Junkers JU53A-1

[redstar72]

Good work Kitbasher!
The aircraft looks much like Tupolev PS-9:

[kitbasher]

Good work Kitbasher!
The aircraft looks much like Tupolev PS-9:

Thanks guys for the positive comments, glad you like it.  And as far as the Tupolev PS-9 is concerned - never heard of it until today, let alone seen a photo!  Just goes to prove that every day is a school day.  Especially as far as snippets of real world information on this site are concerned - what a wealth of knowledge there is.

[dumaniac]

 

[Tophe]

Surprising invention. Congratulations.

[Captain Canada]

Oh yeah....great job on this one ! Love the use of parts, and the bulky 'strongman' look of the aeroplane itself. Very nicely done....

[kitbasher]

Holy thread revival Batman!

Looking back at the original post I spotted some typos:
- engines in fact from an Airfix Hampden.
- main wheels are Shackleton main wheels.

Of late I've been considering whether to Handley-Page it up a bit (inspired by the Bristol Bombay). Corrugated construction explained away by it being the next design after the HP.42 and of course (despite being smaller) doing away with the real-world Harrow/Sparrrow.  Would need a propeller change and a more convincing fin/rudder arrangement. Still thinking about it.

[Glenn Gilbertson]

How did I miss this one? A great kitbash!

[kitbasher]

Lateral stability issues with the Ju53A unsurprisingly led Junkers down the development path, and it didn't take them long to find that the answer was readily available - fit a Ju53 fin and rudder.  And so the Ju53B-1 was born.  Most of the surviving A-1s were modified to this, the definitive mark, with a further B-1 new builds.  1Z+AK was operated by 2./KGzbV.1 out of Milos (Crete) from May 1941 onwards.

 

 


Many thanks to TomZ for the Ju52 fins and rudder, without which the rebuild wouldn't have been possible.  Wheels replaced with resin Aeroclub 1/48 Meteor main wheels (need the originals for a Shackleton rebuild).
Markings mostly courtesy of Print Scale sheet 72-075; the fuselage crosses were slightly too large so a pair from Print Scale 72-124 (Hs129s) were used. A faff with the swastikas meant using a pair from Xtradecal X72036.

The Ju53B looks much better than the Ju53A.

[TomZ]

Looking good!

TomZ

[PR19_Kit]

Not bad Dave, almost ten years building this one. A bit more practice and you'll be up to Dizzy's speed. 

It does look VERY smart, and more practical with the new fin/rudder, yes. 

[NARSES2]

Vey nice mate 

I can definitely see it in civil markings

[kitbasher]

Not bad Dave, almost ten years building this one. A bit more practice and you'll be up to Dizzy's speed. 

It does look VERY smart, and more practical with the new fin/rudder, yes. 

well only sort of!  Got the Ju52 parts from Tom a few months ago, so the rebuild has been swift by my standards!

Must admit I was surprised to note the original post is nigh on 9 years ago to the day!

[Hotte]

Brilliant 

Hotte

[Dizzyfugu]

That's cool. 

Reminds me of a friend's conversion in childhood days of a crashed Heller Ju 52 model into something similar (high wings, two engines only), but it became a flying boat(!) with a luxury interior, including a shower cabin... 

[Rick Lowe]

Nice.