1:48 Junkers Ju 88A-4

The bomber that could do almost everything

The Ju 88A-4 was the peak of the bomber branch of this type: a lengthened wing, more powerful engines and bomb racks under the surfaces made it a machine that could manage level as well as dive attacks. It was in this form that it reached several of Germany's allies, and in one case it served long after the fighting ended.

The Finnish machines from Onttola

Four of the six aircraft on offer belong to the Finnish bomber unit PLeLv 44 and carry registrations beginning with the letters JK. All of them are dated to the summer of 1944, that is to the months of the decisive fighting on the Karelian Isthmus, and they operated from the base at Onttola. The remaining pair stands for the Luftwaffe: a machine of the 4th Staffel of KG 54 from Sicily in the spring of 1943 and an aircraft of the 6th Staffel of KG 30 from the autumn of 1942.

Large areas, little room for error

The Finnish markings take the form of large blue circles, which cannot be positioned on the wing to the millimeter without a guide mark. It helps to trace the outline in pencil following the drawing, to lay the film onto a wet surface and to adjust the position before you blot the water away. The German codes under the wing, on the other hand, call for patience with thin letters.

The sheet on offer is in 1:48 scale.

Northern service after 1944

The aircraft delivered from abroad stayed in service with their Finnish operator even after the fighting ended, and some of them were used for training for a number of years. A model with a registration beginning with the letters JK can therefore also stand for the postwar period.