Schnellbomber
Junkers Ju 88 A-4

Eduard Limited Edition, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Junkers Ju 88 was one of the most important and versatile aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Designed in the mid-1930s as part of the Schnellbomber concept, it was intended to combine speed, range and payload in a single, modern medium bomber. Designed under Ernst Zindel, the Ju 88 featured all-metal stressed-skin construction, a slim fuselage and a fully glazed cockpit, first flying in December 1936.

Although early development was hampered by technical difficulties and ever-increasing RLM requirements, the Ju 88 entered service in 1939 and quickly proved its worth during the campaigns in Poland, Norway and France. As fighter performance improved, the original fast bomber concept became less viable, but the Ju 88’s inherently sound design allowed it to evolve successfully.

Few wartime aircraft matched the Ju 88’s adaptability. It served as a bomber, dive bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bomber, night fighter and heavy fighter, operating on every front from the Arctic to North Africa and from the Atlantic to the Soviet Union. Robust, reliable and continuously improved, the Ju 88 became the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s bomber force and remained in frontline service until the final months of the war.

Junkers Ju 88 A-4

The Ju 88 A-4 was the definitive early-war bomber variant and represented the type’s full maturation. Introduced in late 1940, it featured more powerful Jumo 211J or 211F engines and a redesigned, stronger wing with increased span, allowing greater bomb loads and improved handling.

Defensive armament was increased to meet growing Allied fighter threats, reducing top speed but improving survivability. Crews generally regarded the A-4 as stable, predictable and well suited to long-range operations.

The A-4 saw widespread service during the Balkans campaign, the Battle of Britain, in the Mediterranean and throughout the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. By 1942 it was the standard Ju 88 bomber, produced in large numbers and forming the basis for many specialised variants.

Eduard has upgraded ICM's 1/48 scale Junkers Ju 88 A4, releasing it as Schnellbomber, (translating as Fast Bomber) Limited Edition.

ICM released their first 1/48 scale Junkers Ju 88 in 2015 - a Ju 88 A-5 - with their Ju 88 A-4 promptly following in 2016.

Eduard has retained all of ICM's plastic parts, and has enhanced the kit with colour photo-etched parts, resin wheels and hubs, self-adhesive die-cut masks and superior decals.

Eduard's 1/48 scale Schnellbomber Ju 88 A-4 comprises 264 parts in grey plastic (20 parts marked not for use), 20 parts in clear (five parts marked not for use) and a decal sheet with six marking options.

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Thumbnail panels:

Quality of the plastic moulding is very good. Surface detail is mainly by way of crisply recessed panel lines. These are restrained and authentic.

Sprue attachments are fairly narrow, but some do join on highly visible areas such as wing and tail plane leading edges, so care will be needed when cleaning up the parts.

The fuselage is broken down into two full-length halves plus a lower mid-forward section with the inboard lower wings moulded in place.

This is quite a clever move as it will help to establish the correct wing dihedral and a robust join with the upper fuselage. This breakdown - in addition to the separate tain fin and nacelles - also suggests that ICM might be planning other variants.

The fuselage wing root includes three tabs to support the join of the upper wing - a nice idea.

Cockpit detail is quite comprehensive straight from the box. The canopy offers early and late rear dual machine gun positions and three different nose cones.

Eduard includes a colour photo-etched fret, one of their hallmarks. This mainly focuses on the cockpit with an instrument panel sandwich, switches, quadrants, boxes, harness straps for the entire crew and much more.

Six resin parts are supplied. These are the main wheels with separate inner and outer hubs.

Casting and detail are first rate. Radial treads are recessed and the sidewalls feature raised lettering. Hub detail is particularly crisp.

A small brass plated photo-etched fret is also included. I think these circles represent the brakes.

Clear parts are thin and clear from distortion.

The engines and nacelles are all provided as separate parts, once again suggesting the possibility of other powerplants in future ICM Ju 88 releases.

Control surface, including landing flaps, are all separate parts and may be posed to taste.

Four nicely detailed externally stowed bombs are offered. They appear to be two 500 kg and two 250 kg.

The undercarriage looks very stout. It is designed to be assembled and fitted to the lower wings even before the engine nacelles are installed. If you prefer, it seems that you could delay installing the legs themselves until the model is otherwise built and painted.

Two full Jumo 211J engines are included. These are nicely detailed and may be partially or fully displayed.

Even if the cowls are buttoned up, you wil still need to fit the basic engine parts to mount the exhausts. The paired cowl flaps are moulded open.

Markings

Decals are well presented, in register and with good colour saturation. The decals are produced by Eduard, so they work in the same way.

Markings are offered for four options.

These are all Junkers Ju 88 A-4s.

• 1./KG 1, Kharkov-Voichenko, Soviet Union, January 1943

• Hptm. Klaus Häberlen, CO of Stab I./KG 51, Bagerovo, Soviet Union, April 1943

• 4./KG 54, Catania, Sicily, spring 1943

• W.Nr. 140206, Hptm. Heinrich Paepcke, CO of Stab II./KG 77, Gerbini, Italy, October 1942

• W.Nr. 1016, Lt. Johannes Geismann, CO of 1./KG 77, Catania, Sicily, September 1942

• Lt. Gerhard Brenner, CO of 1./LG 1, Eleusis, Greece, March 1942

Stencil markings are included on a separate decal sheet.

Eduard’s Schnellbomber edition of ICM’s Ju 88 A-4 takes an already strong kit and elevates it into a genuinely premium package. ICM’s plastic provides a solid foundation, with accurate shapes, restrained surface textures and logical engineering, while Eduard’s additions focus squarely on many of the areas that matter most to the modeller.

The colour photo-etched cockpit parts significantly lift the interior, the resin wheels are an improvement over the kit parts, and the inclusion of masks and high-quality decals removes much of the usual aftermarket shopping list. The result is a well-rounded, highly buildable kit that offers both detail and flexibility, from poseable control surfaces, a neat selection of weapons, to optional engine display.

With a generous range of attractive mid-war Luftwaffe schemes and Eduard’s typically high production standards, this Limited Edition release represents great value.

For anyone with an interest in the Ju 88, or Luftwaffe bombers in general, Eduard’s 1/48 scale Ju 88 A-4 Schnellbomber comes highly recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2026 by Brett Green
Page Created 7 January, 2026
Last updated 7 January, 2026

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