1:48 Tornado IDS 44+97 40 Jahre JBG-38 Jever AB 1997

Forty years of one unit

Round anniversaries are celebrated handsomely by air units, and 1997 brought one of the finest German finishes of that decade. The bomber wing designated JBG-38 based at Jever had one of its Tornados reworked for its fortieth anniversary, and the subject of this sheet is exactly the machine with the registration number 44 plus 97.

The Tornado as a base for artwork

The combat version IDS has a wing with variable geometry, so large-area graphics always have to concentrate on the fuselage, the fin and the fixed root sections. That is the case with the anniversary finish as well, which is built on large artwork on the vertical tail surface and accompanying elements on the fuselage. In 1:48 scale the fin comes out large enough for the motif to be settled easily and without having to divide it into parts.

Advice on application

Before the work, check that the model has its seams leveled and a smooth gloss surface. The film releases from its backing after a short soak and a few dozen seconds of rest. Lay the motif on the fin with regard to the leading edge, and rather let any overhangs dry and then cut them off with a new blade than bend them around the edge. If you are building the model with the wing swept, check the position of the lettering at the root before you settle it.

The collector's context

The anniversary finishes of German Tornados form a collecting line of their own, because they appeared for only one or two seasons and some of the units were disbanded shortly afterward. The set from 1997 falls in the period when the Luftwaffe was reorganizing markedly.