1:48 Junkers Ju 88G-6 Detail sets from Eduard
- Details
- Published on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 James Hatch
1:48 Junkers Ju 88G-6 Detail sets
Eduard
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Available from Eduard. Check inventory for prices.
These sets are designed to fit the 1:48 Dragon Ju 88G-6, which can still be bought for a reasonable price in its older incarnation. If you can't find that boxing, then the kit was released by CyberHobby in their 'Value' range a couple of years ago. Essentially, it's the same kit, so these sets from Eduard will fit both releases. The sets that we have here for review are:
48682, Ju 88G-6 Exterior
This set isn't so much concerned with the actual aircraft exterior airframe, and you'll not find lots of access plates and ports on this single etch fret release. The Dragon Ju 88 kit itself is actually very good externally, but does lack in some other areas in terms of both detail and accuracy. This reasonably sized nickel-finish fret contains around 70 parts, with the most prominent being for the main gear bay and engine radiators.
The main gear bays of the kit aren't its best feature, so Eduard have supplied a main forward engine bay bulkhead to hide the ugly plastic that lies in view in that area. The bare-walled inner nacelles are also furnished with a few formers to the side of the main gear mechanism. The undercarriage mounting point, typically lacking in detail, are sheathed in metal and rivet effect parts. Parts are also supplied for the two main undercarriage doors, per nacelle. The kit parts suffer from being overly thick. These are now replaced with a two-part solution comprising an inner and outer door, with correct pressed-metal patterns within. You will of course need to bend these to the correct profile. Door actuating brackets are supplied, but you will need to provide the plastic rod for the 'actuating rod' itself.
A similar remedy is employed at the tail wheel. New inner gear door inserts help to improve the kit parts, and hinges/actuating rods improve standard kit detail. While we are at the rear of the aircraft, a Eduard have added a little extra detail in the way or towing lugs and a replacement fuel dump port sitting under the lower rudder.
An etch metal radiator ring is placed within the front of each cowl ring, and a similar ring is placed within the rear of the kit parts. When looking into this area from behind, with the radiator flaps open, you will see this detail. The radiator cooling flaps actuating ring is also included with this set. You'll need to be very careful when installing this and in making sure that the protruding rods coincide with the flaps.
A few parts are included to upgrade the undercarriage legs, namely brake cables and blanking plates, with some access ports and towing lugs on the rear tail wheel mounting assembly. A few other upgrade parts are included such as the dipole for the Funkgerät radio system, and trim tab actuators etc.
49545, Ju 88G-6 Interior S.A.
The cockpit of the Dragon kit, although a reasonable representation, does have a number of errors, plus it really isn't up to today's standards. I think this is testimony to the fact that this is a THREE etch fret set! Two of these frets are both colour-printed and self-adhesive. Whole swathes of the cockpit are either incorrect, or there are areas missing. The first problem is the strange, stepped plastic console. The steps on this need to be filled in, and then a coloured console strip placed over the original. This console is then to be fitted out with over a dozen levers. The area where the crew can access the gondola now has an etch metal wall to hide the thin plastic floor that Dragon supplied.
All radio sets have colour etch metal faces now, meaning you'll just need to sand off the original detail. The instrument panel replacement is constructed from two parts; the fascia and an underlying plate onto which the instruments are printed. I'd advise these are assembled with Klear, or similar so that no fogging occurs. The radar operators instruments are also sheathed in colour metal, as are the various other avionics panels.
Apart from the rudder pedals, the colour frets also contain the seatbelt sets for all crew positions, with fold over buckles instead of having to assemble these from threaded parts.
The nickel-finish fret holds the internal canopy framing, avionics boxes, ammunition feed, cupola ring for the rear facing gun, canopy grab handles, gun sight, MG reticule, MG barrel cooling jacket, to name but a few parts.
Some surgery will be required to fit this set, but nothing which should tax the average modeller. Constructional images are printed over 4 pages, and in the most, images are clear to follow, but please test fit parts as you progress in order to ensure you don't remove too much plastic material.
So what do we think?
I was quite surprised to see these releases on Eduard's schedules when you consider the Ju 88G-6 isn't a new release, but on the other hand, I don't know what took Eduard so long. Dragon's Ju 88G-6 is still a popular kit that can be seen on many club stands at various model shows, but with these upgrade sets, the kit gets a whole new lease of life, and I may pencil my own build of this for later in the year.
Highly recommended.
Our sincere thanks to Eduard for the review samples used here. To purchase the EXTERIOR set, click here. To purchase the INTERIOR set, click here.
James H
