Hans Rudels aircraft

[bish]

Hard to believe, but i have not built a German aircraft since my Do 24 back in June. So i guess its time to catch up a bit.

I have been waiting to do this build for around 20 years, and it is a tribute to both the man, Oberst Hans Ulrich Rudel, Germanys highest decorated serviceman in WW2,



and the machine, the Ju 87.



And there will be an Fw 190 thrown in for good measure.

My original plan all those years ago was to build 4 of Rudel's aircraft in 1/72nd scale. But back in the mid/late 90's i wasn't online and finding info on some of Rudel's aircraft, especially the early ones was not easy. Even now its tricky. But the time i was ready to begin, life took a change in direction and i stopped building for 5 years. Soon after i came back in 2008 i started adding 32nd German aircraft to the collection, and this son included 2 for this project. And since then, it has grown some more. So the original 4 kits has now grown into 8 kits, a bust and a 32nd figure.

Now i finally have the space to display this, its finally time to get it started.

So, because of that, i will be breaking the build into stages. Each stage will be broken up into 4 weeks building then onto something else then back for 4 weeks. And I'll take a break of a few months between each stage. So, i am expecting this to take between 18 to 24 months to complete. So i better get started.

Stage 1 will be the original build of 4 kits in 72nd scale. There's 2 Fujimi kits, Rudel's Ju 87R-2 that he was flying in Sept 1941 in which he jointly bombed and sank the Soviet battleship Marat.



And his Ju 87D-5 from the summer of 43. This was pictured with Rudel at the controls, engine running and the rest of the unit lined up next to him ready for take off.



And 2 from Academy. Probably Rudel's best known aircraft is the Ju 87G-2 he was flying in the winter of 44/45. I believe this is the aircraft he was flying in Feb 45 when he was injured in the right leg which was then amputated below the knee.

There is a pic of this aircraft with white winter camo and i will be partially applying that, i hope.



And finally, his Fw 190D-9.



These will all be built together.

Then, after a break, stage 2. This will be 2 1/32nd Hasegawa kits. The same 87G-2, this time without the winter camo.



And again, the 190D-9.



These will be done one at a time, Kanonvogel first.

3rd and final stage is a bit of a mix. 2 More 87G-2's, Hasegawa's 48th kit, and yes, i did buy this myself.



And Eduard's 144 kit.



Mitches 1/9th bust. Fortunately i got this not long after it came out and they were still doing them with their awards.



And last but of course not least, a 1/32nd metal figure. This came with the first boxing's of the Hasegawa 32nd G-2. Unfortunately mine didn't, but a member on FSM, dre, sent me this a few years back.



And there it is. There's a few projects i have wanted to do since the 90's. This is defiantly the biggest, and along with the DFS 230 i have already done, the most important.

I hope you will stick it out and pop in now and again. I will be starting tomorrow so hopefully will have an update next weekend. And if you have any ideas suggestions or any info on Rudel's aircraft, please don't keep it to yourself.

[panzerjager2]

Very cool concept......  I have a thing for the kanonenvogel  VERy VERY COOL

[deafpanzer]

HOLY COW I can only say! Very exciting project... count me in!!! I am anxious to follow and figure out who makes the best Stuka kit cause I have always wanted to build one.

Please do not hesitate to post updates... good luck Bish!

[Rick]

Quite ambitious! I've been toying with building a G model just cause I like the cannons. For me building just one is about as ambitious as I'll get. Should be a quite interesting project.
Rick

[bish]

Thanks for looking in guys. I just made a start tonight and i'll try not to keep it to long before updates.

Rick, not sure what scale your after doing, but if its 72nd, Academy all the way. I already had the Aires resin guns for this one before I did the G-1, but really, didn't need them. Best Stuka kit I have done to date. As for the 32nd, I believe this was the go to kit until the Trump one showed up.

Andy, again, if its 72nd, then out of what I have done so far, the Academy. But they only do 2, both G's. I haven't built the Revell B one yet though. As for the other scales, time will tell.

panzer, you and me both. Its no accident there are 4 of them here.

[Tojo72]

What a great project on a true warrior

[deafpanzer]

Thanks mate! What about 1/48? That's my goal to keep all wingy builds within 1/48 if possible.

[Rick]

Bish, I've got a 1/72 Tamiya kit, I think it's a B model which is ok, but not that great. I was thinking 1/48 when I go for the G model.
Rick

[totalize]

This is going to a really big project. Good luck I say to you sir. Should be quite interesting.

[Leon]

I'll be following along Bish! Sounds like some great projects.

[M1Carbine]

This is going to be quite interesting, im in Bish

[bish]

Thanks guys. The B pit is just about done, mainly PE. Now to get to the resin on the other 3.

Rick, I could be wrong, but I think that Tamiya kit is a re-box of the Italeri kit. The Revel kit is as well. So the only B's we have in that scale other than that one is the Fujimi. For a 48th G, your only choice is Hasegawa and Italeri. 48th isn't my thing, so I have not gone deep into comparisons.

Andy, up until now, only Revell, Hasegawa and Italeri have made 48th Stuka's. But, Airfix released a new B-1 and have a new B-2/R-2 out soon. Who knows if they will come out with a later model. But again, I have never looked into the 48th kits.

Hopefully this will at least give you some idea on the hase kit, if you don't mind waiting a bit.

[Wes]

I have my Popcorn beer and a comfy chair. Im ready for the long journey.

Look forward to this.

[bish]

Thanks for checking in Wes. I hope you have plenty.

[bish]

Time for the first update. Just the cockpits so far, so its been plenty of small PE parts to fold and resin to clean up. So, starting the R-2. Surprisingly, there don't seem to be any resin pit sets for any of the B/R kits on the market, and none for any of the Fujimi kits. So this one required an Eduard PE set. The dio for this will have the 1000KG bomb that Rudel dropped on the Marat being loaded. That was at the very limit of what the B/R could carry and only without the rear gunner. So if the gunner was not there, i think its save to say they would also not have the rear MG, ammo or any other in-needed weight, so i have not fitted those.



For the D-5 and G-2 i am using the same Aires resin set. This is designed for the Academy kit but I have been reliably informed it will fit the Fujimi. There's also a range of PE parts that will be fitted after painting.



And the G-2 pit. The stick for the D-5 was broken and that part missing. So as the Academy one is not to bad and the canopy will be closed, i took the stick from this set and put it in the D and used the kit one here.



And finally the 190. Not much to this, just a few parts. This is from a larger Aires set which includes open panels and complete engine, so i have to do some chopping of the 190 fuselage.



So that's it for now. I will give them a clean up in the morning, get rid of the resin dust. Then prime and paint. In the mean time i can take a saw to the D-9.

[Leon]

Looks like your off to a good start Bish!

[TRM]

Great subject t go after Bish! Looks like you're heading in the right direction...the offices are shaping up nicely!

[bish]

Cheers guys. painting is done, just got to finish some light weathering.

[panzerjager2]

Nice updates

[dierk]

And so it begins...
Nice start on the pits!

[Rick]

Got a good start going!

[bish]

Thanks guys. Been slowed down a bit by my own idiocy, but should have an update soon.

[bish]

Been plugging away slowly but surely on this. The 3 Stuka pits are now done and fitted. The R was done in RLM 02 then some light dry brushing and Flory wash



Then fitted in and the fuselage closed up with no hitches.



The D and G pits were both done in 66.

This is the D. I do much prefer resin to PE, much neater finish.



Despite this pit being designed for the Academy kit, it fit the Fujimi much better. But i did have one hiccup. I fitted the pit on Wed night and was all ready to start on the G on Thurs. But then going to work the next day, for some reason it occurred to me. Bugger, i had not fitted the Quickboost compass. But it was not as bad a fix as i expected. I manage to slip a knife blade between the resin and plastic and release the pit and then slide it our of the bottom. I then drilled the hole, fitted the compass and slide the pit back in. I think that counts as a BO-BO.



The G was a much tighter fit with lot of sanding and clamps to keep it together. The panel for the compass was a separate part and this time i didn't forget.



Other than painting and weathering the 190 pit along with the others, i have not touched it until a couple of days ago. Got the IP added and some details painted but still have the belts to add to the seat.



But no rush for that. I have the various panels to prime and paint. That includes the large part of the left which is the bulkhead between engine and pit and includes the wing gun bays. The pit sits on the flat bit at the back so i can't fit that until this is done.



And i have one half of the fuselage cut away, you can see how much there is to remove.



And thats it for now. Thanks for looking.

[deafpanzer]

Amazing how much you are doing for all... I am doing my best to keep up with your builds too!

[bish]

Thanks Andy, I am pretty spoilt when it comes to bench time.

[Leon]

Your making good progress there Bish! The pits are looking good.

[adt70hk]

Bish

Apologies just realised I forgot to say what a great project this is when I first saw it. I'm loving the work so far keep it up!

Andrew

PS as you're blessed with a lot of benchtime, you don't fancy swapping lives for a month or two? My two kids are reasonably well behaved...😉😁

[bish]

Cheers guys.

Andrew, thanks for the offer, can I think on it and get back to you in 20 years or so

[adt70hk]

Feb 9, 2017 7:46:54 GMT -5 bish said:

Cheers guys.

Andrew, thanks for the offer, can I think on it and get back to you in 20 years or so

Are you sure you need that long? 

They're only 9 and 11 and so are still at that age where they behave impeccably for anyone other than their parents, plus my son is onto modelling!!!

Did I mention I get a company car......??   

On a serious note though 8 kits, a bust and a figure - as my son would say that lot is going to look "epic" once finished off!

Good luck and "May the glue be with you".....

Andrew

[bish]

9 and 11. In that case, make it 30 years

I have a separate shelving section just for Stuka's, so this lot will take up the top 2. That's when its eventually finished.