JUNKERS 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 Junkers Ju 88 was make it part of Revell’s Technik D the Luftwaffe’s primary range. The electronics provide multi-role combat aircraft, and as a conventional bomber, dive bomber, torpedo bomber, heavy fighter, night fighter, reconnaissance aircraft, 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 Heinkel 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- 6 • JULY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 006-15-FEAT-Ju88-0718.indd 6 11/06/2018 13:55 1/32 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 wing tip and tail navigation lights. WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 7 006-15-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 rudder 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 wings. 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 8 • JULY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 006-15-FEAT-Ju88-0718.indd 8 11/06/2018 13:55 1/32 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.