Revell 1/48 scale Junkers Ju 87D Stuka
John Dobson
Kit: No. 85-5250 Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Revell-Monogram, 800-833-3570
Price: $13.50
Pros: Good overall fit and decals, two paint scheme/decal options
Cons: Mal-formed canopy window, inward slant of right wheel assembly, slight starboard rotation of tail assembly
Date of Review: March 2009
Overview
This is the first model I've built in over 30 years. Before starting construction, I bought new modeling supplies: spray booth, compressor, airbrush, paints, brushes, respirator, etc. My overall goal for this project was to simply go through the complete process of a build - a process more involved than the one I used as a young adult. The basic process included: 1) building all the sub-assemblies, 2) priming 3) applying a base coat, 4) painting the camouflage, 5) applying a gloss coat, 6) applying decals, 7) applying a gloss coat, 8) applying weathering , 9) applying a gloss coat, 10) painting and assembling the canopy, and 11) applying a flat coat. With this model I was not concerned with adding detail, precisely matching colors, or filling every seam.
The Kit
Since this is my first model kit in a long, long time, I have nothing to compare it to. Overall, I was pleased with the degree of detail and the ease of assembly. However, there were some issues I must point out. One, there were no holes in the wings to properly fit the Wing Bomb Racks or the Dive Brake. Two, the entire tail piece seems to have a slight clockwise rotation which is very noticeable when viewing the aircraft from the front. Three, because of a misaligned attachment point on the wing, the right Wheel Assembly has a slight medial slant. Four, the middle-aft canopy was mal-formed showing a gaping hole between the canopy and the fuselage. If this were a real airplane, I wouldn't fly it! LOL
The Build
I chose to build the JU87D-5 version.
Step 1: I built the cockpit. I dry-brushed the Instrument Panel with steel paint and painted the headrest brown. I weathered the entire cockpit to pop the details in the walls, floor and seat. I omitted the pilots. Yes, this represents a minimal effort in cockpit detail, but then again, detail was not one of my goals for this project.
Step 2: I constructed the rest of the airplane. I choose to postpone the installation of the Bombs, Bomb Trapeze, Wing Light, Canopy, Antenna, and Machine Gun. I omitted the Exhaust Flame Damper completely. Since I had pre-painted the cockpit, Radiator Grille, Wheels/Tires, and Wing Liquid Coolers, I either masked them with tape or cotton balls. I sprayed the plane with Plastikote Sandable Primer, did a minimal amount of seam filling, and then re-primed.
Step 3: I applied the base coat and then the camouflage. I masked the camouflage pattern using 3M Scotch-Blue Painters Tape for Delicate Surfaces (#2080). I then painted the underside of the aircraft and the accent color.
Step 4: I applied a coat of Future, the decals, then another coat of Future. The decals were generally easy to apply, except for the tiny, tiny ones. I used MicroSet when applying the decals.
Step 5: I painted and installed the Bomb Trapeze and Bombs.
Step 6: I painted the canopy frames and machine gun. I tried using ParaFilm-M to mask the windows but had no luck. The canopy frame lines were simply too thin. Time after time, I tried to pull up the film over the frame, but the film over the glass came up instead. I finally decided to forgo that approach and mask/paint one frame line at a time: frame outlines first, horizontal lines next, then vertical lines. It was when I was painting the canopies that I noticed the middle-aft canopy was malformed on its front, port side, resulting in a 1/8" gap between the canopy and the fuselage. It looked terrible so I decided to hide it by displaying the middle-fore canopy in the open position. The canopies were glued to the fuselage with Elmers. Unfortunately I noticed some "fogging" where the canopy windows overlaid each other. I'm not sure what caused this, perhaps some glue seeped up.
Step 7: I ran a thin brass wire from the antenna to the tail. The wire was the smallest I could find at the hardware store, but probably about 50-60% bigger in diameter than it should be for an airplane of this scale. I then weathered the wire and its attachment points.
Step 8: I sprayed the canopy, Machine Gun, and antenna wire with Future and then sprayed the entire model with a flat coat.
Paints
BlackGreen: Tamiya XF-27
Dark Green: Tamiya XF-61
Light Blue: Tamiya XF-23
Dark Gray: Tamiya XF-24
Yellow: Tamiya XF-3
Steel: Master Modelers 4679
Brown: Tamiya XF-10
Flat Black: Tamiya XF-1
Gloss Coat: Future
Flat Coat: Master Modeler Flat Clear Lacquer Finish
Weathering Formula
2 parts Flat Black, 5 parts water, 3 parts clear dish soap
Conclusion
I am proud of my first effort, but there are some things I will do differently on my next airplane.
1. No cotton balls - When using cotton balls as a mask, some of the cotton ball fuzz stuck to the primer. I managed to remove all the fuzz, but another approach would have been better.
2. No priming of canopy frame - This was an unnecessary step which caused some leakage under the tape. I couldn't simply scrape it off the lacquer like I could acrylic paint. It turned out that the acrylic paint adhered just fine without the need for primer.
3. Smaller diameter antenna wire - I'll try to find some smaller diameter wire.
4. No gluey/foggy canopies - I will do two things here. First, leave the canopy masked while installing it. The mask will protect the canopy from "gluey fingers". Second, I will not spray Future or a flat coat over the canopy glass as this seems to haze the glass.
