Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Simple Stuka

Well since the IL-2 Sturmovik was completed recently, I felt I had to complete the JU-87 Stuka Dive Bomber.  Aside from being one of my favorite WWII planes, the Stuka made an appearance almost everywhere the Germans fought.

So with all the exciting Cold War projects going on at the moment, I wanted to get this WWII classic on the blog before I forgot about him on my shelf!


 Kit is a Zvezda 1/144 Stuka from their "Art of Tactic" series and it's a nice, simple little kit.  A joy to put together and much easier than a run-of-the-mill regular model kit would have been.


You may be saying to yourself that the colors are all wrong.  And you would be right!  But I decided I was not paying $24.00 (US) plus shipping for 3 cans of Tamiya spray paint to be used on a plane that costs less than $7.00 (US) of which I have only 2!

Besides, the light and dark green did the job.  Aside from the stupid texturing that came out of the paint can...That's another story (if anyone knows why that happens with this paint, I'm all ears.  It's rustoleum "camouflage" light green.  For some reason, it comes out of the can like it has sand or texturing material in it.  it's ruined a few models of mine so far. I forgot it was my bad can when I painted this guy. Besides the Stuka, I now only use this can for wooden troop bases).


I like the look of this guy.  Can't wait to get him on the table!




Despite Zvezda's best efforts at making a dummy proof model, I was still able to screw this plane up, too.  I'll explain.

So all of my aircraft can be placed on clear plastic dowels which are drilled into large, flat wooden bases.  (and they look quite nice).  The airframe for this Stuka is narrow.  I tried drilling it out with my cordless drill and of course I messed it up.  So if you look at the rear portion of where the wings meet the fuselage, you'll see a larger than normal gap between the wing and the fuselage.  That's because I drilled it out!

Instead I tried a big piece of blue-tac to affix the plane to the dowel.  Worked like a charm.

You can read all about the JU-87 Stuka Dive Bomber here.

Anyways that's all on the hobby front today.  The Mrs has me working outside on what is turning out to be a beautiful and warm fall day.  So I can't complain....much.

11 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Paul! Needed to get this guy done as it was only fair with that IL-2 on the table. My BGK games can commence with proper airpower!

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  2. I like the colours you used, should scare a few Russians, Tommies and Frenchies to name a few

    Ian

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    1. Thank you, Ian! Scaring the enemy is the general idea. I would be happy also if he took out a tank or two!

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  3. Heat your spray paint cans up by bathing them in your hottest tap water for 10 minutes. That will help prefent spatter. Also clean your nozzle off after each use.

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    Replies
    1. That's an interesting idea, AJ. I'll give that a try. As far as cleaning the nozzle, I definitely did that.
      I also thought with a fouled nozzle, there would only be a little bit of spatter. This is 100% of the time, and the paint comes out in little pellets.
      I'll try warming it up! Thank you sir!

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  4. There is definitely something sinister about the JU 87B. Iconic and well done. In my experience I've found that inverting the tin and spraying until the propellant comes out without paint will leave the tube inside the tin clear of residue and stops the little 'pellets' from forming inside the tube and nozzle.

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    Replies
    1. It's one of my favorites! Thanks for the advice - I will give that a shot with the paint can. Thank you sir!

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  5. It looks terrific Steve. Stukas are like sharks of the air, very menacing. I would have had no idea that the colours were wrong!
    I see you have wood ready for the winter!

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    1. Thank you Michael. Glad you liked the Stuka. The colors, I think, should be a richer set of greens. The greens I used are much more drab. That being said, I do think I got the point across!
      Hopefully this one is able to knock out a few Soviet AFVs or French Char tanks!

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  6. AJ is right. I leave my cans in the sun to warm them up prior to using. You may want to wash the kit with warm soapy water as well. I was the whole sprue and hang on the washing line before construction. This removes the release agent that is on the softer plastics. The Ju looks alright to me mate. Nicely done.

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