JU 88A-4 1/32 BYBY SACCO ANGELO DE PICARDO VRIES

TECHNIKRevell 1/32 Upgraded Junkers Ju 88A-4 by Angelo Picardo

uring World War Two, and-play electronics package to the was make it part of Revell’s Technik D the ’s primary range. The electronics provide multi-role combat aircraft, and as a conventional , , , , , , guided bomb carrier, and test bed for numerous aviation concepts, it was truly a jack of all trades, and a master of quite a few too! When Revell first announced their 1/32 scale Junkers, it was a big surprise, especially as it followed their beautiful He 111. Initially released as the Ju 88 A-1, the A-4 variant soon followed, with its extra defensive armament, external bomb racks, and associated bomb load. This new release has taken the A-4 variant and added a plug-

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The power pack of four AA batteries (not included) is external and has a power jack that allows it to be disconnected for transport. The various elements all connect together with push fittings and are colour-coded to ensure that decaling guides. All paint references Assembly Stages One to even a technophobe like me can’t are for Revell’s own range of paints, Thirty-two takes you through get it wrong. Supposedly...! though they are cross-referenced the assembly of the impressive The plastic parts are supplied to RLM colours where appropriate. cockpit. Just out of the box, the on thirteen light grey sprues and Even without the electronics, cockpit is sublime. Add in Eduard’s two clear ones. All the panel lines this would be quite an involved etch and the level of detail is just are engraved and feature some build, with one of the best cockpits ridiculous! Eduard provides a rather fine detail. There is a fair I have ever seen in a mainstream multitude of pieces to turn the amount of flash, but fortunately kit. However, the Editor was not kit’s plastic into an incredible all the mould ejector pin marks satisfied with the complexity of work of art, with replacement are away from any visible areas. The transparencies are thin and clear, and while there is also “THE TECHNIK BOXING ADDS THE some flash on these pieces, it is very easy to clean up. Two colour MAGIC OF LIGHT AND MOTION, schemes are provided: the first is for a European-based machine WHICH LOOKS VERY EFFECTIVE” with an RLM70 over RLM71 splinter pattern and an RLM65 underside. the kit out of the box, so he threw parts in brass to provide a finer The second scheme is for a in a whole lot of aftermarket! look or provide missing details. Sicilian based aeroplane, which First off was Eduard’s Big Ed For example, the A4 variant’s features a desert sand colour over set, which includes their exterior defensive armament moved away an RLM65 underside – but it’s set, self-adhesive interior set, from the saddle-drum magazines not quite that simple! The top placards, seatbelts and thankfully, used in earlier models to belt-fed colour has bands of RLM70 and a set of pre-cut canopy masks. ammunition from large tanks. white over it, while the underside The Editor also provided a set of The kit does not provide any of the is covered in sand-coloured Master Models turned-brass gun ammunition feeds, so Eduard have squiggles (which are guaranteed barrels for the defensive machine included them as very delicate brass to set even the most expert air guns, a brass pitot tube from items which, once folded into shape, brusher’s hands quivering). Profimodeller, some resin wheels, can be flexed (as per the real item) The kit’s instructions are in and a beautifully printed decal sheet to connect the machine guns to a twenty-four page booklet with from Eagle Cals, which supplied their ammunition supply. 116 assembly stages, plus two another three colour options. monochromatic painting and

the modeller with two motors to spin the propellers and micro LEDs to illuminate the cockpit, landing light, and tip and tail navigation lights.

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006-15-FEAT-Ju88-0718.indd 7 11/06/2018 13:55 CONSTRUCTION The plastic instrument panel features raised detail, but the instrument dials and decals for the dials are flat. Eduard provides a pre-coloured etched panel in Basic etched parts being added to the kit’s Eduard replaces or adds parts which are two parts that, once placed over cockpit simplified or missed off to the kits interior each other form an extremely realistic-looking replica, especially if you add the wiring to the back of the panel, which I did. (Eduard’s Rear cockpit wall with the moulded detail pre-coloured, self-adhesive removed from the radio faces, and improved etched detail added placards and instrument dials are the icing on the cake). I used a fine drill bit to make Etched wood grain floor pilot holes in the moulded-on instrument rears, then superglued in lengths of fine copper wire, which were then twisted together Wood veneer used to simulate the wooden floor to form the bundles of wire seen behind the panel. Thin strips Part I59 with pre-cut masks added to the of masking tape were wrapped inspection panels around the wire bundles to represent the fasteners that hold the individual wires together. As the clear nose makes this area Radio operator’s seat receives an etched document One of the kit’s un- The rather hefty sprue very visible, I think this simple bit case and a hinge for the folding head armour delicate pedals attachment gate of detail work is well worth it. Starbord cockpit wall undergoing painting and While on the subject of drilling detailing holes, don’t forget to drill the hole in the wing root in Stage Seven, which allows the motors and wires to pass into the . Revell includes two drill bits in the kit, but they are 0.8 mm in diameter, which is not big enough to make the holes to the motors to pass through. Going back to the instrument Pilot’s side of the cockpit Eduard’s pre-coloured placards bring the grey cockpit to life

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panel, for the clear lenses you can either paint the dials with a gloss varnish, or sandwich a piece of thin clear acetate between the two etched pieces. The self-adhesive placards supplement the decals to really bring the cockpit to life and add a splash of colour to the otherwise drab dark grey, RLM66 interior colour. The Eduard set also provides pre-coloured parts for the bank of radio receivers and transmitters found on the rear cockpit wall. To install these parts, you have to remove the moulded raised details from the radios. Once again the etched brass replacements build up in layers to provide a nice three dimensional look to the faces. The pilot’s side console, with the throttle levers, flap levers, and various other controls, is very impressive out of the box. Eduard provides numerous replacement parts that, apart from the control levers (which to my eye appeared too thin), were used to replace and enhance the kit pieces. Because there are a number of clear inspection panels in the in the Big Ed set has masks for pedals are rather delicate-looking them and are connected to the floor, the floor panel for the pilot these, which saves you a fiddly items. The kit pedals are as fine sprue by rather large gates. and radio operator/rear gunner job of cutting your own masks. as you can get using injection- Hoping Eduard would replace is provided as a clear piece (Part When you consider the amount moulding technology, but they them with some more delicate I159). The mask set included of abuse they get, Luftwaffe rudder have a fair bit of flash around brass parts, I was rather surprised and disappointed to see that they only provide the top half of the pedal. When you consider that they provide replacement parts for plastic pieces that don’t need enhancement, it’s a shame that the rudder pedals don’t receive a full set of new parts as well. The bomb aimer’s footrest, which is made from wood in the real aircraft, was next (Part Eduard’s instrument panel Wiring loom made from thin copper wire Cockpit progress with Eduard’s radio faces H160). To represent this, Eduard added over the kit parts provide a panel with a wood- grain effect etched into it. To me, however, this looked rather heavy and unconvincing. Fortunately, tucked away in the depths of my spares box, I had a piece of very thin laminate wood (acquired, free of charge, from a local tobacconist; it had been used as Cockpit from above, showing the worn paint Belly gunner’s gondola with etched frame and a divider in boxes of cigars). effect for the bomb aimer’s foot plate plastic card knee pad Using the etched piece as a template, I trimmed a piece of the wood to size and then superglued it into place. Once set it was sanded back with fine sandpaper, then varnished and painted in RLM 66. Just as the paint was drying, I used a cotton bud dipped in thinners to cut the paint back to reveal the wood, representing the wear and tear caused by the aircrew’s boots. By this point, It was starting to get a bit hard to keep track of which parts had been replaced and enhanced, but the cockpit was very quickly turning into sides together with all that lovely an impressive looking area. The Cockpit looking forward Cockpit underside with the homemade wiring cockpit detail sandwiched in between. Seat crew seats were next, enhanced loom belts are Eduard items WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 9

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Looking up into the cockpit from where the gondola By the time you arrive at Stage will go The electronics package fitted into the fuselage Thirty-two, most of the cockpit is assembled and work now turns to the tailwheel and its bay. Three bulkheads fit into the fuselage to form the undercarriage bay. The instructions would have you make up the whole tail wheel The power jack which connects to the battery Cockpit instrument panel coaming in place, assembly now and attach it pack showing where some filling and sanding was in place, but it can be left off until required the very end to avoid damaging it during the rest of the build. The way the tail wheel is assembled out of the box makes it difficult to clean up seams and paint. So, I made a slight modification by trimming off the wheel mounting pins from parts G141 and 142, drilling a hole through the leg to allow a Starboard wing showing the motor, landing steel pin to be used as an axle, Starboard lower wing attached, and the wing light and light. The wing tip has not and adding the wheel later. spars yet been added. Note the silver foil, used to Join line close up prevent the light showing through the plastic The plans would have you fit the electronic control package at Stage Thirty-eight, before with Eduard’s excellent pre- These fit into slots in the fuselage fuselage halves, you get a separate the fuselage halves are brought coloured Luftwaffe seatbelts. halves and provide a firm structure spine and belly plate. It was together. As the top panel of the I then turned to the fold-down to fit the fuselage to, which is engineered this way to allow Revell fuselage is a separate piece, I found seat for the gondola gunner, especially useful when you take into to make various versions of the JU it just as easy to fit them once the which is provided with an etched account the slightly unorthodox 88 from the kit, as different marks two sides were brought together, backrest that is hooked into structure of the : instead had a different layout of panel lines as there is plenty of room to get place when required. The etch of the conventional left and right along the spine and underside. it all in through the open top. set also supplies the gondola Once the fuselage had set, I safety harness and some internal began with the insertion of all framework, as well as the frame the electric goodies. The motors which holds the cushion pad for went first, fed through the holes I the gunner to lie on. No cushion is had drilled in the wing roots. The provided, but it only took a couple red-wired motor fitted to the port of minutes to shape one from a side and green to starboard. The square piece of thick plastic card. port wing tip light and the leading The cockpit rear wall, bulkhead edge landing light were then fed (Part C149), and the rear bomb bay through the hole, followed by bulkhead (Part C150), have partial the starboard navigation light. wing spars moulded integrally. The tail light is passed through the bulkheads that form the tail wheel bay, then the battery pack connector jack is passed through the forward bulkhead, leaving its wire hanging out of the wheel bay’s fuselage opening. The last LED, for the cockpit light, is fixed in place just behind the radios in the back of the crew compartment. The circuit board is covered by a protective sleeve and then placed inside the main fuselage, along with all the remaining wiring. I now jumped ahead to Stage Forty-six and fitted the top

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“YOU CAN LAVISH A WHOLE RANGE OF AFTERMARKET ON THE KIT”

panel, Part J8, sealing everything away...or so I thought! The top panel’s join runs along and across panel lines. As it required some sanding and filling to ensure a neat fit, some engraved detail is lost, but nothing that can’t be replaced with your favourite scribing tool. Stages Forty-four, Forty- five, and Forty-seven deal with the assembly of the instrument panel (completed earlier), and More filling on the lower fuselage joint, and installing it in place along with the The fuselage top panel also needed some filling the wires for the tail light passing through the wheel bay compass on the underside of the and sanding instrument panel. These stages would also have you fit the pilot’s gun and dive bombing sight, Part I219, which is moulded in clear plastic. This part is marred by Gondola and lower glazing panel in place flash, and the sight lenses are way too thick and marred by a mould line right down the centre. Unmodified part on the left, Fortunately, Eduard have hollowed-out part on the right this covered. I first removed the kit’s lenses from the plastic part Inside of the engine nacelle and then added the miniscule The fairing is with my modification to etched mounting brackets, provided as a clear part, requiring only the clear panel provide a more to which I added the supplied to be masked secure mount acetate lenses. The completed for the motor assembly was then added to the top of the forward fuselage. The wings came next. Usually the wings of model aeroplanes are attached once the wings themselves have been built, but not in this case, due to the light and motors. We start by creating a channel in the wing root of the lower The wires all tucked away neatly(ish). The silver After discovering the propellers were spinning wings to allow for the various thing is a screw; a magnet, glued to the panel, the wrong way, surgery was required to access Wing bomb racks connects to this the wiring and re-adjust the connections WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 11

006-15-FEAT-Ju88-0718.indd 11 11/06/2018 13:55 wires to pass through without getting damaged. You also have to make a similar gap in the engine compartment’s firewall for the motors, while in the port wing you have to make another hole in the landing light bay for the LED. Once all of this is done the lower wing Pilot’s gun sight can be attached to the fuselage. After being detailed with I fitted the lights and motors Eduard’s etched parts to the various positions and taped The detail is stunning! all the wires down with masking Master Models’ beautiful tape. I also placed small pieces turned-brass gun barrels, and the kit parts being modified to of self-adhesive aluminium tape accept them around where the bulbs are located. This was done to act as a reflector and to reduce any possible bleed- through of light through the plastic. Once the lower wings were fixed in place, I applied the top halves, not forgetting to open up the flashed over holes in the lower My modification to achieve a wings for the dive break mounts. secure, blemish free fit of the Silver coat to prevent the light front ammunition bin The wing tips are separate Masking made easy, courtesy Dark grey coat for the interior colour bleeding through pieces, but instead of following the of Eduard instructions, I fitted the separate tips to their corresponding wings before assembling the halves together. When you do it this way you reduce the chance of any mis-fit caused by attaching the whole tip post-assembly, and it also makes it easier to get the wing tip LED lights in place. The tail fin was now slotted onto the fuselage mounting tab Pre-shading done Humbrol’s RLM79 applied and the panels faded RLM80 mottling applied to create a strong and precise fit. The rudder fits to the fin using another tab, but don’t forget to The Ju 88’s engines feature dials courtesy of an Airscale set to be simply glued to the inside of place the LED for the tail beacon three engine instruments on of Luftwaffe instrument decals. the engine bay faces, but I thought before assembling the rudder. the inboard side of each nacelle, Another modification I that might be just a bit too delicate With the rest of the flying which are provided in the kit as performed was to open up the and imprecise, so I built a firmer surfaces attached, separate parts, with a clear cover. ends of the exhausts. Using the mount using some plastic tubing. work could begin However, despite providing decals point of a #11 scalpel blade, I I cut two lengths of the tubing, on building and for the main instrument panels carefully scraped the ends to form one for each motor, squared their attaching dials, none are supplied for these, a deep enough hollow to give front ends, and cemented the engine so I raided the spares box for them a more realistic look. them securely to nacelles. a set of appropriate looking The two motors are meant the back of the

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engines’ front plate. defensive firepower the Luftwaffe idea of where it was meant to The electric motors were now changed the ammunition feed from go. However, the location points slid into place and secured with a drum magazines to ammunition are not very secure and the risk drop of superglue before adding tanks feeding the machine guns of marring the clear part was the nacelles. No problem with the using flexible feed chutes. For the very high, so I had to come up ammunition container firmly. fit here: nice and tight and precise, front gun, the ammunition tank with a more secure method of Before attaching the glazing, with no filling or sanding required. is fitted to the inside of the nose attachment. Accordingly, I drilled the wires from the back of the Stages Eighty to Ninety-three glazing. After detailing the bin with two small holes, one through the instrument panels were tucked cover the addition of the extensive etched parts from the Eduard set, framework of the glazing and the away down the back of the side glazing, defensive armaments, and it was time to fit it to the glazing. other in the ammunition bin. This consoles. I also added two hydraulic various other fittings attached to After studying the instructions allowed me to fit a piece of wire lines to the rudder pedals’ pistons. the inside of the canopy. To improve for some time I finally got a clear through the holes and attach the The nose glazing, lower glazing, and bombsight fairing were finally attached to the fuselage using Tamiya’s extra-thin cement, allowing capillary action to let the liquid to flow around the seam. Before attaching the rest of the transparencies, it was time to deal with the three machine guns. Kit’s decals on the left. EagleCals’ centre and right As mouldings go, the barrels of EagleCals’ decals, with their two-part swastikas the machine guns feature some Rather than use the decals very nice details, but they do for the prop spinners’ hubs, I not compare to the extremely masked and painted the white segment fine detail provided by Master Models’ turned-brass items. The barrel and cooling jackets are separate items that slide over each other to provide Finished, masks removed Oil paint dot filter applied the most intricate looking gun barrels I have ever seen. I think they must use alchemy or some sort of otherworld technology Blending in using a flat brush to produce these fine pieces. and thinners Once the sleeves were fitted over the barrels, I used tarnishing fluid, usually employed to darken metal AFV tracks, to turn them from shiny brass to a dull dark finish. When rubbed with a graphite stick, I had some very impressive-looking gun barrels. The single front First pass with the brush and thinners Filter applied over the whole Panel wash applied to create a is moulded in one piece, so I cut off dark contrast WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 13

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Undercarriage legs. Eduard’s two-dimensional etched brake lines were replaced with lead wire

the barrel at the appropriate point Crew entry hatch and lower twin guns added and drilled a locating hole to add the brass barrel. However, I did not fit the barrel at this point. I left them Modified kit parts, fitted with Master Models the blades’ roots that have to be over, and tested to ensure that until the very end before attaching barrels filled. The central pins, Part F115, the propellers were now spinning them, as my carpet monster is on need a hole drilled along their in the correct direction. Just in a strict diet and must not be fed! sanding to get a neat finish. The length so they can be fitted onto case of any further wiring issues, The two rear guns have separate lower side glazing panels fitted the motors’ drive shafts. Once I I made the panel removable with barrels that incorporate flexible neatly into place before the front had assembled the airscrews I slid the use of some magnets and a covers and covered gun sights. The canopy was put into position. them onto the drive shafts, put four piece of plastic card to form a tab. plastic barrels and the gunsights By now there was a substantial AAs in the power box, connected The last thing to do was were removed, and again Master piece of plastic on my workbench. the power plug and switched it on. assemble the main undercarriage Models supplied the barrels. It is a sizeable model in 1/32 The cockpit light came on first. legs. The kit’s wheels were Eduard supplies replacement etch scale, but easy to handle due to It goes out as the landing light replaced with some beautifully for the sights, but these actually the fuselage being a nice size. comes on, then the wing tip and tail cast Eduard resin replacements, seem to lack some of the three- Apart from the undercarriage, lights come on. Next the starboard which feature flat spots. dimensional details of the plastic guns, aerials, and a few other propeller begins to spin, followed Eduard provides etched brake parts, so I drilled the plastic parts dangly bits, the model was now shortly after by the port one. lines, but they are a bit two- out, added the etched bead sight, nearly assembled and ready Then I realised that they were dimensional, so I replaced them and reattached them to the barrels. for painting. The final stages spinning the wrong way! (I did with lead wire and strips of tape to Once painted and detailed were to add the external bomb warn you. Ed.) There isn’t a colour represent the attachment brackets. these were carefully set aside, load and the propellers. chart in existence with enough Finally, the last thing I added before only to be lost later and have the You get two 250 kg and two blues to match the colour of the painting, was Profimodeller’s modelling desk turned upside 500 kg bombs to attach to the air around my workbench! turned brass pitot tube. down trying to locate them! racks. There are no locating pins With the weapons dealt with, on the four bomb racks, but the I now turned my attention back contours of the rack’s mating PLASTIC SURGERY TIME PAINT AND DECALS to the glazing. Starting with the surface only allow one way for All I had to do was open up the As already mentioned, the kit front part of the main canopy, the them to fit, and the instructions seams on three sides of the belly comes with two schemes. However, internal frame, Part G165, was show their positions very clearly. panel and cut along one panel the Editor gave me EagleCals detailed with etched and plastic kit The propellers are simple line to be able to remove a section Sheet #154 with three additional parts. The rear cockpit coaming, assemblies, but there and gain access to the wiring. and unusual schemes. Two are Part J6, needed a touch of filler and are some sink marks in Fortunately the moulded seams and based on the standard splinter my cuts are all along the opening camouflage of RLM 70/71, but edges and hinges of the bomb bay. the one that I took a shine to was Thanks to Revell’s colour coding a - based Junkers of 1./ system I quickly found the required LG1, which has upper surfaces connections and swapped them painted RLM 79 desert sand, with RLM 80 dark green mottling. The airframe was pre-shaded with dark grey, but before I fired up the compressor, there was a

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across the model. The oils were left to dry for a couple of days before I applied Xtracolor’s Matt Varnish to seal everything down. On to this matt finish, I applied paint chips and scrapes using a silver pencil. The last stages of weathering involved exhaust stains and the dirt and dust thrown up by the tyres and prop wash.

FINAL STAGE It was now time to remove the masks and fit the gun barrels, undercarriage, aerial masts, and the Lycra thread aerial cables. A final electronics check confirmed that bit of masking to do. Fortunately Matt 249, for the sand, and data is still needed, but only on there was no light bleed-through the Big Ed set includes their Xtracolor’s RLM80 for the green. the topside as the lower surface and the propellers were spinning excellent pre-cut masks, which I applied the sand colour and then stencils would have disappeared in the correct direction. The speeded up the procedure. applied some sand, which had under the temporary black coat. battery box can now be unplugged, The dark grey used for the been lightened with a little white, The kit decals are well printed and the connecting wire tucked pre-shading was sprayed on the to the centres of the panels. and the writing is clearly legible. away into the tail wheel bay for masked canopy to represent the Next, I applied the RLM 80 The walkways took some time to static display and added when internal colour of the frames. I mottling. The paint was thinned apply but they all went down well you want to run your model. then sprayed Humbrol 11 silver to a milky consistency before the over Tamiya’s Gloss varnish. over the canopy to help prevent blotches were airbrushed freehand The EagleCals’ decals are any bleed-through from the with the compressor turned down also finely printed, and they CONCLUSION internal lights. This was repeated to 11 psi. With the top colours include the swastikas as two part The kit on its own is an impressive on the wing tips, the rudder, masked off with copious amounts decals, which for legal reasons large-scale Ju 88, and straight out and around the landing light. of Tamiya masking tape, I then are not on Revell’s sheet. of the box there is plenty of detail The undersides were painted applied the black undersides. Once the decals had dried and to keep you busy and produce RLM 78, which were then over Utilizing the aftermarket decals settled down over the engraved a very well-detailed model. painted in a temporary flat black. does not make the ones from the panel lines, I started weathering The Technik boxing adds the I used Humbrol’s RLM 79 match, kit totally redundant. The stencil by applying a dot filter to give the magic of light and motion, which colours a sun-bleached look caused looks very effective. The pre- by the southern Mediterranean sun. assembled electronics is virtually fool The oil paints were squeezed proof, if you study the instructions out onto cardboard, which soaked and don’t get your wires crossed! away any excess oil. Once a section If your bank manager is in an was covered in the random pattern, extremely generous mood, you can I used a flat brush, moistened lavish a whole range of aftermarket on with thinners, to blend the the kit (what I used is only the tip of colours and thin out the dots. Note the iceberg of items available for the that the brush requires regular Ju 88!) to turn an already well-detailed cleaning and re-moistening to model into an amazing tour de force. remove any buildup of oil paint. And who can resist the fun of Once one part of the airframe spinning propellers and flashing was done to my satisfaction, I lights? It certainly makes people started on another, moving across stop and stare at shows! the entire surface of the aeroplane. I thank Revell for giving When finished I applied a wash to me the opportunity to build the panel lines using raw umber oil this outstanding model. It is a paint thinned with white spirits. highlight of my collection and Raw umber was also used to is available to purchase from all create oil leaks and dirt streaking Revell’s stockist across Europe.

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