Kagero | Junkers Ju 88 Bomber Variants

Reviewed by Radu Brinzan

Junkers Ju 88 Bomber Variants is a recent publication from the Polish publishers Kagero, created by Maciej Nosaczak, number 16 in their “mini TOPDRAWINGS” series, catalog No. 7016.

This 16-page publication comes in an A4 portrait format with gloss thick cardboard covers and beautifully printed gloss pages, all enclosed in a thin and clear transparent plastic wallet. Also included are the following loose sheets of drawings: one A3 sheet of 1/72 line drawings, one A2 sheet of 1/48 line drawings and two A1 sheets of 1/32 line drawings. All of these sheets are printed on both sides.

This package is completed by an A4 decal sheet with markings for four aircraft illustrated in the book. These are provided in scales 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32.

The publication opens with a short text describing briefly the history of the type followed by pages filled with 1/72 scale drawings of the following types: Ju 88 A-1, Ju 88 A-2, Ju 88 A-3, Ju 88 A-5, Ju 88 A-4, Ju 88 A-6, Ju 88 A-8, Ju 88 A-14 and Ju 88 A-17. A larger amount of space is dedicated to the Ju 88 A-4 “workhorse” which is illustrated in a variety of versions such as “early” and “late”, versions fitted with various types of surface radar, a torpedo-carrying version, and a version fitted with a cable-cutter. These 1/72 scale line drawings printed on the publication pages include side views, front and back views as well as cross sections. The loose A3 sheet mentioned above includes the larger top and bottom line drawings of the Ju 88 A-4 in scale 1/72.

The loose A2 sheet contains 1/48 scale line drawings of the Junkers Junkers Ju 88 A-4. The top, bottom and cross-section views are printed on one side of the sheet. The front, back and side views are included on the other side of the sheet.

The two loose A1 sheets contain 1/32 scale line drawings of the Ju 88 A-1 and Junkers Ju 88 A-4. The top, bottom and cross-section views are printed on one side of the sheet. The front, back and side views are included on the other side of the sheet.

In the centrefold, the publication also contains beautiful and vivid colour profiles and top/bottom views of four Ju 88 bombers of various types in attractive paint schemes. The colours and markings are described in the case of each aircraft in both English and in Polish. Also included are short but significant descriptions of the events that these aircraft were involved in.

Junkers Ju 88 A-4 (3Z) + KS of 8./KG 77, Mediterranean area, 1943. This aircraft has long meandering lines of light brown applied over the standard two-tone camouflage
Junkers Ju 88 A-11 (A-4 Trop) L1 + KS of 2./LG 1, North Africa, 1942. This aircraft has large areas of light brown applied over the standard two-tone camouflage applied in a “patchy” manner leaving the dark green areas show through, similar to contemporary Italian-style desert camouflages. A top view of this aircraft is also displayed on the cover.
Junkers Ju 88 A-5 B3 + EX of 10.(Erg)/KG 54, Mediterranean Area 194. This aircraft wearing a standard two-tone green camouflage also features a large white skull-and-crossbones badges under the cockpit and an oversize “white 4” number on the tail.
Junkers Ju 88 A-1 W,Nr7036 9K + HL of 3./KG 51, 1940. This aircraft wearing a standard two-tone green camouflage also features a large Edelweiss badge under the cockpit. This aircraft is displayed on the back cover.

This is yet another beautifully-presented glossy decal/drawings book package from Kagero. The line drawings are sharp and clean while the illustrations and the printing are among the best available today. The decals are printed by Cartograf, they are clear, sharp and printed in perfect register. This is an excellent reference for anyone building the recently-released scale models of the Ju 88.

Kagero | Junkers Ju 88 Bomber Variants

Reviewed by Radu Brinzan

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