Ju 87 Stuka GB

Bish> That really is an interesting scheme, and you've done a bang-up job on it. 

I suppose I should do another small update on my build progress, though I'm a bit embarrassed to post anything showing the work I've done.

I've been working on the cockpit, and, let's face it, I'm no cockpit guru like Joe "Lawdog". 

The cockpit being "sparse" in the MONO-CRAFT stuka, I thought I would try to spruce it up with a few items.

So using some plastic card, silver duct tape (the kind with the sticky back) and some balsa wood, I began to add panels and boxes.  Using some images from online of other cockpits, and with Bish's help with the center panel and radios, I began to fashion something out of the interior.

The IP was an image I found online and printed out, then added a scratch-built sight to the top.  I fashioned some seat belts out of the metallic silver duct tape and painted them tan.  Then some paint and imaginary detailing and soon I had something that... well, I'm only glad it will be hidden beneath some thick, plastic canopy.

And that's about it.  The only thing I didn't do was give a shot of the back of the gunner's position and the radios.  Bad photography.

So there you have a scratch-built Stuka cockpit in all it's crudeness.  I have to wonder after finishing this if it was all worth the trouble.  Good thing I have a sense of humor.

Thanks for looking!

Gary

I figured I'd drop in.  Work schedule has kept me away from the bench lately. 

Ajm, with the exception of RLM 65 and 76, I'

I've never had much success in reproducing RLM colors with Tamiya paints.  The recommended formulas just don't look right to me.  I prefer Gunze RLM colors for these, which are dead on to my eye.  For reasons unknown, Gunze discontinued their Aquesous line, but their lacquers are still available.  I stocked up on the Aqueous when it was still available.  If interested, you could check E-bay and you could probably still find it.    

Bish, I'm diggin' that pre-war scheme.   Looks like it took a while. It looks like your in the home stretch. 

Mustang, That snake scheme looks great!  Hope to see more pics of that soon.   

Gary, that cockpit is looking awesome.

I did snag some bench time over the last few nights.  The landing light area is a black hole.  I decided to spruce it up by adding a light (I followed someone else's example...perhaps it was in here).  I blanked it off with styrene and sliced off a piece of sprue to represent the light.  I drilled a small hole from the bulb and painted it silver.  A blob of clear epoxy finished it off.  Not too shabby eh?

I 

It looks like a light yeah?  Alot better than an empty hole I suppose.

A test fit.  It looks like the Hasegawa wing root gaps will be on coffee break for this build, however, that engine attachment will be hurtful.  Here I attached it temporarily with Blue Tac... 

I started with the wing to fuselage attachment.  Here is how I solve any wing root issues....works everytime.  Pull the wings to the root with a strip of masking tape, Tenax it, then leave till dry.

As I expected, I had a gap where the engine piece attached to the fuselage (the diagonal panel line).  Unless the real thing was supposed to look this way, which is certainly possible, this area needed work.  I filled the gap with styrene rod and sanded it smooth.  I them rescribed the lines back in with a sewing needle in a pin vice.  What a PITA this was.  Its not perfect but it looks much better than before.  For future builds, Does anyone know if this area has a gap on the real thing?  Everything else fit great.  I built the spats and dryfitted them.  These fit great.  Here's where I left off. 

Reference the discussion of bombs.  I thought there were painted RLM 66?.  Also, I have read that Battle of Britain Stukas only carried the centerline bomb, is that accurate?  Any input greatly appreciated.

Almost time to paint, eventhough I still have no idea which plane I'm building....

Joe 

Gary, thank you. And that pit doesn't look as bad as you say. It looks like you have the layout of the side walls spot on. Scratchbuilding stuff like that ain't easy.

Joe, thank you. Actually, it was not as bad to that scheme as I had expected. Its just about finished, just got the figures to wrap up and its done. Nice work on the landing light, I think you might be thinking of Mustang using that method. Looks really good.

In regards to bombs, I have not seen 66 mentioned. I have seen pics of 87's, both B-1 and B-2, during the BoB with all 5 stations loaded. The B-2 could carry a heavier load than the B-1. 1,000Kg, so this meant it could carry a single SC 1000 on the centre bomb rack with no bomb on the wings.

Great job with that cockpit Gary, I never thought to use balsa wood for that.  Looks like you're off to a great start as well Joe.

Second that cockpit looking good, even at that scale there was a lot of empty space in the Monogram kit that needed filling in.

I'm slugging away on mine and it's coming together nicely.     Right now I'm in a AWP status as of yesterday,  I ordered a couple of the seat belts from Ultracast and ought to have those by the end of next week.  I was considering getting the photo etch rudder pedals but I figured I can touch up the kit's pedals instead.

One question I have is does anyone know how/where the pilot and gunner belts on the Ju-87 B-2's are attached? So far I haven't  found any online pics showing the placements. I have some ideals but would like to be close. Will post some pics by Tues of what I got so far.  

Lawdog:Man I feel your pain on the nose piece/ engine cowling fit to the fuselage. This TOTALLY sucked. I was working with that for what seemed like for friggin ever! Not to mention that if you look through the back side of the radiator/ oil cooler area there's a big ol' blank space in there. Good going on this thing so far. My wing gap  issues weren't as bad as yours though(except for the lower wing to fuselage fit at the centerline. That royally sucked as well but I got it ironed out. Whew! BTW that landing light looks great!! Tell the guy you got that from he had a great idea.

P.S. Just wait until you get to the wheel spats and the bombs on this sucker! These things have more seams than 10 pair of blue jeans!!!

Archangel:Refer back in the build a few pages. I can't remember where I posted it but there are SEVERAL cockpit photos from one of my references that should help you out.

GAF:Your build is looking great for being a Monogram offering man. Added detail is almost a must with those things and you're doing a fine job of upgrading there.

Archangel, as Mustang says, there are some great pics a few pages back. But in short, for the rear gunner its just a lap belt attached either side of the seat with nothing coming over the shoulder. There is also a strap behind the seat running from side to side to stop the gunner falling to the front of the aircraft in a dive.

I got the A-2 finished last night and just taken the pics. The last stage was a very light weathering using Flory washes and some Flory grime around the wheel spats and rear undercarriage. Final touches were E-Z line for the antenna wires and a cranking handle to start the engine made from some plastic rod.

The kit does not come with any bombs and I not to add one and I also left out the rear MG. As its a peace time aircraft, I decided to take the opportunity not to have it all bombed up.

I have been really pleased with this build. I was surprised at how easy it went together. Before now I had not given much thought to pre war aircraft,  but this scheme especially has really got my attention so I can see me doing a few more 1930's German builds. And a real joy to add my second Stuka to the built pile.

I got the underside wingtips painted yellow yesterday, so should have some pics of that son.

Gary> That cockpit's looking great.  I'm just finishing my Monogram D5 and chose to leave the cockpit.  I was planning to close the canopy, but it doesn't fit well.  Wish now that I had built in a little more detail.  Good job!

Bish> Looks awesome!  Nice figures as well.  What's sticking out of the port wing?

Nice clean build there Bish. The figures really add a different touch to it all. I do like that badging that you fastened to the outside of the base as well. Just a quick question. We've seen your stash, what does your displya area look like?

Thanks guys.

Tom, that's the pitot, I know, looks a bit od doesn't it. I have no idea why it is that design. I know the Ju 52 also had a curved one, must have been a 1930's thing.

Thanks Joe. I started using those badges last year, it was after I finished the 190 but I have gone back and changed that one. Easier to read and a bit more colourful then the old ones I made. And I can personalise them woith flags and so on.

Display area, now that's a good question. Right now, its where ever I can squeeze it into. Most of them are in the dining room, also known as the model room, on top of book cases, shelves and so on, with 4 in the bedroom. I really need to sort something out before I start building anything big, like a 32nd aircraft.

Gary: Don't sell yourself short on your scratchbuilt cockpit. You did a fantastic job!

Joe: Nice progress! I really like that landing light!

Bish: I love the bases you make for your aircraft and the figures liven things up a bit too! That curved pitot tube looks kinda awkward IMO...

Thanks buddy. I think I am getting the hang of these bases now . It does look a bit cumbersome doesn't it. The inverted V on the end is a separate piece that I left until all the painting and weathering was done. And then at the bottom of one of those bits is a small PE piece, and I left that until after the whole thing was on the base. To me it looks like something you might see on a test aircraft.

Looks great Bish, I love a good dio.  I never knew the Stuka came with a hinged canopy variant.

Looks good Bish, makes me want to start looking for pre-war schemes myself

Thanks guys.

Reasoned, despite all the Stuka books I have, I had not paid much attention to the A until doing this and I had not realised that either. Theres a bit change between the A and B variants from the canopy, wheel spats and overall shape of the front of the aircraft.

Bob, they are rather nice ain't they. I have been looking, and while there are quite a few options in 72nd, thankfully for me, there does not seem to be much in the larger scales.

Well guys I finished assembling the bombs and priming them. Tomorrow I'll give' em coat of paint. I still have to paint up and install the bomb crutch as well. Getting there................slowly but getting there.

Good news, can't be far away from finishing now.

I've still got a ways to go really but I keep knocking out one task at a time. The bombs were really a surprising amount of work. The centerline bomb was 7 pieces total with seam lines and gaps everywhere and even the one piece wing mounted bombs had seam lines and an ejector pin mark on the very bottom of every bomb. There was work to be done with these things but I've got them to where they can be painted now. Whew!

7 pieces for one bomb. Now that's a lot.

Now that's EXACTLY what I said.

Ok, so there the 2 halves of the bombs body and 4 fins. What the last piece. The SC 500 doesn't have a ring around the back of it so it can't be that.

Gary, that some very nice and creative cockpit detail work. As Clemens said, don't sell yourself short. It's looks awesome.

Joe, that landing light looks great! I have filed it away and will be 'borrowing' the idea you "borrowed". I've wanted to spruce up same. Surely looks better than my blob of silver paint on the last two.

Also, thanks very much for the masking tape, top wing root gap elimination method. So simple, so obvious, and I'd never have thought of it. Also duly filed away for reference.

She's looking good!

Bish, outstanding work. You should be proud of that one, mate.

Thanks Greg, and believe me I am. I have been really pleased with my builds over the last few years and am really pleased with the level I am at.

Man that's great that you feel that way about your building Bish. I feel better about my level today than I did two years ago when I joined this forum but feel I've got alot more to learn. Figure painting is in my future for dio's I can tell you that and I would still like to conquer an armor build.

Figure painting has been my major issue for years. Over the last 6 years since I got back to the hobby, I have concentrated on getting the construction right then weathering and then finally figures, especially 35th ones. The main issues I had were flesh but especially eyes. My last two armour builds have been a great leap forward in regards of the figures especially, and on the last one, I was able to bring everything together.

Of course I have room to improve, I think we all do. But now I feel confidant to tackle most things that come up, the scratchbuilding a did recently was a real confidence boast.  

I do like doing aircraft, especially German ones, largely because of the wide range of schemes and marking options. But armour dio's give me the chance to do more scenery and more varied terrain. So its nice to be able to flick between the two.

Bish, as said on the other thread. Just gorgeous work.  I too am surprised on the differences between the A and B, including the 109-ish canopies.  The figures look great too.  I do that from time-to-time as well.  I also have a strange affinity for Luftwaffe subjects and I cannot offer an explaination either.  The He 111 is one of the coolest looking airplanes ever to my eye.  No particular reason why. 

Thanks all for the landing light compliments.  As I said, I stole the idea from here so I can't claim it.. Mustang, if that was your idea, thanks bro..

I'm slowly but surely chuggin' along on this turkey.  I pre-shaded the panel lines in XF-1 Flat Black.  The spats are just dryfitted.  I'm going to paint them first and add them later.  I think it will be easier to fit the wheels in.  I still may go with resin wheels.  I'll have to see how the kit wheels look built up and painted first.  Note the Jericho Trumpet.  It was going on there whether my subject had one or not...

I then started on the lower surface RLM 65.  This is half XF-23 Light Blue and half XF-2 Flat White.  The paint was then lightened with more XF-2 and I streaked the lower surfaces.  

It was then grimed it up a bit with a post shade.  Its XF-69 NATO Black and XF-64 Red Brown heavily diluted with 91 % Isoprophl Alcohol.  I keep it pre-mixed in the glass jar pictured.  I'll add more paint or alcohol as needed.  I get all panel lines at the control surfaces, around the engine and aft.   It just adds another dimension to the otherwise boring blue. It will probably get more in the way of exhaust streaking later. 

The middle B-2 (STG 3) is going to be my likely scheme (subject to change of course).  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't thing Battle of Britain Stukas had fuselage stripes. 

That looks like a hard demarcation line on the fuselage, but maybe a soft one from the wing leading edge forward.  Eventhough its a drawing, I figure Superscale did some research.  Anyways, the rear was taped of and the front got BlueTac.  I then used Gunze Aqueous for the RLM 71 thinned with Tamiya X-20.  I think Gunze has really nailed the RLM colors. 

I then added XF-57 Buff to the paint and make condensation streaks on the wings.  Its seems a bit much here, but this will be toned down considerably after all of the other steps.  This is where I left off. 

I hope to tape off the splinters and paint the RLM 70 soon...

Joe 

Thanks Joe, ye, is it a bit 109ish, I had not noticed that.

That's looking good. I think we have another case of incorrect info on a decal sheet though. The t6 code and clover both belong to StG 2. I have a photo of this aircraft, complete with fuselage banb. The caption claims its an R-2, which does not really matter, the only difference is the option to carry drop tanks, and that it is operating in N Africa. Does the decal sheet have a DAK palm tree decal, there should be one on the other side of the nose.

But, there is no reason that this aircraft could not have ben around 6 months earlier and operating from France. Without the Wrks Num I guess there's no way to tell when it was built.

lawdog114

Mustang, if that was your idea, thanks bro..

 Joe your paint looks absolutely fabulous. Lookin' good!

Joe, and all you other guys who can spray a straight line (re preshading)....

I don't know how you do it. I did spend some time the other day painting practice straight lines. Progress, maybe.

Quick story if I may. Reminds me of my first day of drafting class in college. First exercise was drawing straight lines without a straightedge. My buddy turned his in and the prof scolded him for using a straightedge. I watched him do it, he didn't.

That exterior is looking great already, Joe.