I was able to add the finishing touches to Shanghai Dragon's 1/48 Ju 88C-6 tonight. In case you haven't seen the progress pics, I built this kit using the Eduard photoetched detail set. I also added hydraulic lines to the gear legs, a pair of headphones to the radio operator's station, and a seat in the ventral turret position. The wheels are True Details resin items.

The temperate camo scheme was masked and painted. I scanned the decals, and used them as templates for drafting tape masks. These were applied in position, and the white camo was sprayed irregularly on the upper surfaces. After glosscoating, the kit decals were next. The previous masking gives the appearance that the white camo was sprayed around them. The white frame lines on the nose are kit decals, with the centers brush painted True Blue and brushed with a thin coat of Future.

The Ju 88C-6 was a heavy fighter, with six forward-firing guns. These were feared, but the glass nosed version didn't pose a threat. Creative groundcrews painted a fake "glass" nose on some of the aircraft, luring unsuspecting fighters to attack.

So much for the info and intro. Here's my "Wolf in sheep's clothing"












There are pics of the cockpit before installation here, as well as scams of the PE frets and instructions: http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/ju88build.htm

Gotta be careful moving this one. Lots of little stuff to break !

Hope you like it !

Damn sneaky those Germans!

You sir, are an artist!

Hi Bill!

Great Ju! I've seen the box a hundred times on various shop's shelves but it's the first one I see build. I like your camouflage and the subtle weathering of it...
I know it's not you but the canopy's fit don't seems to be 100% I heard Dragon's Ju 88 clear parts don't fit very well... do you confirm that?
Again, great model... I know I shouldn't say that because our chance of winning will decrease but do you know that this month's MOM is open until tomorrow!

Jean-Luc

hi bill! another great model. i had a look at the in-progress pics on your site and the way you did the white around masks is pretty crafty. also on the subject of the canopies, there was a post up not long back about JU 88's that said that the real aircraft canopies could be like this, due to the fact that they were designed to be completly jettisonable and were'nt bolted down to the fusalage

Thank you very much John, Jurgen, Jean-Luc, and Phil !

John - it was pretty ingenious, and I imagine that a lot of Russians fell victim to it. Deception was a huge part of WW II, and this one only cost a couple buckets of paint.

Jean-Luc - the canopy fit is not bad OOB. There are photoetched pieces that I added to the interior that interfered with the fit later. I took your suggestion and entered it in this month's competition.

Phil - yes, the rear canopy was a three-piece affair that could be jettisoned. Whenever I think of it, I'm rewminded of the scenes in "The Battle of Britain" where the crewmembers are scrambling for the exit hatch as the plane falls out of the sky.
Here's how it broke down:


Thanks again !

ive got to get a copy of the battle of britain film,it was a big influence on my model building in the mid 70's (then i saw star wars........) also ive just restored a dinky die cast spitfire that was originally released as a B.o.B. film tie in. i got the motor running again, stripped and re-sprayed it back to its former glory

WAUW say.. really nice c6!
I my self are building c6 Nightfighter at the moment..
Hope to bring some pic`s when it`s finished

Hi Henrik, welcome to Armorama
Bill,
Another wonderful model, I must get on and build my A4.
Mal

Thanks Henrik and Mal !

Phil - I'm not familiar with those diecast aircraft. They must be exclusive to your side of the pond. Nice save !

Henrik - welcome to the forum !

Mal - they're great kits. I've built three A-4s, a Ju 188A-1, and Mistel 2S. I build them a little differently. Sanding is nesessary at the wingroots to blend the fairing to the wing. After assembling the wing halves (minus nacelles & wheel wells), I glue them to the fuselage halves. It's a lot less troublesome to get to the wingroots with only one wing attached. If you're careful, the dihedral aligns precisely. You can see this in the last pic in my series.

I used to do a lot of Photoshop "in-flight" pics, but I haven't done one for quite a while. I figured this one was a good candidate. The Russian aircraft is Accurate Miniatures Yak 1. The ageing and props are digital, and the smoke is a scan from a magazine pic. I almost forgot how much fun there are !



Thanks again !

Hi Bill

Another beautiful build! I love the weathered-off winter-camouflage... all I could suggest as an addition would be some exhaust stains - the Ju 88 engines habitually ran "dirty"....

Incidentally, would the radio operater have worn separate headphones or would they be part of his flying helmet? That's not a comment - but an honest to goodness question.

I'm psyching myself up for Dragon's forthcoming Ju 88P-1 - I'll be well happy if anything I build from it looks this good!

All the best

Rowan

Thanks Rowan !

The only time I add weathering is if it's intended for a base (this one isn't). My display case is planned to be a 1/48 museum, and exhaust stains would be out of place.
I found this pic on the web of the radio gear, and I had to add the phones. There would be an integral set in the helmet, but maybe another pair was kept as backup.

I'm looking forward to the P-1, I'll have to get one. I won't build it until Eduard releases PE for it, though. I love the added detail, and I don't like to build without it anymore.

Thanks again !

Boo hoo....snivel, winge and sob

I want to see....I want to see.....

All I'm getting are the dreaded red X's....

The distraught little old flitzer, shuffles off mumbling while blowing his tear soaked nose....probably why he's mumbling

Cheers
Peter

Cheers Bill

That's a great reference shot!

All the best

Rowan