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Monogram's 1/48 Ju 52/3m

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

When Monogram first released their big Ju 52 kit it was well received and many Luftwaffe modelers bought them up.  This release is a bit more than just a reissue, though.  When the original issue Ju 52 first appeared here at Internet Modeler (now archived on the 1999 CD-ROM) the builder, Will Riepl, decided to go one step further and add the canopy turret.  This was accomplished by scrounging the spares box and cutting up the windscreen.  With this new release you no longer have to do that, as Monogram has done it for you.  You get all the parts needed for the turret as well as a new windscreen with the opening cut out.  The original windscreen is also included so you can go either way with this kit.

The only other difference between this kit and the original release is the decals.  The kit comes with a good sized decal sheet that is well-printed.  There's two options on the sheet, both from 1942.  The first is the boxtop example, a Ju 52/3mg5e of 2./KGtzbV 500 in Russia.  The second, also a Ju 52/3mg5e, is from 2./KGtzbV 102 in Italy.  Both are finished in the standard 70/71/65 splinter camouflage.

Conclusion

With the recent release by Revell-Germany of the civil Ju 52 in 1/48, you can now build just about any wheeled Ju 52 variant.  The addition of the top turret in this release provides just another method of separating your Ju 52 out from the rest.  Hopefully we'll see some interesting decals for this plane, as it was used all over Europe during the Second World War.