1:32 Ju 88A-4

The most widespread form of the German bomber

The A-4 version was the one built in the largest numbers and the one that flew on every front from the Atlantic to the Caucasus. Compared with older machines it received a longer wing, more powerful engines and strengthened landing gear so that it could carry a larger bomb load. Its characteristic face came from the glazed nose assembled from dozens of flat panes: the crew of four sat together, close one behind the other, with glass around them on almost every side. It is exactly this glass nose section that is the most conspicuous and at the same time the trickiest place on the model.

The scope of the set

Two pieces for the glazing, intended for the outside and the inside of the glazed areas, and three films for the cross markings, in 1:32 scale. Paints and plastic parts are not supplied. The films are cut to the shape of the individual panes, so there is no measuring out and cutting of tape in place.

Craft: the order in which the pieces go on

On a nose this intricate, the sequence decides everything. Start with the largest areas in the middle, which give you reference points, and work from them out to the small triangles at the sides. Anyone who starts at the edges usually finds that the last large piece has nowhere to go. Once all the pieces are on, hold the part up to the light: every gap shows as a bright line between the film and the frame and can still be corrected. The check takes half a minute and saves an hour of scraping dried paint afterward. It is worth repeating it after the first light coat too, while a correction is still easy.