1/48 Dragon Ju 188E Racher
Here is my latest build, Dragon 1/48 Ju 188E Racher Kit #5518. First released in 1994 and maybe 2 other times since, it is a rare kit to find and not too common to see built up. Dragon got a lot of mileage of their Ju 88 series of kits, this being an off shoot of their Ju 88 series still holds up well after 25 years. It is a typical Dragon kit with some minor fit mismatches due to it being a multi-part version of this series. The only issue that has been identified by previous reviews was that the canopy glazing was a little too wide causing problems when affixing. I noted this and found a fix that worked a treat. I dipped each part of the glazing in boiling water, removed and gently squeezed the wide area, immediately quenching them under cold water. I got a perfect fit. I stress gently squeezing the area because there are flow lines that could fracture. Additions to the kit are as follows: Eduard Ju 188E internal PE, Eduard Fabric seat harness, SAC metal landing gear, Eduard Brassin Ju 88 late wheels. Decals are from various Luftwaffe sheets for codes & Ju 188 sheet for crosses & swastika. Verlinden compass alignment platform, Monogram Pro Modeler Fuel Cart & Bomb loader, Brassin' SC500 bombs, & miscellaneous items were from the alignment platform. Artistic license was used for the scene using cell-u-clay & model railroad scenic materials.
Looks fantastic!
Turned out really well IMO...nice work.
sweet build and paint
That makes me take a second look at the kit that showed up in the LHS estate sale. Really nice result.
One teensy-weensy improvement that is easy to do: there was a canvas boot around the 20mm cannon, so that the hole was covered. You can easily replicate that with a couple drops of white glue, which will dry looking like canvas and doesn't even have to be painted. For everyone else, white glue is the perfect way to take care of gaps when you glue a canopy in place, just used that trick on a project earlier tonight.
Might try that around the 20mm cannon. I used lead foil to simulate the canvas boot but had to slit & cut a small section to get the nose glazing around the barrel assembly. That might be the finishing touch. Thanks for that tip!
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
John,outstanding work.Would you be so kind as to tell us how the Wellemmunster was done?Thanks!
Thank you, Marcus. This was my first attempt at Wellenmüster camo. I used my new Harder Steenbeck Chameleon with 0.2 mm tip freehand. Gunze Mr. Color lacquer thinned to a consistency of nearly water. Very low pressure 4-6 psi adjusting as necessary. Not as hard as it looks, it is subjective at best. Don’t be afraid of oops! I had to go back a few times and adjust until I was satisfied.
I am the one to thank you my friend.All the best!
Thanks for that tip Tom! Spot on with some thick Gator Grip to span the hole and blended perfectly!
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
I have a semi started Jumo version of this kit. Appreciate the heads up about the clear parts and the remedy hint, hadn’t noticed that because haven’t got that far in the build. Great wellenmuster technique there, well done sir! Also like the compass paint work a lot
Love the wave mirror pattern, well done!
Really good work !
You have every right to be very proud. I mean, really. Obviously lots of work and an impressive finish.
Dragon kits where some of the leading kits of their time. They where on the A list of model kits. Others thought they where/are fiddly ...John you've made this kit look out standing. Something not often modeled and given the degree of dexterity and having a knowledge of paint and its application makes for real treat. Some strong work. Looking for more of it.
Two thumbs up on this one.
Thanks for the kind words Stephen. I’ve always liked Dragon kits and have hoarded quite a few. This hobby is a blessing & curse as often enough you are never satisfied with something you think you could have done better and you tell yourself the next one is going to be better then the previous one, and on and on!?
So many talented modelers in world and these sites are inspirational for modelers of all ages & abilities. I am happy to participate and display my work.?
Beautiful build and finish - I have one on my to-do pile, I can only hope it turns out as well as yours. Bravo!
Colin
🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
Lovely model and diorama. Nice work on the camouflage John, it really sets it apart.
Thank you for sharing this project and pictures.