Academy JU87

[T. van Vuuren]

Afternoon all.

Yet another lazy weekend and I got hold of a 1/72 Stuka after reading a couple of reviews on it.It will be a nice little "not to fussy" build and painted with a brush to not have to go through the whole masking on such a small model:lame:

The paint codes in the kit is RLM 70 (dark green of sorts) , RLM 71 (lighter green and RLM 65 hemel blau I assume.

Anyone have the humbrol enamel codes perhaps ?

What was the cockpit collour inside?

Will post pix of model later, REMEMBER it is a no fuss model!

Thanx

Theuns

 

[T. van Vuuren]

According to google the humbrol codes are as follows:

RLM 65 = HU 65 pale blue

RLM 70 = HU 91 black green

RLU 71 = HU 30 dark green

Sound about right to you guys?

T

 

[stona]

I don't know Humbrol equivalents but those RLM numbers are correct. Your cockpit colour is less definite. If your aircraft is late 1941 or after then definitely RLM66 which is a dark grey. If it is earlier it would probably be RLM02 which is a grey/ green. The problem is that RLM66 definitely started appearing in interiors by 1940,regardless of RLM orders!

FYI RLM70 and RLM71 give a very low contrast scheme,sometimes it is difficult to see two colours in B+W photos.

Here is one of mine:

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Very nice Steve! as usual!!!

Acording to the instructions of the Academy 1/72 one, it is a JU87G-1 tankbuster '42-'45.

Interestingly there is no decal for the swastika nor is there one on the fin on the box art.It rather has a black diamant with thin white outline on the fin

Theuns

 

[stona]

Hi again, I'd go RLM66 cockpit. At 1/72 any very dark grey will do that. The aircraft 100% certainly had a swastika on the fin. They are left off decal sheets and box art for legal reasons in some countries. Some decal sheets "cheat" and have two part swastikas which is silly. Some modellers choose not to put them on which is,of course,their perogative. I put them on but I understand why some might not want to.

The black diamond represents where the swastika would be.

By "tank buster" I assume they mean "kanonenvogel" with the big cannon under the wings.

Check this out:

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Steve, you are right.I had a look at Academy home page and all of their luftwaffe planes have no swastika on the box or decals, strange!As you say it might be ethic reasons.

I have unforionately no extra ones lying around and no decal to cut it from.On this scale I will not even try to mask it on.

I saw another JU 87 kit where the plane was in the same collours, but it looked like it had a hastely aplied "whitewash" on it ,almost like some tiger tanks.Since the decal delema makes it inacuraty, I thought it might be interesting do try and replicate this with drybrush.

Any pix of this anyone??

Google academy kit #1641 for the boxart, I seem to have lost my "manage atachments" function here

Theuns

 

[stona]

Hi Theuns,don't worry too much about the swastikas. German modellers rarely put them on as it is illegal to display a model so adorned in Germany. Sometimes they mask them at competitions with a little sticker!

Many Luftwaffe aircraft had a winter camouflage applied. It was a distemper and weathered very quickly,coming off high traffic areas very quickly. You can have fun with it and you really can't be wrong. I've attached a few piccies to inspire you!

Two "Stukas" which have had (at some time) an overall coat of white on the upper surfaces. Look how dirty they are! Often as you have seen the white was applied in lines,squiggles or mottles. There were no set directions ( that I've seen) unlike the standard schemes, so you can really do whatever you fancy. Here is an Fw190 sporting a rather untidy scheme:

Have fun.

Steve

 

[stona]

Theuns I found a couple more for you, both from Ken Merrick's Luftwaffe camouflage and markings 1933-1945. The Ju 88 A-5 from the photo archive vol.1 and the Fw 190 F-8 from vol.2

The Fw 190 is more loosely done, stripey over the cowling.

The Ju 88 is very nicely done. Even the rear of the spinners is done. The canopy framing has not been done,this was very common. Nobody enjoys masking canopies!

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Exelent Thanx, it will be interesting do do something like that.The pix hill come in handy!

I found the cockpit interior collour - "black grey" .I just used dark grey and will drybrush on some light grey or white to enhance it a bit.

So far the cocpit floor and sides are going together nicely and the detail (fro me atleast) seems good,no bland smooth cockpit sides.

Glad to see that not only modlers hate to mask planes.When I do full size, it is the thing I HATE the most.

Theuns

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Here is the "office" ,a bit heavy on the drybrushing, but the pic makes it look alot more "there" than it actualy is.

Made the seatbelts from maskingtape.

Interesting to see the gunner's seat had no back rest.Must have been hell to keep a straight back in those high G pullouts!

Theuns

View attachment 20366

 

[T. van Vuuren]

The academy kit has no underwing dive brakes or centre bomb swing cradle.Would these have been left off the Kanon vogel 87'?

T

 

[Gern]

Hi there,

I've just read your comment about the backrest - or lack of - for the gunner's seat.

I'm no expert, but there's one provided in the 1/24 Airfix Ju 87. It's just a strap that runs across the cockpit behind the gunner when he's facing aft, and has no connection to his seat. It's either removeable or he would have to reach over it to operate the radio.

Hope this helps.

Gern

 

[T. van Vuuren]

I guess the "class system" was still very much inplace in the German airforce back then on this small scale I woun't even bother with it.Most of the detail is already lost when I put the tub in the fuselarge!

Any input on the divebrakes and bomb cradle perhaps anyone.

Thanx lads

Theuns

 

[stona]

Theuns I'm away from home this week so, from memory, definitely no bomb cradle and no dive brakes. Depending on which version they've done you may notice a slightly longer wing span than normal as well.

Piccies:

Nice cockpit you've got there.

Your comment about high G brought to mind an incident recently in your part of the world when a passenger grabbed the wrong handle and ejected himself from a SAAF aircraft...OOOPs.

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Yea I think you are refering to the ejection from a Pilatus PC-7 Astra, the SAAF's primary trainer.A mate of mine was an instructor for the SAAF on Astras and says it is not all that difficult to do!

I recall a canopy being fired off while on the ground,expensive.

No doubt by now you might have heard about the BA Lightning jet that crashed here last week,very sad.

Thanx for the pix.

Theuns

 

[stona]

I heard about the Lightning. Very sad and reminiscent of this incident on 13/9/62. XG322 flown by test pilot George Aird suffered a control failiure just ten seconds from landing. George ejected at 150 feet! He survived, unlike the pilot recently, but landed on a greenhouse suffering two broken legs.

No photoshop here, the photographer was actually taking pictures of agricultural machines when he heard the aircraft in trouble.

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Allot of specilation still but several atempt to eject failed.He was in constant radio coms

Wow that photo is unreal! Do you mind if I put it on another SA pilot forum?

Theuns

 

[Bojo]

Here is the "office" ,a bit heavy on the drybrushing, but the pic makes it look alot more "there" than it actualy is.Made the seatbelts from maskingtape.

Interesting to see the gunner's seat had no back rest.Must have been hell to keep a straight back in those high G pullouts!

Theuns

I like the detail in the cockpit. The Revell model is definitely lacking in detail.

 

[dubster72]

Hi Theuns, just thought I'd add a pic of the Hasegawa 1/32 Stuka that also shows no backrest for the rear gunner-a case of hang on & hope when bounced by enemy fighters!

Patrick

View attachment 20429

 

[stona]

Allot of specilation still but several atempt to eject failed.He was in constant radio coms Wow that photo is unreal! Do you mind if I put it on another SA pilot forum?

Theuns

Feel free. It is/was widely published here. I think originally in a mainstream tabloid (Daily Mirror?)

As for back rests, I shall investigate. Incidentally the observer in a Swordfish had no harness. He was restrained by a belt attached to the imaginatively named "anti-cavorting chain". It makes you wonder what they go up to!

Steve

I'll add here that the cause of Aird's Lightning crash was a flash fire in the engine bay, which weakend the tailplane actuator, leading to failure.