This is the second release of the HK Models B-25J series. The first was the Glass Nose version which was thoroughly covered by Ed Kinney's excellent review. This version is "The Strafer", which has the solid nose containing eight .50 cal machine guns. This version relies on most of the parts provided in the glass nose version and includes several new part trees of gun nose. The same engine, wing, landing gear, tail, and fuselage parts are used and you get new nose details and decals.
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This kit is a re-release of the original B-239 in Finnish Service of some years back, only doubled and with new decals. Each of the two planes comes with 8 sprues and 52 parts, 12 of which are for optional versions.
Assembly is straightforward in 8 steps: cockpit, fuselage, wings, main assembly, landing gear, engine, props, and canopy. I encountered no issues with fit and very little need for filler. The only issue needing fixing was that the anti-roll device stood a little proud of the turtleback and this affected the fit of the canopy. Optional parts are for the propeller style, cuffed or not, and canopy windscreen, as parts are provided for both the telescopic and reflector gun sight versions. You need not pick a color scheme until step 7, and speaking of same, there are decals and schemes for 3 aircraft.
History
Windsock Datafiles has produced a number of excellent reference works on various aircraft of the World War I era, and they are certainly to be commended for publishing another this subject. For those who are tired of Spads, Camels, and Fokkers, this one will be a breath of fresh air as few people have ever heard of this aircraft, let alone its interesting history.
This was to have been a full gear replacement review until the USPS decided to treat the package like the gorilla from the old 1970’s American Tourister luggage commercial. Unfortunately, the package did not fare anywhere near as well as the luggage did, as it looked like it had been stomped flat. After sorting through the carnage I was able to gather together enough surviving parts for one main gear leg.
What you get in the package is a full gear replacement in white metal for both main gear legs and the tail wheel. As you can see from one of the photos, the SAC gear has simplified things by making the main gear legs three total pieces and main tailwheel leg as two total piece, versus five pieces for the kit’s main gear and three for the kit’s tail wheel.
History
The Junkers Ju-88 was probably the most important multi-engined aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Intended originally for level and dive bombing, it was later adapted to many other roles, excelling as a radar-equipped night fighter. Beginning with the Battle of Britain in 1940, the JU-88 became the standard day and night bomber in Luftwaffe units, and when the British sent up barrage balloons with cables dangling to ensnare unwary bomber pilots, especially at night, the ingenious Luftwaffe engineers came up with a system whereby a plane could fly through the cables, cutting them with special cable cutting units installed on the front of the airplanes.