Fold Your Stuka

Ju 87C Conversion

- Mike Verier

There are several Ju 87s available in 1/144, but by far the best are Eduards. First produced around 2004 they have since been rereleased as two-in-a box combos and are still widely available. Two basic toolings, a B and a G, offer crisp and accurate replicas of the Stuka, the different engines, cockpit canopies and wings all being accounted for. Being Eduard you also get brass etch for the different tail plane struts, dive brakes, machine guns, aerials, and bomb release crutch. In the case of the G the etch includes ammunition trays for the BK 37s. There is also a mask provided for various markings, though sadly not the canopy.

The B tooling was originally also released as an R, and the two drop tanks remain on the sprue so you still have the option, handy in this case as the naval variant used the long-range plumbing and drop tanks of the R. Likewise you can easily produce a D from the longer wingspan G tooling, about the only thing missing from the basic kit being exhaust mufflers for the night versions.

These are superb models, recessed detail is fine and accurate and in the case of the B even extends to the correct depiction of the big upper nose intake, which is actually subtly asymmetric when viewed head-on so be careful not to ‘correct’ it. Decals are excellent and offer three different schemes for each type, all told excellent packages. Having said this the toolings date from a time when cockpits were not considered important for 1/144 and there isn’t one, just a flat shelf to stand the canopy on. Luckily models as good as this attract the attention of the aftermarket, and Retrokit solved that particular problem early on with a quite superb resin cockpit (RW44049), which transforms the model at very modest cost.