on a table or ledge with some real trees in the background (I'd say about a 100 feet away to scale them right if possible) and wait for some nice mid afternoon sun. (I only had some fabric to stand in for grass, but something like this...)

    Your diorama is begging to be photographed fit in with a natural environment and with the camera at a 1/48 scale figure's eye level. Fantastic job!

    • Great shot. I'll take that on board for the D9 part of the build for sure, i may even do some practice shots with this dio, cheers!

  10. Great build Jimmy and very good composed dio. Congratulations!

  11. Great build and awesome display. Congratulations!

  12. G'day Jimmy,
    Great build and great photos.
    I particularly like the trees in the diorama.
    I've just started building the Tamiya Me 262 at the moment (along with a Dragon Me 262A-1a/U4 and Hobby Boss Me 262A-1/U3) for a club competition. So far it looks to be a typical Tamiya kit - good detail and great fit.
    I built a diorama two years ago (Hs 129B-3 with a motorised port prop) and can agree with you on painting figures. I took some photos but didn't get the depth of field that you have in your photos. I'll have to try photographing it again and post the pic on this site some time.

    On the Fw 190D decals, I have the Eduard kit and only intend to build Red 4 (Fw 190D-11) so Red 1, 3 and 13 (Fw 190D-9s) and Red 2 (another Fw 190D-11) are available. I'm in Melbourne, so not too far away.

    Michael

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