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Can you say Sturzkampfflugzeug?: 1/48th Monogram Ju 87D

Updated: Jun 29

This is the later version of Monogram's original Ju 87G kit released in the 70's. Produced as a D version in 1983 it has the dive flaps and bomb crutch necessary to build this type. The kit is a straight-forward build with little cockpit detail and raised panel lines, but gets you a decent "Stuka" for your model display at a low cost.


Notable Kit Features:


  • Simple construction with few parts

  • Good overall outline

  • Decent parts fit

  • Raised panel lines



Build Inspiration:


Being such an iconic aircraft, the Ju 87 was going to end up in my model collection for sure. The markings for this kit are of Hans Rudel who is credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, as well as a number of ships. He also claimed 9 aerial victories, and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles of all types, over 150 artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft positions, 4 armored trains, and numerous bridges and supply lines. During his impressive WWII career, he flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka", and 430 missions flying the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.





Heads-Up Report:


  • Cockpit detail is pretty sparse so you could add some detail here

  • Flaperons are sturdily built and could be improved by separating them and adding properly scaled hinges and actuators



Kit Additions / Modifications:


  • Sanded off the raised panel lines

  • Replaced wing canons with hypodermic needles

  • Replaced rear guns with hypodermic needles



End Result:


This Monogram kit fit together relatively well for such an old kit. Paint is the standard of the time, RLM 70/71 over RLM 65. The yellow here is too bright for RLM 02 and the fuselage band width and or placement didn't quite match up with the decal, so another lesson learned on pairing up those details. Also this D is missing the decals on the spats as they didn't work out (and I abandoned the effort of replacing them in my eagerness to move along to another subject).


The After-Build Report:


This old Monogram (now Revell) kit builds up easily enough into a replica of the infamous Sturzkampfflugzeug if you are looking for a budget or simple build, this may be a good starting point. You can also get a nice Eduard cockpit detail set for the Ju87 as well as other add-ons such as the resin cockpit and radiators from Aires. The later Hasegawa kit release is a step up if you want to spend the extra to get yourself more detail and engraved panel lines. The more recent Italeri / Tamiya Stuka kit is also supposed to be quite nice although I haven't seen the kit as yet.


Completed build #44 - December 1992 using the 1/48th scale Monogram #6840 kit.


Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is suppose to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers



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