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Junkers Ju 86 K or as we call it B 3


Lars Befring

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I don´t know if it is common knowledge but sweden bought and built 56 Junkers 86 K´s before the WWII, since we didnt have them shot down (not being invaded has its perks) they soldierd on in various roles long after 1945! the last one was taken out of military service as late as 1958

In SwAF service they were used as Bomber, Torpedo, Transport and SigInt

As they were built and painted both in Germany and Sweden and then used during a period of great change they went trough a number of different marking regulations and cammo variants.

well...

here is an illustration:

B3profil_03_W_zps90376172.png

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I don´t know if it is common knowledge but sweden bought and built 56 Junkers 86 K´s before the WWII, since we didnt have them shot down (not being invaded has its perks) they soldierd on in various roles long after 1945! the last one was taken out of military service as late as 1958

In SwAF service they were used as Bomber, Torpedo, Transport and SigInt

As they were built and painted both in Germany and Sweden and then used during a period of great change they went trough a number of different marking regulations and cammo variants.

well...

Oddly enough Lars they did visit the UK, not frequently but quite often during the 1950's, on Diplomatic runs I understand.

I believe that the last two to visit UK, serials 23 and 28 both still with front turrets but no guns, together with an unmarked C-47, came in to support a detachment of SAAB J29 Tunnans to either RAF Horsham St Faith or RAF Conningsby in the late 50's.

Thank you for the drawings. I have an Italeri Ju86 getting very near the workbench and those markings will come in very useful.

Dennis

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Thanks Dennis!

cool bit of info! I bet being a planspotter during the years just after WWII must have been interesting!

if you are going to build a B 3, Kora has some nifty conversions, with the right engine for the right type, torpedoes/ski... or whatever...

just be very very carefull with the colors they specify! their paterns are more or less correct but when it comes to the right shade!!! ay ay ay!

Good luck w the build!

/L

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Thanks Dennis!

cool bit of info! I bet being a planspotter during the years just after WWII must have been interesting!

if you are going to build a B 3, Kora has some nifty conversions, with the right engine for the right type, torpedoes/ski... or whatever...

just be very very carefull with the colors they specify! their paterns are more or less correct but when it comes to the right shade!!! ay ay ay!

Good luck w the build!

/L

Thanks for the tip on Kora Lars. I was not aware that they did bits for the Ju86. From what I gather from "another" web site, If I were to order direct from them, it's cheaper by a long way.

If only this wouldbe released in 1/48....Special Hobby are you listening?

Andy

Oh yes please. I already have a 48th 177, Fw200, and enough room to build them slight problem with displaying, ready to go and that set me thinking. I wonder if anyone has considered putting 72nd and 48th scale period concrete dispersals around the edge of their lawns (low enough of course so that the mower doesn't get wrecked).

Perhaps not - must be the Silly Summer Season in UK getting to me. But then again, I'll probably ponder on this until reality hits home !!.........

Dennis

............and a period scale peri-track of course :mental:

Now where's me white coat with long sleeves.

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  • 6 years later...

Greetings: a 1/48 Ju-86K is set for release in the near future. I am already considering a conversion to a late K Swedish reconnaissance version. Can anyone suggest a suitable cowl and exhaust substitute?  Thank you. 

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A 1/48 Ju 86 will be very welcome! I hadn't heard, can you tell us more?

It's very difficult not to love this bird with its strange nose. The cockpit canopy, although assymetrical at the rear, has one of the most sleek and beautiful lines of them all, in combination with one of the ugliest noses you could dream of!

Lots of camougflage & marking possibilities with luftwaffe, Hungarian and Swedish varieties!

However, there was no specific Swedish reconnaissance version per se, long range recon was performed in '42-onwards with normal B3s on loan from other wings (bombers and torpedo/minelaying). A fixed camera installation was tried out, but mostly hand held cameras were used. 

Swedish a/c used a variety of engines: Pratt & Whitney Hornet S1E-G (B 3), License built Bristol Pegasus; NOHAB My III (B 3A) NOHAB My XII (B 3B) , NOHAB My XIV (B 3C) and Polish built Bristol Mercury PZL PMy XIX. Many were also modified with later engines. (there is some confusion about Pegasus/Mercury in some sources, they are quite similar). Some variety in propellers.

From pics all the cowls look the same. Cylindrical with collector ring and one short exhaust at upper/outer position, carburator intake in a streamlined housing centered on the underside, I'd suggest engines with modified cowl from an Airfix Blenheim. Or why not, the beatutiful (but slightly expensive) resin replacements from SBS, see here.

I have a set at home but I will check to see if it has enough scale diameter to house a pegasus engine.

EDIT: It seems that the NOHAB license built engines were Mercurys, not Pegasus. Will see if this can be further clarified... 

EDIT 2: If the mentioned kit is a Ju-86K2, the engine nacelles should be about the same, but possibly with different exhaust and intake details..

EDIT 3: Ooops, I just found out that the Hungarian Ju-86 K-2 had Gnôme-Rhône 14k Mistral Major, a 14 cyl twin row engine. So, quite different from Swedish B3 or Luftwaffe Ju-86 E 

 

Edited by Tomas Enerdal
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Re Swedish Ju-86 engines,

Pics of engines with maintenance covers removed show that the cylinder heads are very close to the surface of the cowl.

A Mercury has a diameter of 1307 mm, 27.23 mm in 1/48. The cowlings in the Airfix Blenheim, Classic Airframes Blenheim and SBS sets (excluding the bulges) are just a tad larger than that, perfect dia if you ask me.

(the Brisol Hercules cowls in the Beaufighter kits are just a little larger and may be excellent alternatives as well, but you must then source the engines elsewhere)

A nice pic showing the engine cowls can be found here.

(found a small walk-around, of sorts, here)

As can be seen only one of the tubes inside the cowl on the starboard side of the engine seems to be fitted, together with a smaller one on the port side. Larger and fewer (11?) cooling gills at the rear of the cowl.

The first three B3 in Sweden had Pratt & Whitney Hornets installed, The new kit has BMW 132 which is more ore less the same engine. Pics again show differences between Swedish and Hungarian exhaust and oil cooler arrangements, however. The front opening seems smaller on Swedish comparde to Hungarian. Luftwaffe E version?

Litterature is not abundant, but a nice book in Swedish exist; B 3 Junkers Ju 86 i Sverige, Lennart andersson, ISBN 91-7243-005-2 (176 pages, lots of pics). PM me if you want me to find a copy for you.

Now that a 1/48 kit is obviously approaching, I plan to search for available documentation in archives and museeums, will come back later.

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I keep on looking at details peculiar to the Swedish B3.

Apart from the the first 3, (B3) which had P&W Hornet engines, the rest had various marks of licence produced Bristol Mercurys.

Late in their career many recieved propellers that look identical to the ones that the Blenheim had; sleek and slender blades, pointed tips, broadest chord at the middle of the blade (Hamilton Standard? Hamilton oval logos can be seen on a few..).

Earlier propellers are more elusive. One source states them as Junkers-built (licence Hamilton) HPAK III. Diameter 3,3 meter. Several pics support that, the Junkers propeller traingular marking(logo) can be seen.

The shape is rather different; broadest close to the base. The transition from circular at the hub to the developed blade profile reminds me about wooden Rotol blades. The blade then tapers more or less straight to a rather pointed tip. I've searched for possible 1/48 candidates in reviews of kits, the closest so far are the ones in the recent ICM Do17 variants. Could someone tell me about the diameter of that propeller? (I don't have the kit)

TIA,

Tomas Enerdal

(BTW, the more I look at the SBS Blenheim engines and compare them to B3 pics, the happier I get. They're just marvelous!) 

Edited by Tomas Enerdal
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