Junkers Ju 86 1/72 Scale Model

German Ju 86E-2 - This is a model of one of the obsolete medium bombers pressed into service as transports during the Luftwaffe's unsuccessful attempt to supply German troops surrounded by Soviet forces during the Battle of Stalingrad in December, 1942. Like the He 111, the Ju 86 was developed in the 1930s as a commercial airliner and a bomber. The first combat variant, the Ju 86D, saw action in 1937 in Spain with the Legion Condor, the German air contingent sent by Hitler to support the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. The inline diesel engines in these planes, however, were unreliable and plane's performance was inferior to the He 111. Meanwhile, the radial engines being used in export versions of the Ju 86 proved so reliable that Junkers installed BMW radial engines in planes built for the Luftwaffe. Designated as Ju 86Es, the newfound reliability of the engines did little to improve performance. In 1938 there was another attempt to improve the plane by shortening the noses of about 40 Ju 86Es. Designated as Ju 86Gs, some of these planes saw action during the 1939 Invasion of Poland. Most Ju 86s, however, had been relegated to training duties by this time, although in 1940 the Ju 86P was introduced. It was an extensively modified version for very high-altitude reconnaissance work. Export versions of the Ju 86 saw action flying for Hungary and South Africa.

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