Airfix 1/48 Junkers Ju-87B-1 Stuka COMPLETED

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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I had originally planned on posting a build thread for this, but a couple of things got in the way of that plan. My mom passed away last month, so I was out for a couple weeks travelling home to Minnesota. Then when I got back and started building this kit, I found I was locked out of my account here. Was locked out for more than three weeks. It got fixed a couple days ago, just as I finished the kit. So this will just be a bunch of pics taken during the build and then final pics of the completed plane. The scheme is for the Condor Legion, during the Spanish Civil War.

Decided to go with minimal detail in the cockpit since I planned to have the canopy closed. The IP decal went down really well.

I like the engineering of this kit. The cockpit tub attaches to the large wing spar, which sets down on the lower wing section perfectly. And only minor seam work for the fuselage.

Had a large gap at the right wingtip. Filled it and rescribed the panel line and added new rivets. This was my first experience with riveting. Happy with the result.

Marble coat and color coat on the underside came out looking good, to me at least. :slight_smile:

Ah, the joys (and mess) of masking.

Marble coat applied to wings, followed by color base coat. Same process repeated for rest of upper surfaces.

Then the long, tedious, but strangely enjoyable task of masking for the splinter camo.


Messy, messy, messy…

Reversing the process is even more enjoyable. A few touch-ups needed here and there, but happy with how it came out.

Same process for the flaps.

Masking and painting the upper landing gear attachment. White wingtips painted, and initial pass of weathering on the underside of the wing. (Oils and pastel chalks)

Landing gear attached. More weathering layers.

Rudder painted and test fitted.

Decided to paint the Spanish markings on the wings, and was pleased with the result. I found out later that Montex makes a set of masks for this scheme. Even though I already completed the wing markings, I ordered the set so I wouldn’t have to use the decals for the fuselage markings.

The Montext set included masks for the outside and inside of the canopy, so I gave them a try. the masks were quite thick, so they didn’t go around curves very well. And when I pulled them off, they leff a lot of sticky residue that was impossible to remove. I did the best I could to clean up the glass, but they still look cruddy. Live and learn. I also badly cracked the winscreen portion of the canopy. I contacted Airfix to see how much it would be to get a replacement. They wanted $10.00 for it. I decided to pass.

Decals on the wheel spats were a nightmare. They just didn’t want to conform to that curved surface at all. Too thick and brittle. Needed three coats of Solveset to get them to lay down. A chunk broke off on the right gear, so I splattered “mud” all over that one to hide it.

FINAL PICS

Final thoughts: I really liked the kit. The fit was mostly superb, with only minor seam work here and there. The one big gap on the right wing tip being the exception. Since I painted all the main markings, I only had to deal with the decals for the wheel spats and the stencils. As I mentioned above the wheel spat decals were a challenge, but eventually looked okay… with plenty of weathering over them. No problems with the stencils. Enjoyed the build, especially as it was helping me heal from the loss of my mom. I thought of her often as I was working, and felt she enjoyed the build as much as I did.

If you have any questions, let me know. Sorry for the barrage of photos and super long post! [:D]

Cheers,
Mark

EDIT: You may notice the pitot tube is missing from the right wing. The kit pitot was impossible to work with. It broke twice just trying to clean it up. So I have ordered some tiny brass tubing, and will make the pitot tube from that.

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My condolences on the loss of your mother, Mark.

Your Stuka is about as nice as a Stuka can look!

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You have my most sincere sympathy on the loss of your Mom…

Stuka looks great. Will be referring to this one when I do the 1/24 Airfix in mid '19.

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My condolences to you, for the passing of your Mom. May she rest in peace.

Very nice Stuka build, thanks for the post and photos.

Patrick

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Sorry to hear about your mom. Nice Stuka build though. I’m yet to try my hands on the marble effect.

Also, saw you came to the same conclusion about Montex masks for the canopy. I think I’ll stick to Eduard masks, or make my own using Tamiya tape.

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Enjoyed your WIP post, Mark. I find it really helpful to see other people’s good and bad experiences with kits - the Airfix Stuka has been a subject of interest to me since it’s release. Your build turned out great!

My condolences on the loss of your mother. Hope the Holidays will provide some time to absorb your new circumstances in peace.

Mike

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Oh gosh, I’m sorry for the loss of your mother.

The Stuka is beautiful to say the least. Did you think the wheels were a bit soft in detail? I noticed that when looking through the sprues on mine. I love the Spanish livery!

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Thank you John.

Thanks goldhammer. Looking forward to seeing that one. Tempted to try it myself.

Thank you Patrick.

Thanks Ole. Yeah, the Montex stencil for the fuselage markings were great, but the canopy masks were not good. They need to use a thinner vinyl I think.

Thanks Mike.

Thanks Chad. Yes, I did think the wheels were very soft in detail. I thought about replacing them, but decided to go with the kit wheels due to the ingenious way they engineered the wheel and spats to make the weighted wheels line up perfectly. It was idiot-proof, so definitely for me. haha…

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Great looking stuka! I take it this a newer Airfix kit? Wonder how it compares to the Hasegawa or Tamiya kits. I really want to build one.

Sorry about your mom. I lost my mom in 2012 and it’s not easy, but time helps.

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MMMMMM, Stuka. Thats come out really well,love the look of the pit and you have done a very nice job with the black baseing, i still can’t get the hang of that.

Add me to the list of people who don’t like Montex masks, especially where curves are involved. I’ve decided to stop being cheap and stick to Eduard.

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I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Your Stuka turned out great. Painted on markings always look better than a decal if done right and yours look great.

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Very sorry to hear about your mom, peace to you and your family.

The stuka looks fantastic. Try some Goo Gone to get the stickiness off the canopy. Tamiya tape and foil masking sometimes leaves residue for me, the Goo Gone takes it right off without harming the paint.

You could also try Mod Podge when a decal is giving you trouble on a compound curve. Put the decal on as best you can, let it dry in place. If you have to, slice the decal to get it to lay better. When dry brush a thin coating of Mod Podge under the decal, give it 20-30 seconds to get tacky. Another thin coat of Mod Podge on top to seal and press the decal to the surface.

I’ve used Future in the same way to get stubborn decals down, but the Mod Podge seems easier to control.

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Very nice work Mark. The canopy still looks fantastic in the photos.

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I am with everyone else in giving you my deepest sympathies for your loss. It is never easy.

Nice work on the Stuka, very nice work.

BK

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Thanks keavdog. Yes, this is the new Airfix kit. I think it came out in 2017.

Thanks Bish. Yeah I’ve completely moved over to black-basing. I like that it gives me chances to acheive a weathered look, before I even get to the actual weathering stage. Just takes some time to get used to the different approach.

Thanks Rambo. I’m really becoming a fan of painting markings whenever possible.

Thanks for the tips UnwaryPaladin. I’ll have to give the Goo Gone a try. I usually just pick away at that residue with a toothpick, but it still leaves smudges. I’ll look into the Mod Podge and Future too. Never associated those products with decaling.

Thank you scottrc.

Thanks BK.

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Looks great! You’ve done a fabulous job.

Sorry about your mother. My commiserations to you and your family

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Sorry to hear about your mother. Never a good time of year for that.

Great looking Stuka though. I’m a fan of the painting! Well done.

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Dang Mark, I’m sorry about your Mom. My prayers are with you and your family. I have this same kit in my stash so it’s nice to see someone tackle it. You did a fine job.

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Mark,

I think you’ve done an excellent job on this kit! I wish I had your talent.

My condolences on the passing of your mom. As others have noted, time heals all wounds … or at least rounds off the sharp pangs.

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My condolences about your mom, I lost mine in 2008, so I empathize.

Great job on the Stuka, I have been eyeing this kit for some time now, it’s nice to see there aren’t major fit problems or anything. I really like the new tool Airfix kits, I have done the 109-E7 Trop in 1/48 and the Bf-110 E2-Trop, the Wildcat and the Hawker Typhoon in 1/72. The decals have been a pain on all of them with the exception of the Typhoon. They weren’t great, but they weren’t as brittle at least.