Stukas Times Two
In 1/24^th Scale

By Frank Mitchell

In 1994, I got the urge to see if I could do something with the 24^th scale Ju 87 kit besides a B-model. Since I had always liked the looks of the "G", with those big cannon hanging from the wings, I decided to give that version a try.

In spite of all the information available on the Stuka, the single best information source was, and probably still is, a 1977 PSL book on detailing the Airfix kit (Classic Aircraft No. 5). This book, released at the same time as the kit, has drawings in 24^th scale for most versions of the Stuka, and a wealth of detailed information

The Ju-87G

The conversion to the Ju-87G consisted of making a new cockpit enclosure, replacing everything between the firewall and the spinner, modifying the landing gear, and, of course, building the underwing cannon.

A mold for the new cockpit canopy was cut, carved, and sanded from soft balsa. This was covered with two coats of a slow-curing epoxy. The epoxy was sanded and then polished to the extent possible. The sections of the canopy were drawn onto the mold which was cut into the separate pieces. Each section was then faced on each end and the bottom with soft 1/8^th inch balsa which was carefully sanded to fair into the shape of the canopy section. The purpose was to make sure that the ends of the canopies would be straight and not curled down over the ends or bottom of the molds.

The mold sections had scrap handles attached so that they would sit in a vise and 1/32^nd inch plexiglass was used to mold the canopies by the heat-and-smash method.

The molded plexiglass was then put back onto the molds and each section cut to shape, using the penciled lines from the previous step. The clear canopy sections were then fitted to the fuselage and to each other. A thicker, flat piece of plexiglass was epoxied to the front of the windscreen to represent the armored glass.

A twin-gun mount for the rear cockpit was scratch-built and matching holes were drilled in the rear-most section of the canopy. Changes appropriate to the later version of the Stuka were made inside the cockpit.

The next consideration was the nose. Molds for the new nose (in two halves) and the radiator housing were produced from soft balsa in the same way as the canopy. These were then formed in .030 styrene. They were cut from the sheets and shaped to fit each other and then fitted to the nose of the fuselage. Appropriate scribing and other detailing was also carried out.

I did not include an engine in the model so the new nose shape was mounted by cutting a piece from the mold, gluing that to the firewall, and then simply gluing the cowling to the piece of mold. I built a new radiator, but used the exhaust stacks, spinner, and propeller from the kit.The landing gear from the kit was modified to produce the correct "G" shape.

The Airfix book contained excellent drawings of the cannon. The body and barrels were turned from hardwood on a small lathe. The upper structure and the magazines were also cut from hardwood. All of these parts were filled and primed and the parts were keyed to each other. The flash hiders were turned from styrene, and the various external pipes and lines added with aluminum tubing and wire of varying gauges.

The wings and tail of the model were built out of the box making only the relatively small changes necessary for the later version.

The model was painted with Gunze, and all markings were sprayed on using patterns cut from Frisket paper (available at any art supply store). The "E" was cut from white decal sheet; the swastika and a few smaller markings were taken from the kit decal sheet. Some mild weathering was applied.

The Ju-87A

About a month after I finished the Ju-87G, I happened to be looking at an old Koku-Fan special on the Stuka and realized that it was mostly about the Ju-87A, which also intrigued me. After digging out all the references (again), I decided to try an "A" as a companion piece to the "G". Once again, the most useful source was the PSL Airfix book on the Stuka, which contains all the drawings necessary for the A.

The canopy was quite different from either the G or the kit B. Another new mold had to be produced. This was done in the same way as the G, but the molding and finishing process was a bit trickier because of the concave curve in the rear canopy portion and the somewhat complex opening for the machine gun. A final canopy complication was my desire to mount the canopies in the open position; that required some rather delicate fitting and drilling.

The changes made inside the cockpit to reflect the earlier version were more extensive that was the case in the G. For example, a partition immediately behind the pilot had to be built for the A; I used a slice of the mold for that.

Small antenna posts were mounted on the sides of the canopy and provisions made to mount antennas to the tips of the horizontal tailpipes.

The nose area of the A was a bit more complex than the G. The radiator is deeper and more faired at the rear. However, the process for making them was the same as the G.

The exhausts had no external stacks, so the holes for them had to be carefully laid-out and cut so that they would be straight and equal in size. Scoops also had to be molded and fitted to several parts of the cowling, including two small round ones which sit on either side of the radiator opening.

A new spinner was turned from hardwood and molded in styrene. The kit prop blades were radically thinned and narrowed to produce the blades of the A.

The large wheel spats were easy to build. A mold was made in two halves and two sets of spats were made. These were assembled with a shelf running across the interior at a point about ¼" above the opening for the wheels. The kit wheel/tire combination was then cut at a point that would allow the correct amount of wheel to show. After finishing, the flat portion of the wheel was simply glued to the shelf. Struts for the new spats were made from styrene.

A new bomb crutch was made to fit the new nose section, and the long and complex pitot tube was made from soldered brass wire. Because the pitot tube is so vulnerable, it is not glued in place and can be removed when the model is being transported.

There was really no question about the color scheme; it just had to be one of the few Ju-87As sent to Spain during the civil war. The paint is Gunze, and the markings were painted on using Frisket. The swastika and a few small decals were taken from the kit. Very little weathering was carried out, mainly because I didn’t want to mess up my paint job.

These two models are among my favorites. Yes, the size of these 24^th kits can be intimidating, but they are very satisfying to work on. They are big enough to accept any amount of detail one wishes to include, and much of that detail is actually easier to build because of the size. There are only a limited number of subjects in this scale, but there are a world of variations that can be built from those that are available. I recommend them.

By the way, although I have a nice brand-new kit in the basement, I have yet to build a Ju-87B.