Airfix new-tool Junkers Ju 87 B-1 Stuka - in-box build review finished (2)

My completed new-tool Airfix Junkers Ju 87 B-1 in 72nd scale finished in the new Humbrol Luftwaffe enamels in the markings of a StG 51 machine. A nice simple build and finish. Looks a little 'toy-like' to me, perhaps those over scale panel lines on the wings don't help. No swastikas on the decal sheet. Some of the smaller parts are impossible to get off the sprues without breaking them, especially the bomb 'sling'..

And a link to the Academy and Italeri 72nd scale Stukas on this blog here

Airfix new-tool Junkers Ju 87 B-1 Stuka - in-box build review

A few views of my new-tool Airfix Stuka B-1 build in 72nd. The kit is very neatly molded and assembles easily enough. A relatively trouble-free, if not to say painless build! The cockpit is a little sparse on detail - certainly not as good as Academy's Ju 87 G-2 in this scale - and the 'one-piece' span length aileron/flaps are a little inaccurate and tricky to line-up and probably need glueing in two stages. Just the decals and a few finishing touches to go..

Junkers Ju 87 G with Bk 37 cannon 'Kanonenvogel' from the Academy 1/72 kit

My recently completed Ju 87 G-2 with Bk 37 cannon 'Kanonenvogel' from the Academy 1/72 kit in the markings of Hans Ulrich Rudel. I've posted some useful reference video stills of a 'cannon bird' and some further views of my model photographed on the Holger Nauroth's German-language Stukageschwader 2 Immelmann history, which is a very nicely done photo history of this unit on my Luftwaffe blog here.  The kit does not feature the white outline Hakenkreuz and I was unable to source a similar marking from my decal sheets - no great loss; I'm not a 'fan' of Rudel or the HK..

The kit was relatively straight forward and reasonably detailed. Perhaps the finish looks a little too pristine for an Eastern Front Stuka, although I have tried to weather it by rubbing some yellow oil paint into the greens, a tip I read about in a recent Osprey 'Painting and Finishing Techniques' book. As it was the CO's aircraft it might have been kept reasonably clean. Some exhaust staining with acrylic varnish suitably 'coloured'. Cannon barrels were finished in pencil graphite for a neat sheen. The Academy decals were a nightmare as usual - my patent mix of white glue and Klear (Future) seems to have kept them on for the moment. The spinner spiral creased horribly but doesn't really notice in these shots.  8/10 for the kit, 2/10 for the decals..

By way of comparison some views of an earlier Italeri Ju 87 D-5 probably of StG 3 and fitted with the MG 151 cannon in the wings and still featuring airbrakes. Weathering with oils.

Also added to the shelves this weekend was my Italeri Bf 110 (1/72) in the markings of Wolfgang Falck, founder of the Nachtjagd - this model was displayed briefly back in February last year but has now been varnished and had an aerial wire added from sprue. Owl decals - as usual with Owl not free of error - the Stab letter 'G' should probably be in green but is supplied in red.

Academy Ju 87 Stuka G-2 Kanonenvogel

Academy's 1/72 scale Junkers Ju 87G-2 features the longer-span wing and two 37mm anti-tank guns slung under the wings. The kit looks impressive in the box with its very crisp, finely engraved panel lines, thin clear parts (two canopies included, one multi-part) and decent detail, especially in the cockpit which includes a nicely rendered radio set. The underwing 37mm cannon pods are especially well done. As might be expected in this scale, some of the more subtle elements are oversimplified. These include the "Zwilling" twin machine -guns in the rear of the cockpit and the hinge arrangement for the flaps/ailerons. Cockpit straight out of the box with the addition of some etch rudder pedals.
The finished model is here