Italeri

1/72 Junkers Ju-188

Kit Number: 1117

Reviewed by  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $32.00 Released in the U.S.A. by MRC: www.modelrectifier.com The Junkers JU-188 was a progressive development of the basic JU-88 medium bomber, intended as a backup for the more advanced JU-188. In about 1939, JU-88 development had been frozen in anticipation of the JU-288's introduction into service, allowing only limited development of the design, but in 1942, it became obvious that the JU-288 was a failure, and since Junkers had continued low priority design of the JU-88's successor, the JU-88E, this type was developed into the JU-188. The JU-188, although retaining much of the JU-88 airframe, featured a completely redesigned cockpit and crew section, revised armament including an EDL 131 power turret, a JU-88G type tail unit, extended pointed wingtips for better high altitude performance, and more powerful engines. From the beginning, it was intended to power the aircraft with BMW 801 radials, but in case of production bottlenecks, Junkers Jumo 213 engines could also be used, the engine units being interchangeable on the production lines. (I don't know if it was ever done, but it would be interesting to speculate how a JU-188 would have performed with a Jumo on one side and a BMW on the other. It would certainly make an interesting model but I digress.) The JU-188A was powered by the Jumo, while the JU-188E, JU-188F, and JU-188G versions used the BMW radials. Both engines produced approximately the same power, but the propellers were different, the Jumo using broader chord VS-111 wooden props while the BMW engines used the narrow chord metal VDM props. These were essentially similar to those used on variants of the JU-88, and were readily identifiable on the airplane. The original prototypes, designated JU-88 V27 and JU-88 V44, were powered by BMW engines, but the V44 had the broad chord wooden props normally associated with the Jumo powered version. The JU-88 V44 became the JU-188 V1. Early in 1943, Jumo powered JU-188A's and BMW powered JU-188E's began production simultaneously, although due to engine shortages, more radial engine aircraft were produced initially. Soon after the introduction of the JU-188 into service, reconnaissance developments were produced, but the type was never produced in meaningful quantities, only slightly more than a thousand being produced before production was terminated in favor of more essential fighters. The type was used by bomber and reconnaissance units, but never completely replaced the JU-88 during the war. More than half of the JU-188's produced were reconnaissance types. The Italeri Kit This kit was first released in about 1977, when I built my first example of the kit. The re-release uses the same moldings without any changes except for the decals. The box calls it a "limited edition", which probably means that it won't be available for very long. The first 1/72 scale JU-188 kit was issued by Matchbox many years ago, and should not be seriously considered by serious modelers, but the Italeri kit, although it has the raised panel lines typical of the period, is an adequate kit, especially since it is now the only show in town. Since originally issued, this kit has appeared under the Bilek label, but it is the same kit as the Italeri version. Consisting of 123 grey plastic parts, 7 clear parts, and decals for two aircraft, the kit is crisply molded and basically accurate in outline. Parts are provided for two versions, the JU-188A with Jumo engines, and the JU-188E, with BMW's. A clear part is included in case you want to build one of the variants that did not have the power turret, and the kit can be built with or without the external bomb racks. Therefore, you will have a few parts left over whatever version you decide to build. The cockpit interior is very basic, but does include a floor, three seats, a power turret, four weapons, a yoke and wheel, and an instrument panel. Gun mounts are provided, but these are fiddly and hard to install. Assembly Basic assembly was pretty straightforward. Fit is good, and there were only a few areas that required filling. The wings attached at the proper angle, and I had no trouble getting the tail plane in its proper position. The elevators and rudder are separate pieces, so they can be installed in any desired position. The landing gear fits easily into its position in the gear well, and lines up perfectly. I decided to wait until after painting to attach the clear parts. I also assembled and painted both power plants, although my intent from the beginning was to do the KG200 version, which was powered by Jumo engines. Problems There are, however, problems that should have been corrected when the kit was reissued. The main problems with this kit lie in the engines and propellers. There are two versions presented, with Junkers Jumo and BMW engines. The Jumo engines are fine, and the exhaust stacks are excellently done. However, the propellers, which should be the VS-111 model, seem to have too narrow a chord, appearing almost identical to the narrow chord VDM props. This is readily apparent in the few photographs of the Jumo-powered JU-188A which appear in various publications. Incidentally, the broad chorded VS-111 props were used on the original BMW powered prototype, the JU-88 V44, and this aircraft is illustrated in several books that I have, these props are definitely broad chord. The props in the kit which are intended for the Jumo version are infinitely shorter that the BMW props, but they are only slightly broader in chord, so slight that it is scarcely noticeable. The spinners are correct, however. I decided to see if I had other props that I could use, but the VS-11 props from the Italeri JU-88G night fighter kit were too short, and those from the old Revell JU-88A were also too short. So, I decided to use the props from the kit, realizing that they were not quite right. Incidentally, the instructions show the carburetor air intakes on the wrong side of the engine nacelle, whereas the kit has them in the proper position. As far as the "power eggs" for the BMW engine are concerned, the engine and cowling are very nice, but they left out the cooling fan that shows in nearly all photos of BMW powered JU-88's and JU-188's. I don't know why they left these out, as they included them in what was virtually the same engine and prop arrangement in Italeri's DO-217. They also left them out on their JU-88G night fighter kit. I developed a field expedient, using hardware store 1/2-inch OD star washers with plastic card inserts. They aren't perfect, and probably don't have quite enough blades, but they did the trick, actually look like fan blades, and will save you the trouble of scratch-building the things, which I have done, and which are a real chore.

Other problems included the upper turret mechanism, which in my review sample, was received in several fragments, one of which I never found. I just cannibalized one from an unbuilt JU-188 kit I had on hand, and will build that one without the power turret. Another problem involved the landing gear doors. Photos of JU-188's show the front doors down, while the rear doors apparently fold down when the gear is being lowered or retracted, but then they fold up again, creating a better aerodynamic form when the airplane is taking off or landing. All of the doors are molded as separate pieces, which mean that the rear doors must be glued in the up position. This required a bit of filling, as fit was poor. The canopy parts seemed to fit very well, but require a lot of care, since most of the machine guns need to be mounted before the clear parts are installed. The sequence can be a bit tricky, but it can be done. Just be careful, as the guns are very fragile, and if you knock one off, it will disappear forever on the floor or carpet. Finishing and Decals In the original kit, decals were for three aircraft, U5+DP, F5+AT, and an undocumented squiggle patterned aircraft. For the new issue, decals are provided for two aircraft, a JU-188A-1 attached to 2/KG200, and a JU-188E-1 from an unknown unit. There is no documentation on either of these aircraft, and I had to look up in several reference books to discover that the A3+BP codes was from 2/KG200, which was a special purpose unit which conducted high priority missions, including agent dropping and special attack missions. The colors given for the aircraft in the instructions show "flat dark green" topsides and "flat light ghost grey" underneath. Having several references on Luftwaffe aircraft, I decided that the airplane probably had the standard bomber color scheme, and I painted the airplane in the standard 70/71 splinter pattern over 65 hellblau underneath. Of course, no tail swastikas were included in the otherwise excellent decal sheet, but these are readily available aftermarket, so this posed no problem. The second markings option was for a JU-188E-1 in light ghost grey with a medium sea grey "squiggle" over black undersides. There were no unit codes, and, of course, no indication where or when this aircraft operated, although I suspect that it was a maritime reconnaissance type. Actually, there isn't a lot of information available on JU-188's, either in publications or on line. Quite a few were captured at the end of the war, but not many survived for very long. Most books have the same photos, generally taken from the front, which naturally obscure fuselage unit codes. A couple of websites provide some color information, so try Google and see what you can find.

Conclusions and Recommendations For its age, this is still a very good kit. The raised panel lines can be subdued or sanded off and rescribed, and fit is generally excellent. The cockpit is very basic, and engines and propellers will provide a challenge, but a decent kit of the aircraft can be made, and there are several interesting variations that can be built. Get one or two of these while you can. Highly recommended for experienced modelers.

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