1:48 Junkers Ju 52/3m

Three-engine corrugated sheet over prewar Europe

The Junkers Ju 52/3m is among the aircraft you will recognize at first glance. Corrugated duralumin sheet covers the fuselage as well as the wing, the engines are three and the landing gear stayed fixed, which in the second half of the 1930s already looked somewhat old-world. It was precisely this construction, though, that meant endurance and undemanding service, thanks to which the type sold to a whole row of countries and flew in the transport as well as the military role.

The Polish airline put it into its prewar fleet and deployed it on services to European cities. The period the sheet marks out ends in 1939, so it describes the state just before civil operation was interrupted. A model in this form is a rarity among the Junkers machines being built, because the vast majority of sheets cover military aircraft.

What the sheet offers

One livery is given, that of the carrier mentioned in the range of the years 1936 to 1939. The markings of transport machines tend to be more extensive than military ones, because besides the registration they also take in company lettering and emblems. On a model a considerably larger part of the print therefore comes into use than with a military subject.

A building tip

A corrugated surface is the most awkward base for a decal there is. Without thorough softening the film stays stretched across the corrugations and cracks once dry. Apply it therefore in smaller pieces, add the softener repeatedly and press the film into every hollow with a cotton swab. Lettering that has settled badly can no longer be taken off corrugated sheet without damage.