Junkers Ju-389

[TomZ]

Junkers Ju-389



In 1943 Junkers started with the design of EF-132 a long range jet bomber. During 1944 and 1945 the design evolved into an aircraft powered by six Jumo 012 jet engines which produced 5.500lb of trust each.



In March 1945 the RLM authorized four prototypes as the Ju-389, the first of which flew in February 1946. The aircraft proved very fast with a maximum speed of 925km/h and had a range of 3500km. The Ju-389A could carry a bomb load of 4.500kg.
After a short trial period Junkers started with the series production. The first operational sortie was flown in December 1946 against the Soviet factories behind the Ural mountains. The Ju-389 was at the heart of the strategic bombing campaign against the Soviet production facilities in 1947 which preceded the 1947 summer offensive.



In 1948 a Ju-389C-2 dropped the first German atomic bomb on the Soviet capital of Magadan, which ended the Soviet resistance.



Resin kit by Antares, 1/72

TomZ

[loupgarou]

WOW! What a beast!
Beautiful camo scheme. 

[Captain Canada]

Wow is right ! That is an awesome build of an awesome machine ! It would be nice to see a fighter beside it for scale, it's a new beast to me.

[chrisonord]

Definitely a big wow from me too, I am liking this. I think  one  would look  good in  post war RAF  markings  too. How was the build  Tom, I am very  tempted with  one  of these.
Chris

[dumaniac]

Very nice - well done

[comrade harps]

Excellent 

[zenrat]

Love it.  A great looking aircraft built well.

[NARSES2]

WOW! What a beast!
Beautiful camo scheme. 

Love it.  A great looking aircraft built well.

I couldn't put it any better then these two gentlemen 

[TomZ]

It would be nice to see a fighter beside it for scale, it's a new beast to me.

With a Me-109 for scale 

TomZ

[TomZ]

How was the build  Tom, I am very  tempted with  one  of these.
Chris

Chris,

I built a few Antares kits and they are OK (-ish). Their resin always has a very oily layer which requires careful washing before you start. The resin is rather brittle so fine parts like under carriage doors, guns and aerials are difficult to get off their molding blocks and can (and will) easily break.
The fit was rather good on this one. A bit of filler required on the fuselage to wing joint. And some sanding on the seams between the three fuselage parts. No bubbles at all.
Cockpit detail is OK but not very extensive, wheel well detail is non existent. The undercarriage itself is of rather soft white metal which easily bends out of shape. I'm curious to see how it holds up with the weight of the model as it is a heavy beast. So far it's doing OK. Getting a decent sit with the four point undercarriage is a pain.
The vacuform canopy is very clear and fits like a dream. I always hate vacuforn canopies but this one was a breeze.

As you can see in the size comparison it's a large beast and not cheap but it builds into a very nice looking aircraft.

TomZ

[NARSES2]

Neat review Tom 

Looking at her more closely, she's got a very B.52 looking tail ? Did Boeing get the plans to her one wonders ?

[crudebuteffective]

That looks better than a nice thing on a good day

[TomZ]

Looking at her more closely, she's got a very B.52 looking tail ? Did Boeing get the plans to her one wonders ?

Well, if you look at the nose of the B-52 prototype.....


However, the documentation I have on this states that the Junkers design team for the EF-132 was moved to the Soviet Union after the war and were made to continue the project there. It never made it to a prototype however.



TomZ

[chrisonord]

Thankyou  for the info  Tom, I  am still wary of  resin kits  mainly due to my  bad fingers, but I  do like this. I had a look on Antares  web page, but  they didn't  have  any, one  might turn up.
Cheers
Chris

[PR19_Kit]

I'd never heard of the Ju-389 before seeing your pics Tom, and it's certainly an amazing machine. It seems that it's a good thing they DIDN'T manage to build it! 

As a model it's totally awesome, you did a superb job with it.