Junker Ju-388 1:72 by Special Hobby

By Jean FAURY a.k.a. le Grand Vizir

For Replic (French aircraft modeling magazine), the only difficulty is to cut & mount the canopy. Let 'em say it so...

Intense pleasure time of the resin inserts inside the landing gear truts. Nothing shows (not even the map) how long this insert has to go out of the truts. So you will have to make many adjustments with the motor blocks, in which the semi-moon part is to go in.
Replic told us to glue the landing gear with Araldite. This solution seems almost impossible - only 2 mm² of supporting area. I advise you to make hole in each "plot" of the insert with a 0.3 mm foret.

You can do this again on the squares of the landing gear truts, & you peg with piano string of the required diameter. You can glue the all set, as the strengh is guaranted by the piano string. The small rods PRU 18 & 23 are useless (try to release from their support without breaking them !!). So new ones are made with electric wires partly stripped. You obtain a plausible jack.

The landing gear truts look like the one of a Lecler tank, you have to thin them or to rebuilt them in scratch, as you wish.

I forget to tell you about the exhaust pipes !! It will be easier to mount them if you put a semi-circular, plastic insert where the pipes will later be glued, this, way before to glue the motor blocks to the wings.

For the antennas under the right wing, you will have to change the PP 5 pieces by piano string samples. Just by sneezing, the original pieces twist (of laugh).

The gonio antenna PP 8 has also to be replace by a ring of electric wire.

Don't miss the position lights at the ends of the wings : Red to the left (normal!!!) Green or Blue to the right. We use olive pic or 'shakers' (touilloux in french, from the french verb touiller). You heat it to strech it to the required diameter, & then you inclose the end of it to a flame. You will obtain a semi-circular sphere to use as a fire light !

Let's talk about paintings, you will refer to the Reich Luft Ministerium standards... We strongly advise you to use an airbrush for the paintings !!! It's time to tell you good luck, but you will obtain an unusual aircraft.

The Ju-388 at National Air & Space Museum

In this issue: Intro Modern : X-32 versus X-35, tomorrow U.S.Air Force hot bee / WWII : The 1:72 Junker Ju-388 for advanced modelers only...
Technic : How to ? Thermoform complex canopies - Painting : Do it yourself : stencil markings.

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