Introduction
Most people know the Stuka and its purpose, so a history lesson is really not needed. Eduard released their 1/144 Ju 87 line about 2004 and until recently wasn't part of their current catalog. With the popularity that 1/144 is currently seeing it's a great thing that Eduard has realized that and has started to re-release these kits.
The Kit
The Eduard 1/144 Ju 87G consists of 27 pieces of gray plastic, one injected plastic canopy and a photoetch fret with 16 pieces on it. There are decals for three Stukas:
- Ju 87G-2 of Versuchskommando fur Panzerbekampfung in 1943, finished in overall RLM 71 over RLM 65
- Ju 87G-2 from SG 2 on the Eastern Front during 1944-45, finished in RLM 70/71 over RLM 65
- Ju 87G-2 flown by Hans Ulrich Rudel, Eastern Front during 1944-45, finished in RLM 70/71 over RLM 65
Since there is no cockpit with this model – in fact the entire cockpit area is flashed over – construction starts by gluing the fuselage halves together, adding the wings and stabs creating an almost-complete model. The next instruction step has you add all the other pieces onto the airframe but I would pick-and-choose which pieces to add so you're not knocking items off while masking and painting. But there you have it, since there isn't much to this model it won't take long to actually finish one up. Remember this is a Dual Combo kit so you have two opportunities to build a 1/144 Stuka.
As I mentioned there is no cockpit and the area where the cockpit would be is entirely blanked over. If you want to add a cockpit, though, RetroWings makes a resin cockpit that will drop in, once you open up the area.
Conclusion
This is a direct re-release of Eduard's 1/144 Ju 87G. In a way I think it's a shame they didn't add to it. For example, while the kit comes with masks for the airframe and wheels, it would have been nice to have masks for the canopy as well, especially given the amount of framing on the canopy. Even so, it's still a great kit and depending on the level of detail, shouldn't take long to build.
Our thanks to Eduard for sending this to review.