Ju-87 Winter Camo

[Siwi]

Nice progress on a great subject. Personally, I would enjoy building the cockpit of a Stuka because the canopy is large enough that all the fine detail would actually be visible, unlike some famous single-engined fighters of the same period.

[Erik Zwaan]

That's an excellent looking cockpit sir! Nice weathered skin coloring too. I only hope that the wings internal structure will be more elaborate, it looks rather flimsy to me....

Erik

[Bluenoser]

Your assessment is correct, the wing internal structure is also very flimsy. I have braced the inboard section as you can see from the photos already posted. The outboard section is one very thin and weak spar. I will likely need to beef that up too.

[Bluenoser]

Here is that flimsy wing spar with the added reinforcement.

[Bluenoser]

The wing root is applied here. its a good fit.

[Isaac]

As an aside, I always wondered what the guy in the back seat facing aft felt during a dive ( Stuka, Helldiver, Dauntless.... )


Isaac

[Siwi]

Originally Posted by Isaac

As an aside, I always wondered what the guy in the back seat facing aft felt during a dive ( Stuka, Helldiver, Dauntless.... )


Isaac

Supposedly the body is better able to withstand the stresses of high-G manouvres backwards (and prone, which is why drop lifeboats use this arrangement) but it can't have been comfortable in flak and with the jolting and vibration in air. A rollercoaster must give a similar sensation to pitching into a dive but much smoother on rails and considerably slower. The Stuka had an automatic dive recovery system in case the pilot blacked out pulling up. It was probably considered a macho thing amongst crews to be able to pass the training and spend your time playing chicken with the ground.

[YOAVHOZMI]

Wow....great build start.

YOAV

[Bluenoser]

Thanks all. I have the outboard wings installed now.

[Bluenoser]

The fixed gear is sturdy. It looks good but I think I may want to tone down all those cut-lines on it. A little bit of white paint should do it.