Junkers Ju 88
A-4/C-6/D-1/A-6/A-17

AIMS Decals, 1/32 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

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The home page of John McIllmurray’s AIMS label is one of the most effective I have seen on any modeling-related website.  It features a black and white photo of a gorgeous Junkers Ju 188 model overprinted with the words “AIMS:  Home of Ju 88 modelling”, with the navigation tabs tucked away to the side and bottom of the page to avoid distracting from this message.  The home page reinforces what has been clear to anyone who’s previously explored the AIMS website, however briefly:  that while Reverend McIllmurray produces decals and accessories for a wide range of aircraft in all three major scales, his focus is primarily on the Ju 88.

These three 1/32 decal releases are a perfect example of this enthusiasm.  Each set features six Ju 88 A, C or D aircraft in a wide range of colour schemes, all of them interesting, thoroughly researched and well presented. 

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Thumbnail panels:

The specific aircraft are as follows (please note that except where mentioned, Werk Nummer are unknown):

32D008

• Ju 88 A-4 '5K+BP'/Wk.Nr. possibly 50371 of 6./KG 3 'Blitz', Ukraine, mid-1942.  This and the following two machines were camouflaged in RLM 70 Black Green/RLM 71 Dark Green splinter over RLM 65 Light Blue.

• Ju 88 (probably a C-6, although not identified as such on the instructions) 'GK+ET'/Wk.Nr.360379 flown by Lt. Udo Cordes of 9.(Eis)/KG 3, Poltava, May 1943. 

• Ju 88 (A or D series, although not identified as such on the instructions) '7T+FH' of 1./KG 77, location not identified, 1943.

• Ju 88 (A or D series, although not identified as such on the instructions) 'F1+DP' of 6./KG 76, location not identified, spring 1943.  Aircraft was likely originally 70/71 over 65, with a white distemper applied over the upper surface colours.

• Ju 88 D-1 '7A+LH' of 1.(F)/121, found by Canadian troops in Libya, 1943. Finished in RLM 79 Sand Yellow over RLM 78 Blue.

• Ju 88 C-6 'Black chevron double bar' of ZG 1, flown by Erich Von Selle of ZG 1, Lorient, France, March 1943. Finished in either 70/71 over 65 or RLM 72 Green/RLM 73 Green over 65. 

32D009

• Ju 88 D-1 'T5+GL' of Aufkl.Gr.ObdL, Luga airfield, Eastern Front, winter 1942.  70/71 over 65, with upper surfaces overpainted with white distemper for winter camouflage.

• Ju 88 A-6 'PN+MT' probably operated by KG 54 in Mediterranean theatre of operations. 70/71 over RLM 22 Black, with a disruptive 'Wellenmuster' squiggle of either 65 or RLM 02 Grey applied over the upper surface camouflage.

• Ju 88 A-4 or A-11 of 4th Staffel of 2nd Gruppe, KG 54, Catalina, Sicily, spring 1943.  79 over 78, with a disruptive squiggle of probably RLM 80 Olive Green and RLM 21 White over the upper surfaces, and a more dense RLM 80 squiggle over the under surfaces.

• Ju 88 A-17 '3Z+UT' of 9./KG 77, southern Europe, summer 1943.  70/71 over 65, with dense 'Wellenmuster' patterns of 76 and 70 or 80 on the upper and lower surfaces respectively.

• Ju 88 (probably a C-6, although not identified as such on the instructions) '4R+AS' crash-landed by Hauptmann Fredrich Tober of 8./NJG 2 at Hardenburg, Germany in January 1944. Appears to be overall 76, with upper surface blotching of RLM 75 Grey Violet and possibly 02, 71 or RLM 74 Grey Green.

• Ju 88 C-6 'F8+RY' was flown by Oberleutnant Kurt Necesany of the 14th Staffel of V Gruppe of KG 40, Bordeaux, France, May 1943.  Also finished in overall 76, but with light (unidentified) grey patches on the fuselage sides and dark patches or bands on the upper surfaces; the instructions suggests 71 as a possible colour for these darker areas.

32D010

• Ju 88 (A or D series, although not identified as such on the instructions) ‘9K+AS’ of 8./KG 51, Nikolajew, southern Crimea, March 1942.  This and the following aircraft were finished in 70/71 over 65.

• Ju 88 D-5 ‘T5+BU’/Wk.Nr.0880776 of Wekusta ObdL 1., Bad Zwischenahn airfield, Germany, specific date not provided although instructions note that the unit was based in this location between 1941 and 1943.

• Ju 88 (A or D series, although not identified as such on the instructions), 3Z+AC’/Wk.Nr.140206 flown by Hauptmann Heinrich Paepcke of Stab.II/KG 77, October 1942.  70/71 over 65, with large areas of 65 and 79 overspray on some areas of the fuselage and engine nacelles.

• Ju 88 A-4 ‘R4+CK’ flown by Oberleutnant Jakob of 1.NJG 2, Catania, Sicily, summer 1942.  Overall RLM 22.

• Ju 88 C-6 ‘D5+AV’ flown by Oberleutnant Gunther Koberich of 11./NJG 3, Grove, Denmark, no date specified.

• Ju 88 C-6 ‘R4+BH’/Wk.Nr. 360010, El Quasaba, north Africa, no date specified.

This is an enormous variety of aircraft, and it’s hard to imagine anyone contemplating a 1/32 Ju 88 project not finding a subject that caught their interest.  Sorting through the options is made easier by the high quality of the instructions in each set.  These comprise of two (in the case of 32D008 and 32D010) and three (in the case of 32009) pages of material that is broken down as follows:

• Full colour port or starboard profiles of each subject and, where necessary, separate illustrations of the forward fuselage that would otherwise be obstructed by the engine nacelles.  D32D009 also includes a starboard upper view of F8+RY to show this aircraft’s unusual camouflage pattern.

• A detailed text description of each aircraft, typically including information such as the specific subtype; pilot, unit and location (where known); colour scheme; and the references used to reach these conclusions.

• RLM paint swatches to help interpret the colours on the profiles.

There are some limitations to the instructions.  Except for F8+RY no overhead views are provided – presumably to contain costs – with modelers tackling 70/71 camouflaged aircraft advised to use the Revell kit instructions to mark out the upper surface splinter pattern.  Six of the 18 aircraft featured across the sets are not identified by subtype – I don’t know if this is an omission, or if it’s because the subtypes can’t be determined.  Finally, there are a few typographic errors in the text descriptions.  However, these are minor complaints only, with each set of instructions a generally excellent guide to the aircraft represented on the decal sheet.

The decals themselves also look very good.  Production quality is high, with no visible defects on any of the sheets.  Printing is crisp, with no bleeding or fuzzy edges, and colour registration on the numerous multi-colour unit insignia appears to be perfect.

The decals for each set are printed on a single sheet of paper.  Codes and individual markings are provided for each aircraft, and enough Hakenkruez are supplied on each sheet to complete two or (in the case of 32D010) three aircraft.  32D009 and 32D010 also include a limited number of Balkenkreuz, but most of these markings – and all of them in the case of 32D008) will need to be sourced from kit decals.

These three sets of 1/32 decals reflect considerable research into and affection for the Ju 88, and will provide even the most ardent fan of the type with enough choices for many years of modeling.  The sets’ combination of interesting subjects, high quality instructions and excellent decals make them an invaluable resource for anyone contemplating a 1/32 Ju 88 build – highly recommended.

Thanks to AIMS for the samples

AIMS' decals, kits and accessories are available online from AIMS website

Text and Images Copyright © 2014 by Brad Fallen
This Page Created on 3 January, 2014
Last updated 3 January, 2014

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