Let me start by saying I am fully aware that current scholarship is pretty sure that St.G 2's snake designs were rendered with sand-colored patches, not red. In answer to this, I will cite two facts: first, those were the decals I had...and second...I remember being a wide-eyed thirteen-year-old when the Revell 1/32 Stuka was first released back in 1969, with that eye-popping, 'holy cow' Jack Leynwood painting of the red and white snake marking on the box...so all these years later, my 'little kid' brain is still okay with that! (Besides, I have both 1/48 and 1/32 'proper' decals 'in the bag,' to do historically-acurate versions in larger scales in due time.)
Despite being labeled as a 'snap fit' kit, the Zvezda offering is a little gem: petitely-rendered molding, satisfyingly-complete cockpit detail and excellent fit overall. The only semi-shortcoming is the canopy; though thin, beautifully-molded and crystal-clear, it's all a single-piece, except for the separate, circular 'fishbowl' insert at the rear gunner's position; here the fit is a bit dodgy, and because of the small size and architecture of the two parts, it's challenging to get a precise fit.
On the plus side, the kit supplies both bombs and optional drop-tanks for the wing pylons, allowing easy modeling of the longer-range Ju87R variant which proved useful in the North African campaign. It didn't supply an option for the deeper 'tropical' air intake on the starboard cowling; I fudged a little 'extender' to approximate that feature.
Paints were mixes of Tamiya acrylics for the standard 70/71/65 RLM splinter scheme, and for the early-ish Italian 'Giallo Mimetico' overpainting to adapt it to a more desert-suitable camouflage. Decals were from a company I'd never heard of before -- 'Crazy Modelers' -- which I believe I picked up at the old 'Great Models' going-out-of-business sale, years back. Quality was excellent, with snakes and national insignia laying down without a hitch; the Zvezda sheet supplied a few useful stencils, and some other lettering was sourced from spares.
A fun build. I heartily recommend the Zvezda kit to all Luftwaffe and Stuka fans.
