Zvezda 1/144 Ju-87B-2 Stuka
| KIT #: | 6123 |
| PRICE: | $4.95 SRP |
| DECALS: | Generic |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: |
| HISTORY |
The Ju-87 was inspired by a visit to the US by Ernst Udet, then a ranking officer in the new Luftwaffe. There he saw demonstrations of a Curtiss Hawk biplane being used as a dive bomber and the German penchant for the type was born. The first really successful German type was the Ju-87. Early versions were tested with much success in Spain during the Spanish Civil war. So impressed were the Germans that they used them to spearhead attacks on Poland and the rest of Europe in the early months of the war. The type was equally as successful during those campaigns. However, a piece of the puzzle was generally missing during those years and that was an effective air defense. When the Ju-87 was used against British targets during the opening phases of the Battle of Britain, the Stuka was proven to be an extremely easy target and Ju-87 units were decimated.
Quickly removed from the battle, these units had a reprieve in North Africa, Greece and against the Soviets where the Germans were able to keep air superiority in the Stuka's area of operation. Despite its growing obsolescence, it was not only continually upgraded, but served well until the final days of the war.
| THE KIT |
This is another of Zvezda's war gaming kits
and it seems like the smaller aircraft will be in 1/144 scale, which is great
for those who like the scale in the first place. Like the other kits in this
series, there is one very glossy sprue of plastic and a movement card. Since it
is an airplane, a rather hefty stand is also included
There are seven parts on the sprue with an additional
small sprue holding the solid clear bit. Good luck trying to mask that one, and
I think that simply floating some thinned paint in the frame grooves will be a
good way to spruce things up. A small decal sheet with generic crosses and large
aircraft numbers is also i
ncluded.
Those thinking that there would be a genuine unit marking type decal sheet will
be disappointed. However, there are aftermarket sheets that can help out.
As you can see, construction will be quick and the instruction sheet is little more than an exploded view. Attachment points are large and the plastic takes paint well, as I found out when I built the Panzer II. No painting information is supplied, but you can easily do one that looks convincing from old kit instructions or a net search.
| CONCLUSIONS |
This kit is part of a number specially done for Zvezda's 'Art of Tactic' game system. It should make into a very nice and quickly built model in its own right and is really perfect for new modelers thanks to its snap construction.
| REFERENCES |
http://en.wikipedia.org
April 2011 Thanks to
www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the
preview kit. Get yours at your local retailer. If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.