Hasegawa Junkers Ju-87G-2 Stuka 'Rudel'. 1:48

[Shar2]

Junkers Ju-87G-2 Stuka "Rudel"

1:48 Hasegawa

History

Even before the Battle of Stalingrad, German concern about the large quantity of Soviet mobile armour on the Eastern Front during 1942 resulted in the formation of an experimental air-to-ground anti-tank unit. Tests showed that arming the Junkers Ju87 Stuka with a 37mm cannon under each wing promised the optimal tank-busting weapon. This Ju87 variant was designated the Junkers Ju87G Kanonenvogel (cannon-bird).

The Ju87G-2 was developed from the long-wing Ju87D-5 Stuka dive bomber. It was a rugged design powered by a single Junkers Jumo 211J-1 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. The type displayed outstanding qualities as a tool for precision ground attack. However, in the air the Ju87G-2 was both cumbersome and slow. Defensive armament was limited to 7.9 mm Mauser MG 81Z twin-mounted machine guns at the rear of the large glasshouse canopy. A total of 174 G-2s were built before production of all Ju 87 variants ceased in October 1944.

The Ju87G began its career in February 1943 in the battles for the Kuban peninsula in Southern Russia. It was at this time that Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel began tank-busting operations, having recently become the first Luftwaffe pilot to fly 1000 operational missions. Later, in July 1943, Rudel took part in the epic tank battle for the Kursk salient. More than 350 Ju87's participated in these operations, including a handful of production Ju87Gs.

Rudel went on to fly no fewer than 2,530 sorties and notched up a total of 2,000 targets destroyed; including 800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery pieces, a destroyer, 2 cruisers, the Soviet battleship Marat, 70 landing craft, 4 armoured trains, several bridges and 9 aircraft. Given the shortcomings of the Ju87G in terms of its speed, agility and defensive capability this speaks volumes for the piloting skills of Rudel himself and the marksmanship of his rear gunners.

Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most decorated serviceman of all the fighting arms of the German forces. He was the only recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Unswervingly dedicated to waging war against the enemies of the Third Reich, Rudel continued in active service following injuries sustained in February 1945 that resulted in a leg amputation. Such was his prowess and notoriety, that the Soviets placed a significant bounty on his head. Wisely deciding to evade capture at Russian hands, in a final act Rudel led three Ju87s and four Focke-Wulf FW 190s westward from Bohemia. He surrendered to U.S. forces, on 8 May 1945.

The Model

This kit was originally released in 1998 with new parts added to the new tool dating back to 1991. That said, the moulds are obviously wearing well as there is no sign of flash or imperfections, just a number of moulding pips. Detail is finely done with engraved and raised details as required. Construction looks to be pretty straightforward and there doesn’t appear to be any noticeable pitfalls in the build, which if it’s to their usual standard will be a breeze.

Construction begins with the two place cockpit, which consists of the pilots’ seat, joystick, centre bulkhead, radio stack, gunners’ seat machine gun mount base, machine gun mount and the twin machine gun itself. The details are quite sparse and could do with the addition of seatbelts at the very least. Each side wall is fitted to their respective fuselage sides before fitting the cockpit assembly and the fuselage being closed up.

The engine/front fuselage is made up of two halves, the radiator tub, radiator, and two sets of exhaust stubs. The propeller is, which is assembled from the backplate, three separate blades poly cap holder, poly cap and spinner. This is the then fitted to the engine assembly. The upper coaming and lower fuselage panels are then fitted, followed by the rear fuselage panel, containing separate circular access panel.

The wing is then assembled using the single piece lower wing section and the two upper wings, ensuring that the modeller has drilled the correct holes out for the fitting of the gun pods. The flaps and ailerons are moulded integrally, whilst making for a simpler build it would have been nice to have the ability to position them as per the modellers’ wishes. The wing, engine assembly and the two horizontal tailplanes are assembled to the fuselage, in addition to the tailplane end plates and port wing landing light cover. Next up, the two main undercarriage units are constructed, each consisting of the halves for the spats and for the separate the wheels. With the model on its back the undercarriage mounts are fitted, as are the underwing radiator covers, mass balances, pitot probe, and tailplane struts.

The 37mm anti-tank guns are made up of two halves, one of which is moulded with the gun barrel. With these put together the two aerodynamic fins are added to each side of the rear pod, whilst the front and rear mounting supports are fitted to the top of each weapon. Are then fitted in to the pre drilled holes in the lower wing. Once the tailwheel has been attached the model can be turned over and the four piece windscreen and canopy can be fitted, with the rear cockpits sliding section attached to its two mounting plates and the aerial mast fitted to the fixed centre section.

Decals

The decals, printed onto a medium sized sheet look to be well printed, with little sign of carrier film with the exception of the outline crosses and a couple of access panel stencils. The register is good and they appear nicely opaque, including the yellow and white markings. The sheet provides markings for two of Rudel’s’ aircraft one stating it’s from Hungary 1945, which I think is a typo and should really be 1944 as it states he was an Oberleutenant. The other is from his time as Oberst JG2 in Germany May 1945. Swastikas are provided, and, much like the Fw-190 reviewed earlier this year it appears they have been positioned on the sheet in such a way as to be easily removable for the German market.

Rudel's Ju87G-2 Kanonenvogel of Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2) "Immelmann" Werk-Nr. 494193 wore standard splinter camouflage of RLM 70/71 black green/dark green on its upper surfaces with RLM 65 light blue undersides. The crosses and swastika were painted in the simplified fashion of the last months of the war. The yellow fuselage band provided a means for rapid identification of Axis machines on the Eastern Front. The tactical yellow "V" marking under the port wing was introduced on aircraft operating over the Hungarian sector and is indicative of Luftflotte 4 machines. The commodore's chevron and bars were painted black with a white border.

Conclusion

This is yet another welcome re-release and makes for an interesting subject through the pilots impressive war record. The model is a bit simplified when compared to more modern releases, but it has stood the test of time and should be an easy and stress free build. The inclusion of seat belts and perhaps other sundry items could make the cockpit more interesting especially as the canopy is large and clear. Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of
UK distributors for

[Mike]

Lovely job - the new camera is showing off as well.