1:32 Ju 87R-2

The long-range Stuka

The letter R in the designation stood for Reichweite, that is range. The Ju 87R-2 was given lines for two drop tanks under the wing and further fuel in the wing bays, which turned a short-legged attack aircraft into a machine usable over the sea. It was in this form that German aircraft attacked convoys in the Mediterranean, operated from Greece against Crete and accompanied the advance in the north of Norway. The drop tanks, however, took their toll on the useful load of bombs.

The scope of the set

The stencils cover the whole clear canopy from the outside and the inside, and with them come five pieces for spraying the national insignia. There is no sheet of decals in this package; the insignia are created in paint.

The craft: what to do with curved surfaces

The round front and the arched side panes of the glazing form doubly curved surfaces onto which flat film will never settle unaided. The procedure that has proved itself is to snip the edge of the stencil with fine cuts into the shape of rays, lay the individual tabs over one another and only then go over the edge with a fingernail through a soft cloth. Anyone who instead stretches the film gets a ripple that will let paint through exactly where it is most visible. The surplus tabs are then trimmed level with a fresh blade.

Recommendations for the work

• A damp finger leaves grease on the film; a cotton glove is better.
• Direct the spray square on; an oblique stream creeps under the edge.
• Before the insignia, check that the base is matte and dry.
• The model itself and the drop tanks are bought separately.