¹⁄48

2012 Model of the Year - Ju-388

History

The Junkers Ju-388 was a high-altitude variant of the Ju-88/188 multi-role aircraft introduced in the final months of World War II. Approximately 100 examples were produced, but their late introduction meant that they made little difference to the course of the war. Developed to combat the Boeing B-29, they never saw their potential adversary. Their operational use appears to have been confined to high-altitude reconnaissance over the UK. In early 1945 a Spitfire shot down a Ju-388 flying slightly above 44 000 feet, the highest shoot-down recorded during the war.

the model

Chuck Wojtkiewicz built the 1/48 Planet Models resin kit of this rather obscure aircraft over the course of two years. Chuck shared his build progress and techniques with Aeroscale readers in this mammoth thread. Not content to merely assemble the kit parts, Chuck improved or replaced nearly every part of the kit, then finished it with his usual flair with painted markings rather than decals.

Model of the Year

Entered in the November contest, Chuck's model was by far the most popular, and then it went on to win Best of the Best as 2012's Model of the year with the largest number of votes in any contest to date.