Eduard 1/144 Junkers Ju52/3M Trio
Standard 3M, Floatplane & Minesweeper It is a cliche to say that the Ju52 was the workhorse of the Luftwaffe in WWII, however a quick look at the multitude of roles that the type undertook will serve to prove the validity of the statement. Starting out as a three engined transport, the JU52 served as a bomber, aerial ambulance, floatplane, minesweeper (with a magnetic ring), glider tug, and other roles to numerous to mention. Eduard has added a trio of Ju52 to their range of kits in 1/144, these are a standard JU52/3M, a floatplane and a minsweeper. All three kits share four common sprues, and then have additional sprues, decals and photoetch depending on variant chosen. Common to each is the first sprue containing the fuseage. This is molded with two fuselage halves and a seperate turtle deck which also has the stabilizer. Also on this sprue is the undercarriage, and this provides yet another option - in addition to the wheels, there is also a ski undercarriage included. The wings are on two sprues. The corrugated surfaces are very clean and I can't see any problems on any of the three kits. Control surfaces are separate and there is also a rudimentary interior supplied (and the PE will enhance this). Engines are pretty basic .. but at this size they are fine. . and the two wing engines are molded separate from their cowls. The fourth common sprue is the clear glazed parts. There is also a common express mask for the canopies and wheelcovers On to the differences between kits. The basic kit is just that, and contains what is mentioned above, plus its decals and PE fret. Decals are provided for four different aircraft -
Ju52/3m m5e KG40, Eastern Front, Winter 1942/43 -
Ju52/3m IV/KGzbV1, Balkans -
Ju52/3m g5e, Crete May 1941 -
Ju52/3m KGr.500 Eastern front, Winter 1942/43 The floatplane has a new sprue containing the floats and their associated struts. Decals are included for -
Ju52/3m g5e Lufttransportstaffel (sea), Mediterranean Sea -
Ju52/3m g5e Lufttransportstaffel (sea)1, Black Sea 1943/44 -
Ju52/3m g5e 5./TG1 The final kit is the minesweeper. This features a magnetic ring fitted externally to explode magnetic mines from a safe enough distance to not harm the aircraft. This was also seen on the British Wellington. This time the extra sprue holds the ring and its supports. Markings options include: -
Ju52/3m g5e (MS) Minesuch Gruppe 1 -
Ju52/3m, Stab of the Minensuchgruppe, Finland, Winter 1943/44 -
Ju52/3m g5e (MS) Minesuch Gruppe 1, Libya 1943 Swastikas are provided in two halves, while the marking diagrams show them as triangles. Conclusion All three kits are very well molded and look to be fairly simple builds. The corrugations may cause some problems with masking and/or decals, but with a little care I don't think this will be a problem. Thanks to Lubos Vinar of Hobbyshop.cz for the review samples.
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