1:48 Stuka G-2 dilemma

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I have been legworking a 1:48 G-2, looking for a scheme to do. In all this, I’ve seen about a million “Panzerknackern” done in the markings of Herr Oberst. Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Here’s what it looks like, in case you don’t know:

His G-2, “< - + -” has appeared in about every guise imaginable, from standard splinter green to winter whitewash, with spats and without spats, in dioramas and as shelf sitters - - But, I would like to do something else in the way of a Stuka G-2! Surely he wasn’t the only man to fly the G-2 … 172 Gustavs were converted from the D model; did he fly them all?? I have found the name of only one other fellow “Kanonenvogel” pilot:

Hermann Neumann. 368 combat missions, credited with destroying 68 Russian tanks, recommended for the Ritterkreuz.

Does anyone know where on earth I can get markings for some other “Tankbusting Stuka’s” besides Rudels?

2

EagleCal makes a sheet that has a G2 Stuka “T6+NU” W.Nr.494221 10./SG 2. pilot unknown. The sheet I have is in 1/32 scale, but you can check if it’s available in 1/48.

Jerry

3

Don’t forget good old T6 + AD.

Now I want to go out and get another Monogram 1/48 Stuka. I’ve built it at least twice in the past, but neither one survived my “light 'em on fire and launch 'em out the window” days.

As far as decals for non-Rudel aircraft go, I can see how you’re frustrated. There are several sets available from either Eagle Strike or Aero Master, but the only G-2 decals are of course for Rudel’s aircraft. I don’t know of more than a few decal manufacturers, so others might have better luck finding what you need. It may be, however, that Rudel’s fame caused him to be the best (or only) documented Stuka pilot, and specific information on other pilots is just not available. You might be reduced to using a set meant for a B-2 or B-4 version just to get the variety you want.

I tried to find information on other Stuka pilots (G-2) but since I’m at work and can’t spend the amount if time I’d like to right now on the subject, here are the only two worthwhile links I found: One with a bio of Rudel and the other with interesting information on other tank-busting aircraft of WW2 - worth a look if only for the variety. Almost all the other hits I got were for model kit reviews - with guess whose markings.

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen9.htm

http://www.combatsim.com/memb123/htm/2001/06/tankbusters/

Good luck with your quest - and if I come across any useful information I’ll be sure to add it to this thread. I’ve got a Stuka jones now!

4

Found this link on a search for Hermann Neumann, but I can’t get to it from work because of our Websense filters.

www.tarrif.net/wwii/interviews.htm

It appears to be an interview with him - I don’t know if it is in English or German, though.

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Thanks for the great replies so far. Ive read the Neumann interview, and its both enlightening and in line with Rudels comments on the state of the war for Stuka pilots. As alumni72 alludes, the tankbuster Stuka’s were really a minor footnote as things go, and it is only Rudels notoriety that has brought him into the spotlight. Nevertheless, Ive always liked the look of them and then I got a Monogram G-2 off ebay and the rest is history, as they say.

The Monogram model comes with clean decals of old T6 + AD, unlike the copy of the same model by Hobbycraft, which had pretty crappy ones, as I remember ( I had one of these but chucked it to the FOR SALE box after I looked it over closely). I can use them as a last choice, of course, but I question their accuracy - the Monogram kits were made back in the 60’s-70’s and such things weren’t always precise. It’s really not a bad kit, though, and offers the right stuff for workup, as most Monogram kits do.

I was only hoping for something with a litle more panache. I’m beginning to suspect that Stuka ‘Panzerknackern’ weren’t much for panache, being rather sedate by the time they were needed against the Russians.

Too, it also seems that there just aren’t a lot of reference photo’s of the variant to go by…

Again, thanks for all your comments. Much appreciated

6

Dang. I was hoping to provide some good info tonight, but no such luck. I have the hardcover Stuka book by A.J. Barker, and I was hoping it would have some helpful information and especially some good photos of a G-1 or G-2. They do have some photos, but almost exclusively of the nose section - no side markings are visible in any of the photos. I also have the Ballantine’s Illustrated History Stuka book - I’ll check that tomorrow to see if it is any more helpful.

7

Ive noted the same. Lots of pics of the cannon and the installation, but few which show the markings. It possible wartime censorship discouraged it, I dunno.

I look forward to learning what your other book may hold…

You help is appreciated

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I was watching this hoping someone had something good. I’ve got almost nothing on a stuka. I have a hasegawa 1/48 half built myself due to lack if info and good reference material. I would kill for a good cockpit pic of a G-2 .

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For an aircraft that served as long as the Ju 87 did it is perplexing that it is very hard to find good reference photos. I recently finished my 1/24 Airfix Ju87 B and I had a very dificult time finding any cockpit photos at all. Once more I was interested in diferent call letters and struck out there also. I could not believe such an important aircraft was so hard to research. I guess everyone was busy taking pictures of the glamour boys in there fighters.

Soulcrusher

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Apparently there are two intact Stukas on dsplay in museums - one (a G-2!!) in the RAF Museum in London, and the other a R-2/Trop in Chicago, at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Any modelers in the London area with a digital camera who wouldn’t mind snapping a few shots for the boards here?

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The Stuka in London (RAF Hendon Museum) IS indeed a G-2, although they have it marked and detailed as a bomb toting “D” variant. Inaccurate, but understandable, as the plane sits in a Battle of Britain" display - and there ARENT any intact Stukas from that period.

The one in the Chicago Air Museum is a B/R (the long range “B” variant) and is hung at the ceiling in a mock dive. :frowning:

There are actually others in various states of disrepair. One in Norway that crashed is in a museum and a new one is soon to be raised from the depths of the Crimea, I believe.

As you may have gathered, I have found a wealth of information on the G-2 in this search and turned up a ton of pics. Some of them I’d seen over and over, but there was one Belgian site that had some I hadn’t seen at all. I also found some that showed one of Rudels early mounts and plenty of other G-2’s. As alumni has noted, most fotos DO NOT detail the markings except as incidental to other action in the pics and there is always some uncertainty as to just what IS depicted. All together, I probably have found 8-10 ten different Gustavs with markings, especially if you arent too fussy about the minor detail differences between the G-1 and G-2 models. And of course we can’t forget “< - + -,” Rudels surrender plane that he crashed at Kitzingen, May 8, 1945. I havent gotten them all out of the download files yet, but when I do I can share them around (since I got them all off the public internet, this should be okay).

Lemme give you all a tip for future searches: remove your search engine’s language filters and search in ALL languages. In fact, after you have found all the stuff in English you can, you may want to eliminate THAT as a search language. Besides the Belgian site, I found some nice stuff in Czech and Russian, too.

The worst part of this? I found some kick-buttocks foreign users of D-5’s. Several Axis ally countries used the Ju-87, not the least of which were Italy, Romania and Hungary. I also uncovered some D models that were captured in N. Africa and marked with BRITISH markings! In case you didn’t know it, the G-1/G-2 were converted from D-3/D-5, so the conversion BACK to the parent “D” model won’t be too difficult to make. How is that for a neat twist?

Looks like I’ll need to get another D/G Stuka…

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The Stuka is a SWEET Looking Plane

Bud

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In the book, Ju-87 From 1936 to 1945, by Histoires and Collections, Planes & Pilots 4, there are six color plates of G models.

  • Versuchskommando fur Panzerkampfung, April 1943. 70/71/65

  • Ju 87G, 10, (Pz)/SG 1, Dubno, Ukraine, 1944. 70/71/65

  • Ju 87G, Stab 10.(Pz)/SG 2 Husi, Slovakia, 1944. 70/71/65

  • Ju 87G, 10.(Pz)/SG 2, Husi, Slovakia, 1944. 70/71/65

  • Ju 87G-1, 10.(Pz)/SG 3, Jakobstadt, 1944. 71/65

  • Ju 87G, 10.(Pz)/SG 2, Kitzingen, Czechoslovakia, 1945. 70/71/65

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Unfortunately, I dont own the book, nor know anyone who does. I have found a lot of info as is and will manage with that I should think. Thank you for your input, however.

15

Was all of Rudels Ju 87s marked T6+AD? I’ve got the Revell 1/48 Ju 87D and it has markings for T6+AD and says that it represents a Ju 87D-5 flown by Rudel. I really want to do the “night intruder” version of the Ju 87 that is included in this kit, the D-7, but I can find absolutely no info on it and the painting instructions are very vague. It’s marked with squadron code V8 and of course I come up empty on searching for this as well (lotsa car sites though).

16

Found this on squadron.com/

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=TU48527

Note the RAF markings down at the bottom. No idea what mark aircraft they’re for though.

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I don’t have many stuka pics, but I think I have you covered on this one roadkill. I think this might be the stuka on the decal sheet.

this pic is funnier then all get out.[8-] I also got my pop up blocker fixed

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My research came up with at least a few Ju-87’s captured in N. Africa by the Brits. That is one of them in the pic. There were a few others, Ive seen, too.

Rudel flew other Ju-87’s of course before he became the “Ritter von Panzerknacker.” I’m not sure if T6+AD was one of them, but I believe so. Monogram has boxed both thier D’s and Gustavs with that single marking. Also S7 + BU has been attributed to him, early on in his Gustav flying.

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Sorry to disappoint - I made a mental mistake with the Ballantine book; the Luftwaffe volume featured a photo of Stukas on the cover, and that’s what I was remembering. There was no Weapons book devoted to the Stuka - go figure. The Luftwaffe book only made a passing reference to the Gustav version, with a photo that of course showed no markings due to poor photo quality and very dark shadow areas.

I also checked the Squadron Ju-87 in Action, but of course they have the same marking-less b&w photos I’ve found elsewhere, and the color illustration of the Gustav was Rudel’s - + - plane.

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I found about 8 or so Gustavs with other-than-Rudel markings, so that’ll do. Too, if I took it on myself to do so, I could just make one up. Many of the Gustavs only had an alpha character on the fuselage side, denoting the individual aircraft. Some had the Alpha numeric as well, but it was apparently reduced in size.

So something like S7 + E (small S7) would be entirely feasible. Besides, I found one pic of a “G” with a yellow rudder, which I like, but as usual, you can’t make out the codes. I could just come up with one.