Revell's 1/48 scale
Junkers Ju 52/3mg 4e

by Brett Green

Revell's 1/48 scale Junkers Ju 52 is available online from Squadron

Here is my latest model, finished just this afternoon - Revell/Monogram's 1/48 scale Junkers Ju 52/3mg 4e.

This remains an outstanding kit more than a decade after its original release. It also represents great value for such a big model. I see that Squadron is currently offering Revell's Ju 52 for less than $34.00 - quite remarkable really.

I built "Tante Ju" straight from the box including the moulded-on harness straps and decal instruments. The interior is well fitted out but I chose not to install the paratroopers' bench seats as I guessed that this late-war aircraft would have been pressed into the transport role.

Fit is close to perfect, which is just as well considering the fine corrugations would make filling and sanding a very destructive process. There were only two exceptions. The first was the canopy. Test fitting revealed a gap of over 1mm at the top rear join. This was addressed before installing the windscreen by shimming the gap with plastic strip.

The other tricky aspect is fitting the big flaperons, which can only be secured by the tips of the hinges and are very delicate once in place. This should be done as late in construction as possible.

Self-adhesive E-Z Masks were used on the clear parts, including the interior of the big cabin. These fitted perfectly and were removed without a hint of residue.

The bizarre finish is based on three wartime photos in Classic Publications' "Transporter Vol.2". I don't know exactly what we are seeing here - partial paint over primer; extreme fading and patchy repainting; or staining / remnants of winter whitewash. Whatever it is, I tried to faithfully reproduce what I could see in the photos.

The model was painted using various mixes of Tamiya and Gunze acrylics using my Testor Aztek airbrush. The flat coat is from Polly Scale.

The corrugations made the decals hard work. I used the kit's fuselage crosses, which were barely persuaded to settle down even after a dozen drenchings in Solvaset and Mr Mark Softer plus slicing and dicing with a new hobby blade. In the end, I wound up masking and re-spraying the fuselage crosses.

I had some dramas with the unique fuselage codes too, which were sourced from an old Swedish decal sheet.

Revell's 1/48 scale Junkers Ju 52 is a very big model with a wing span of more than 24" when complete.

Construction, painting and weathering of this model will be covered in a forthcoming book from Classic Publications, "Modelling the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front 1943-1945", due for release in the first Quarter of 2010.

Text and Images Copyright © 2009 by Brett Green
Page Created 15 December, 2009
Last Updated 15 December, 2009

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