KDB Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Hey all, has anyone recently built Airfix’s 1/72 Ju88A and can anyone point me in the direction of any Airfix Ju88A builds on here please? Just wondering what it’s like to build and if there are any glaring faults/issues/difficulties with the kit? Many thanks! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 The kit was first issued in 1964 and whilst very detailed for its day not surprisingly suffers considerably compared with the more recent A-4 and A-1 kits from Revell, and the A-4 from Zvezda (Russian origin if you are OK with this?) Ray Rimmel did a series of articles on BoB aircraft builds for Scale Models magazine back in the very early 80's and the 'collection' was then published as a large magazine, subsequently re-issued by Argos books as a paperback in 1990. His Ju88 was based upon the Airfix kit and cross-kitting with the Italeri one to come up with an A-1. The book is still available on Amazon (ISBN 1-85486-014-3) and is probably your best bet in terms of a build of this kit but there may also be others on the Forum too. Pat. Ps. Ray built his kits well before the more modern and up-to-date examples we now have came along so the builds are quite involved but hugely impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) To be honest given the kit's vintage I'd be inclined to keep it a a memento of yester year and build a Revell example, but that said there is something rather satisfying about building vintage kits which I can appreciate as I've built a few in recent years. The thing is you need to then view them not as 'how accurate is it?' because it won't be that good. Instead rather 'wasn't it good for the time', so if you are happy to do this then building an old kit is very satisfying indeed. Pat. Ps. I have the old Airfix 7th edition catalogue which has photos of built examples and the Ju88 looks just grand, but there again so does the Do217E which is/was a complete dog's breakfast! That said it was a very expert modeler who built them for the catalogue to encourage us kids to buy the kits! Edited March 22 by PatG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 I’ll echo what @PatG said, unless there is some nostalgia attached to that old Airfix kit (I built one around 1968) I would choose a more current kit. My recollections are the fuselage aft of the wings having a squareish cross section and the three piece canopy gave me trouble (I was 23 at the time and had just returned modeling). I much preferred the Revell kit that came out a couple of years later. aded: my Revell reference above relates to their 1970s Ju 88. The much more recent A-4, C-6 and A-1 from Revell are far superior although I think the A-1 is only option currently available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDB Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Many thanks for your replies and advice Pat and Chuck! Much appreciated. I thought Airfix may have upgraded the kit but sounds like one to leave alone, oh well. Back to the drawing board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Just keep it and recall how things used to be! The Revell A-4 when it came out received rave reviews so probably the one to go for, or their similar quality A-1 and C-6 (the latter much harder to find) as they are equally fine too. Pat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Revell also did a Ju88 in the 80's (?) with an exposed engine I think but this is also worth avoiding given the quality of their more recent issues of the type which are generally regarded as being spot on and very modern in terms of detail and molding. Pat. Ps. Ray Rimmel's articles are superb and pure nostalgia from a time when modelers had to actually model using balsa, talc, and other materials at hand etc. instead of just relying upon a plethora of after market resin and pe as we do now. What he produced was stunning and still puts most modern efforts to shame IMHO so quite a chap! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunker Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 I built one 4 years ago and there's nothing basically wrong with the airfix kit. Unless you're into total accuracy or building one for a museum, the built model can turn out very well. The 3 piece canopy was the biggest pain to build as I remember. The interior is bare but it's very easy to scratchbuild pipes and throttle levers and such. Sand the raised rivets off as Ju 88's were recessed and hardly visible even full size. I converted mine to an A-1 model last year and had lots of fun doing it, even vacforming a new canopy for it. Honestly though, If I were to build it again I'd choose the revell version. Some pics after conversion. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) A cracking build and well beyond my skills I'm afraid. Just goes to show that an old Airfix kit can still look really, really good and back in the 60's this was THE Ju88 to go for! As a 7 year old boy at the time it looked the business and still does! Pat. Edited March 22 by PatG typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDB Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 1 hour ago, Hunker said: I built one 4 years ago and there's nothing basically wrong with the airfix kit. Unless you're into total accuracy or building one for a museum, the built model can turn out very well. The 3 piece canopy was the biggest pain to build as I remember. The interior is bare but it's very easy to scratchbuild pipes and throttle levers and such. Sand the raised rivets off as Ju 88's were recessed and hardly visible even full size. I converted mine to an A-1 model last year and had lots of fun doing it, even vacforming a new canopy for it. Honestly though, If I were to build it again I'd choose the revell version. Some pics after conversion. Wow Hunker, that’s a way cool 88. It just looks really good. One of your key bits of info was one of the things I was wondering about: the rivets! I thought an older Airfix kit like this may have been festooned with rivets, so thanks for confirming that. I’m a bit of a lazy modeller and time poor so sanding lots of rivets off isn’t really my cup of tea. That first photo of your 88 banking away looks like a classic box art! Very cool! And thanks everyone for your input, very grateful to you guys. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 The painting of the glazing and the crew look mightily impressive too! Can just imagine a Spit or Hurricane trying to engage it whilst it dives full pelt for the clouds, never to be seen again! Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunker Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Thanks for the kind words guys. KDB the rivets come off easily as the plastic is fairly soft and hardly takes any time at all, but just about every airfix classic kit comes with raised rivets, some more raised than others. I did manage to pick up a decent riveting tool, just haven't had the courage to use it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 On 3/22/2024 at 12:59 PM, KDB said: Hey all, has anyone recently built Airfix’s 1/72 Ju88A and can anyone point me in the direction of any Airfix Ju88A builds on here please? Just wondering what it’s like to build and if there are any glaring faults/issues/difficulties with the kit? Many thanks! Karl To some extent it depends on what you're after - as you don't like rivets... 😉 Price may also factor in. If you have one or can buy a cheap 2nd hand kit, OK. If you have to buy it at full MSRP, I'd spend a few quid more and get a (newish tool) Revell. Basically wrong - well, it's not an A-4 in the first place, as it lacks the bulges under the cowling. Rear fuselage section also is a topic, if things like that bother you. Otherwise, I always liked it, and in particular the original Type 3 boxes are stuffed to the brim with plastic. On 3/22/2024 at 2:39 PM, PatG said: Ray Rimmel did a series of articles on BoB aircraft builds for Scale Models magazine back in the very early 80's and the 'collection' was then published as a large magazine, subsequently re-issued by Argos books as a paperback in 1990. His Ju88 was based upon the Airfix kit and cross-kitting with the Italeri one to come up with an A-1. It's Argus. The Italeri 88 was released in the (very) early 90s, so RR probably used a 188? On 3/22/2024 at 5:04 PM, PatG said: Revell also did a Ju88 in the 80's (?) with an exposed engine I think but this is also worth avoiding given the quality of their more recent issues of the type which are generally regarded as being spot on and very modern in terms of detail and molding. The original Revell 88 is from the mid/late 60s. Not sure if it really offers any significant advantages over the Airfix. It is a typical Potter's Bar mould of the time, so slightly less obtrusively rivetted than the Airfix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 The earlier Revell kit in its day looked good with what I think was an exposed engine, but it suffers by comparison with the later Revell releases which are pretty much the 'go to' kits if you want one that is well detailed, fits well and looks the part, even allowing for some relatively minor defects. However the C-6 variant for some reason is much harder to find, but presumably because it sold in fewer numbers and was produced in a lower volume as the A-4 and A-1 were essentially the ones everyone was after at the time. As I say Zvezda also do an A-4 which is apparently pretty good too, but being from Russia I've never been tempted for various reasons! Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnacioKennedy Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 This one should be displayed in the museum! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 That's a real beauty, Hunker I have built eight Revell Ju 88:s and one Zvezda A-5. As the Revell long wing variant kits have become unobtainable on earth, I was very close to buying a few of the Zvezda A-5/A-17 kits earlier this year despite the very high disgust in buying them due to reasons Pat just wrote above. Then I picked up my built Zvezda Ju 88 and one of my Revells, and compared their looks. After that, I didn't want to buy the Zvezda anymore. While it is a decent kit, its detailing is quite lacking compared to the Revell masterpiece. One very visible area is the rear fuselage top, that R delivers as a separate piece with beautifully engraved details. Z is just bare, due to mold limitations in doing a traditional two piece fuselage. If you get your hands on one, KDB, grab the Revell kit #04672 immediately! V-P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) The Revell A-4 does come up on E-bay from time to time but at premium prices, around £40 currently, where as their A-1 and C-6 seem to be more plentiful and are a lot cheaper at around the £26 mark, and possibly a wee bit cheaper with Kingkit when they have one. Pat. Ps. Kingkit have an A-1 currently for £21 so a good price. I have no connection with them but found them to be an excellent source of 'pre-loved' kits that are always complete and without any damaged parts so very trustworthy. Unlike kits sold on on-line auctions which often come with missing parts as per the Airfix B-29 I recently bought but which was sold as 'complete but was missing one. Edited March 27 by PatG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnacioKennedy Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 "The Revell A-4 does come up on E-bay." Can you share the seller's link, or did you buy them from the auction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) I checked earlier today on the UK site (.co.uk) and one was there for £40. I don't know how to post E-Bay links but if you search for Revell 1/72 Ju88 it will come up on the first page as it is still there. Seller is troublednoodle (private seller) and they are asking £40 plus £5 p&p to the UK so if you want one and you are happy with the price then job done. However p&p to the US is quoted as being £25 so roughly £65 all in. Pat. Ps. There is another from a seller in Germany and they want roughly £35 plus another £35 p&p to the UK, but only £26 p&p to the US so roughly £51 in total. Pps. My interest is in the A-1 BoB period aircraft so I have not been tempted by either Edited March 27 by PatG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Hannants is showing the Revell A-1 as available https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/RV4972 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnacioKennedy Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Thanks for sharing! Placed an order. Soon, I'll try to do something similar Thanks a lot! I'm so excited right now! Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Did you go for the A-1 in the end or either of the A-4's I mentioned perhaps? Either way you'll find the kit to be quite superb in terms of detail and fit so have fun and I look forward to seeing it in due course. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnacioKennedy Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 On 3/30/2024 at 12:27 PM, PatG said: Did you go for the A-1 in the end or either of the A-4's I mentioned perhaps? Either way you'll find the kit to be quite superb in terms of detail and fit so have fun and I look forward to seeing it in due course. Pat. A-1. But I'll have to wait around 2 weeks for it to be delivered. Well, I hope it's worth waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatG Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 You won't be disappointed so well worth the wait. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 When Revell announced their A-1 kit, I quickly asked their spare parts dept for three sets of A-4/C-6 long wing tips and ailerons, which they sold me for not more than the cost of postage. I mixed them with three A-1 kits so I got rather decent A-5(F), C-4 and D-2 built from them. For the canopy rear piece I had to use the single-mg part from A-1, which I know is inaccurate, but there really was no better option for me. Unfortunately they don't sell those parts as spares anymore 😞 V-P 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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