Arado 234 'Blitzed'

This must be one of this year's most demanding projects. The AR 234 Nightfighter came in at just under seventy hours work for me - unusually intense for a 1/48 scale model. To build it straight from the box would have produced a nice very presentable result, but this one came to me with a number of lovely add-ons to bring it up several notches. The Aires cockpit and landing gear bay, a Verlinden detail set and an Eduard detail set gave me an excellent choice of beautiful parts in resin and metal. This means there are four sets of instructions to follow, and some very difficult style choices to be made! Jockeying four sets of parts together is not for the novice - I did go cross-eyed a few times, and I needed to leave the room on occasion....


The result of all that jockeying and cross-eyed concentration? Well, I was very satisfied. High points? Certainly the front cockpit (there is also one in the back) and the gear bay, for their quality of detail and fit inside the model. Also the little wing-mounted rocket motors, which only needed some Eduard parachute straps, so good was their detail. I did have a set of Airwave gear legs and wheels, but for once the kit parts were superior and I didn't use them.

The final build looks very impressive from a few feet away, but get up close and it's really rewarding. It's a combination of excellent detail, and hard work getting the best out of the component parts. Am I blowing my own trumpet? Maybe, but maybe it's more a case of enjoying the fruits of more than forty years experience. I hope you think it looks good too.