Zvezda

1/72 Junkers Ju-88A-4

Kit Number: 7282

Reviewed by  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $28.00 Website: Zvezda Available from: Dragon USA Introduction: The Junkers JU-88 should be very familiar to anyone interested in World War II military aviation, as it was probably the best twin engine bomber available to the Luftwaffe during World War II. A number of variants evolved during this period, and the JU-88A-4 was the most produced version, with many sub variants developed for specific missions. There is plenty of material available on this aircraft, so it would be repetitious to include a detailed history of this type. Numerous color schemes are available from many sources, ranging from standard 70/71/65 temperate schemes to heavily weathered snow camouflage on the Russian Front, desert sand for aircraft supporting Rommel’s Afrika Korps, and the startling “wave mirror” finishes on some bombers used in the Mediterranean. References: Many references are available on this aircraft. Including the Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings series, the Squadron In-Action series, and numerous others. More information is available on line, so there is no shortage of information on the JU-88. The Kit: Cast in the now standard light grey styrene, this kit is well engineered for ease in assembly, but with a total of 108 parts, including 14 clear plastic parts, it is certainly a highly detailed and intricate kit, which will take a lot of care in assembly, although it should not be beyond the skill level of an average modeler. Highly detailed, with finely recessed panel lines, the kit is very well molded, with nearly no flash. There are a couple of almost invisible sink marks around the cockpit area, although they are not detectable on the finished model. Fit is very good, although some putty will be needed in the fuselage seam area. A few extra and unused parts are included, including lower cowlings which would be suitable for the JU-88A-1 and JU-88A-5 models, although the props for these are not included. One could assume that Zvezda will come out later with these variants, as nearly all JU-88 kits today are the A-4 or some of the fighter variants. One particularly nice feature is the inclusion of the little plastic disk on the rear fuselage spine, which simulates the radio compass. Another feature I liked was the one-piece rudder and elevator assemblies, which avoid the overly thick units on many kits which have two piece assemblies. The detail on this kit is excellent, and the canopy and glass areas are especially well done, and the cockpit interior is easily seen through the glass. One glaring error is the shape of the aileron trim tabs, which are about 4 feet long and seven or eight inches deep in scale. These protrude from the trailing edges of the wings, and after checking numerous sources, I corrected this error by merely filing them off. If that is all that is wrong with the kit, and it is that simple to correct, I can’t complain. The only other problem, which just requires some careful attention, is that the landing gear and gun armament has to be assembled before the model is painted, although I dealt with the latter issue by snapping the canopies into place after masking them, securing them with a spot of white glue, painting the model, and then removing the canopies to install the guns before final painting and weathering. The tailwheel has to be installed when the fuselage halves go together, and although it is a rather fragile structure, it isn’t that difficult to avoid. Instructions: The instructions are printed in six languages, including Russia, English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. An excellent sprue diagram on the second page is easily readable, and the step-by-step exploded drawings are very useful in nearly all cases. Most, but not all, of the parts give color instructions, although the color listing was a disappointment, as colors are given only in Model Master numbers and shades, with no RLM colors, which would have been useful. How a 70/71,65 color scheme could become “French Khaki”, “dark Green”, and “USSR pale blue” is puzzling, especially since most modelers are very familiar with these colors, and also since Model Master supplies RML 70, 71, and 65. Color schemes and decals are provided for four aircraft: JU-88A-4 A6+HH, of Oberst Werner Baumbach of KG 30, complete with 16 kill markings on the rudder. JU-88A-4, 1T+AS. of KG 28, used in the Mediterranean on anti-shipping duties. JU-88A-4, B3+EK, of 1/KG 54, Mediterranean area, 1943, complete with white fuselage band, yellow wingtips, and yellow cowling undersides (Russian front markings) JU-88A-4 B3+AM, of 4/KG54, Sicily, Spring, 1943. This version is depicted in the instructions as being French Khaki (RLM 71) on top with irregular stripes of white and dark green (RLM 70), while the undersides are USSR pale blue (RLM 65) with dark green (RLM 70) “squiggle” mirror wave camouflage pattern. This is a variation that I have not seen before, but I’d have to see some photographic documentation of this scheme before I’d paint a model using it. The only problem I encountered with the color information was that I could not document the model I built from the plans, #2, the KG 28 aircraft. I found two photos of the actual aircraft in Vol. 2 of the Luftwaffe Colors book, and a color drawing of the aircraft in the Squadron-Signal “JU-88 in Action” booklet. The Squadron book lists the airplane as a JU-88A-4/Torp, which would presumably have torpedo racks instead of bomb racks, and one photo of the airplane shows it in company with another JU-88 of the same unit that appears to have two large objects mounted on the wing racks, but it is impossible to tell whether they are heavy bombs or torpedoes, and the airplane in question, which also appears in the photo, has no discernable offensive load. The airplane in the photo actually was in night camouflage, which the kit instructions omit, and has black covering all of the undersides except for the bottoms of the engine nacelles. In addition, there is no indication in the instructions (although all of the abbreviated line drawings omit the brakes) that this airplane did not have the dive brakes fitted, although the photos and drawings show clearly that it didn’t. One might assume that the plane originally came to the unit as a transfer from KG 506 in standard day colors, and that KG 28’s crews later painted the undersides black for night operations, and that the scheme provided in the instructions represents the aircraft before night camouflage was applied, but I haven’t seen any photographic evidence. Anyway, I painted the bottom black, and it looks very good in that scheme. I know, picky picky. Assembly: This kit is very well engineered, and went together very quickly for a kit of its complexity. Before starting the fuselage, cut out the location holes for the small IFF antenna located underneath the rear fuselage. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time establishing their location after you’ve joined the fuselage. After detailing the cockpit and adding seat belts, I painted the tailwheel, and joined the fuselage halves. I filled in the seams with putty, sanded them smooth, and attached the wing sections. The wings are in two sections, hopefully so that Zvezda can later issue a JU-88A-1 with the shorter wings. The outer sections are very thin, and care has to be taken that they are attached solidly or they will certainly break off in the handling process. Mine did once, but it wasn’t a problem repairing the damage. Be sure to file off the large trim tabs previously mentioned, as they weren’t on the real airplane. The main gear must then be assembled and painted, and they are small kits in themselves, and the instructions are a little confusing on what part goes where. After they are in place, assemble and install the rear nacelles, using putty where required. The forward portion of these is very fragile, so be careful not to damage the small ring where the engine nacelles mount ahead of the firewall. The engine cowlings are in two pieces each, and be sure to use the right one, as the smooth one is intended for the JU-88A-5 . The instructions are clear on this, but be careful anyway. I then white glued the forward cowling and radiator housings after painting and masking the facings, so the plane was ready for initial painting. The glass parts are very intricate, and there are 14 pieces to keep track of. I installed the two nose sections first, and then masked off the windows. I didn’t install any machine guns until later, so the main canopy and ventral dustbin gun position were only attached temporarily. The main canopy just about snaps into position and will stay there without glue, but the rear bulged sections need to be glued. Painting and Finishing: I used Model Master 70/71/65 for the main airframe, with flat black for the undersides. Be sure to mask off the little section where the individual aircraft letter remains in RML 65, whereas the rest of the undersides are black. If you do the scheme in the instructions, leave the undersides 65. There are a lot of detail parts that need to be added after painting is completed. The exhaust stacks are nicely done, but need to be trimmed somewhat, as they are a little too wide for the space they are supposed to fit into. They should be a rust color. The small fairings ahead of the stacks are separate, and these are very SMALL, so be careful and don’t let one escape, as they will try their best to leave your workbench at the earliest opportunity. The same goes for the bomb rack assemblies. The little attachment fittings are also very small, and I spent ten minutes looking for one that somehow flew off my workbench. But they look very nice when installed. The wheels and tires are very nice, and are easily painted by hand. They just pop onto the gear axle, and are held on by a retainer, which needs to be trimmed slightly. After all of the details were added, and all of the masking tape was removed, the plane was ready for decals. The decals are excellent, and go on as easily as the old Microscale decals, and no trimming is needed. I was very impressed with their quality and register, and I’ll save the leftovers for some future project. Although the decals are very nice, I did replace the underwing crosses with white outline crosses from Microscale. I also used Microscale swastikas to avoid using the split units provided in the kit for political reasons. I applied a little paint chipping and some brown for weathering effect, and used stretched sprue for the low frequency antenna which runs from the fin to the mast above the pilot’s compartment. The sprue from the kit worked very well, and the effect is good. Recommendation: Having recently built the competitive Italeri kit, I can say that this is the better model in many respects, although both kits will result in an acceptable JU-88A-4. One feature that really makes this model is the propeller shape, which is better than the Italeri kit. This one is definitely JU-88A-4, while the Italeri kit’s props look to be a tad thin. Also, the kit sits at the proper angle to the ground, as they got the landing gear length correct, whereas the Italeri kit sits a just little too high, as if the oleo struts were overinflated. So overall, the kit is excellent, and is easy enough to build that a less experienced modeler should have no problems with this one as long as he or she follows the directions. I highly recommend this kit to anyone who wants to build a JU-88A-4. I was a pleasure building this model. Thanks to Dragon USA for providing the review sample and IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it.