Junkers Ju87B-1 Stuka, Airfix 1/48 (kit no. A07114)
As one of the most distinctive aircraft in the history of flight, the Junkers Ju87B Stuka was a highly effective dive and attack bomber, capable of delivering precision bombing attacks, in support of the Germans "Blitzkrieg" (Lightning War) concept, during the early months of the Second World War. Providing strike support for advancing German troops, the Stuka would dive almost vertically onto its target, using screaming sirens (mounted at the main landing gear legs) to spread fear, panic and 
confusion amongst opposition troops and the general population. With a two man crew, up to three machine guns and the ability to carry 4 x 50kg bombs plus a 500kg bomb, the Stuka was an excellent dive-bomber, but rather a large and heavy aeroplane to be powered by a single Junkers Jumo engine. As a result it was slow, suffered from poor manoeuvrability and relied on either close fighter support, or almost complete air superiority, for its effective use. When it was operated in favourable conditions, it was a devastatingly effective weapon, being both accurate and extremely reliable. During the first few months of WWII, the Stuka was unparalleled as a strategic strike weapon and was the spearhead of all Blitzkrieg battles.
It first flew in 1935 and a couple of years later participated in the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion.
The Airfix kit in 1/48 scale
This kit of the Ju 87B-1 (initial production version) is a new 1/48th scale tooling from Airfix (2017 release) and an extremely accurate representation of an early war Stuka. It is almost certain that subsequent types will follow soon. It has a very nice amount and quality of detail (a beautiful miniature of a Junkers Jumo 211D engine is included), decals made by Cartograf of Italy and, as we shall see, very nice fit. Number of parts is 180 in 7 sprues. You can download the kit's instruction sheet here.
Construction begins with the cockpit, which suffers from some ejector pin circles/sink marks that have to be eliminated with putty. We chose to add some metal seatbelts from Eduard’s set, which was the only real addition to the kit parts. The whole cockpit was painted with RLM 02 using Mr.Color/Gunze H67. A raw umber wash and some dry brushing with lighter tones of the basic color helped us accent the nice detail. The instrument panel is depicted as a decal and gives a nice result if fitted properly. We used Mr Mark Softer and some Future to recreate the glass of the instruments. The parts consisting the cockpit fit very nicely and do not cause any fit problems at the fuselage. The kit gives us the option of open or closed engine and gun bays, but we chose to keep them all closed. A very nice Junkers Jumo 211D engine is included (it comprises about 30 parts) if you wish to show it – but will need some extra wiring and plumbing. The wings and fuselage have a very nice fit, and some minor gaps were treated with Milliput which was cleaned immediately with a wet cotton bud before it dried.
Painting & finishing
The paint scheme is the classic for the era, with Greens RLM 70 and 71 for the upper and Light Blue RLM 65 for the lower surfaces. We used Mr.Color/Gunze acrylics, H65, H64 and H65 respectively. All the colors were faded after the main painting with various lighter tones using the airbrush. A light layer of Gunze H30 gloss varnish prepared the surfaces for the very nice decals, which conformed nicely with the help of a little Mark Softer. After a second layer of varnish we apllied a wash of dark gray color and sealed everything with several light passes of Modelmaster’s lacquer matt varnish. The exhaust stains were recreated with a combination of airbush and Humrol’s smoke pigments, while some chipping was added at the wing roots and at some panels such as the engine and gun bays. The antenna of the radio was added using Infini model Black lycra rigging line.
In conclusion…
This new kit of Airfix is a very nice choice for any modeller, beginner or not, and will give a nice result almost out of the box and without any major problems. It is definitely recommended!
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