Junkers Ju 88 1/72 Scale Models

German Ju 88A-4/Trop -This is a model of a medium bomber that flew missions against Allied ground forces in North Africa in 1942 in support of Rommel's Afrika Korps. The first version of the Ju 88, the Ju 88A-1 bomber, entered service in late 1939. This was followed by the A-5 bomber, with its longer wings, in late 1940. The A-4 bomber, with its more powerful Jumo 211J inline engines, was introduced in early 1941. (The A-5 preceded the A-4 due to production delays with the A-4's engines.) The Ju 88A-4 was produced in greater numbers than any other version of the Ju 88 and was the Luftwaffe's primary bomber by 1942. The Ju 88 had good performance and proved to be a versatile plane, and was eventually produced in many versions to fill a variety of roles. Over 15,000 were built and the Bf 109 and Fw 190 were the only planes produced for the Luftwaffe in greater numbers. Germany also provided Ju 88As to its allies Italy, Hungary, Romania and Finland.

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German Ju 88C-6 -This is a model of a heavy fighter that flew against the Soviets on the Eastern Front in the winter of 1942-43. The first fighter version of the Ju 88, the Ju 88C-2, entered service during the invasion of Norway in 1940. It was a Ju 88A-1 bomber converted into a heavy fighter by the addition of smooth, metal nose cap bristling with guns, and the deletion of the underwing bomb racks and dive brakes. The Ju 88C-6, introduced in early 1942, was the first Ju 88 fighter produced in significant numbers. It was a converted Ju 88A-4 bomber, with the rear-firing machine gun in the ventral gondola usually replaced by two forward-firing cannons. The Ju 88C replaced the Bf 110 as Germany's primary heavy fighter, and while only about 4,000 of the approximately 15,000 Ju 88s built were fighter versions, most built during the last year of the war were fighters.

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German Ju 88A-17 -This is a model of a torpedo bomber that flew against Allied naval convoys off the coast of Norway in 1942. When WWII began, the Germans didn't have a torpedo bomber, so they had to modify the He 111 and Ju 88 to carry torpedoes. In early 1942 some Ju 88A-4s had their underwing bomb racks replaced with torpedo racks and these planes were flown with success against Allied shipping. This soon led to the production of the Ju 88A-17, a dedicated torpedo bomber. In addition to the underwing torpedo racks, the A-17 had no ventral gondola in order to reduce the plane's drag and weight and help it perform the demanding job of delivering torpedoes. Although produced in limited numbers, the Ju 88A-17 was the Luftwaffe's best torpedo bomber.

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German Ju 88G-1 - This is a model of a long-range, heavy night fighter that flew against the British night bombing campaign over Germany in 1944. When the Luftwaffe established its night fighter arm in mid-1940, the Ju 88C-2 became its primary long-range night fighter. Ju 88Cs were so successful in this role that a dedicated night fighter version of the Ju 88, the G-1 variant, was introduced in late 1943. The Ju 88G-1 featured more powerful BMW 801D radial engines and was fitted with the larger tail of the Ju 188 bomber to improve its directional stability. The ventral gondola was deleted and replaced with a gun pod holding four cannons located further back under the fuselage. Its nose armament was reduced to two cannons, but these were soon deleted because their muzzle flashes blinded pilots. By 1944 most Ju 88s being built were fighter versions, primarily Ju 88Gs.

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German Ju 88S-1 -This is a model of a fast, medium bomber that flew missions over Britain in early 1944. By the end of 1942 the Germans realized they needed a new bomber that could evade the growing numbers of modern enemy fighters. But they couldn't afford to allow the new plane to disrupt bomber production so the Ju 88S was created by redesigning the Ju 88A. It was fitted with more powerful BMW 801G radial engines, and had aerodynamic improvements that included a more rounded nose, and the deletion of the ventral gondola. Defensive armament was reduced to one rear-firing machine gun to further reduce weight. The Ju 88S entered service in late 1943, but its production ended in 1944 because the German aircraft industry had to focus on making fighter planes for use against the heavy bombing campaign of the Allies.

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