1/72 Special Hobby Ju388J or Ju388K/L Resin & Vacuform Correction Set

Description

The Special Hobby Ju 388J/K/L are good in many ways but they also have several glaring problems that need to be fixed.
This offering seeks to help you remedy these shortcomings and create a more accurate Ju 388 model.
1)
Misshapen landing gear bays/nacelles
2)
Yellowed, damaged or missing canopies
3)
Stubby prop spinners
4)
Fictional cockpit interior
1) The Special Hobby Ju 388 kits are generally pretty accurate, but the under-wing landing gear housings are badly misshapen.
They’re a terrible fit to start with, but then they don’t even look right in the end.
They are far too square in cross section and also too deep.
Plus, the interior is lacking.
I made a resin copy of the excellent Revell Ju88A-4 landing gear housings that include both the bottom of the wing and the housing itself, so they fit together very nicely.
It requires cutting out a big section of the original lower wing, but the upper wing remains intact to provide adequate strength.
All of the Ju88, Ju188 and Ju388 used essentially the same landing gear housing, with the main difference being how they mounted to the different engines and the shape of the forward gear doors (which also depended on the engine used).
This housing looks correct when mounted to the kit engine nacelle for the BMW 801TJ engine as it results in a smooth transition, rather than the big bulge that the original kit wing gives you.
The 801TJ was a bit larger in diameter than the regular 801 used in the Ju88 and Ju188.
You’ll need to cut off the front section right up to about where the landing gear doors start.  Note that some pictures show the front of the bay, but that is no longer part of the mold since it is not needed.
This modification requires major surgery but can result in a big improvement to your model.
The included landing gear doors from the Revell kit are rectangular and are not the correct shape for a BMW-powered aircraft, which had one rounded corner per side, so you’ll need to source those separately from some other Ju88 or Ju188 kit.
The gear doors may be damaged, but they aren’t correct for the Ju388 anyway.
These are thin parts, so be careful not to snap them!
2) Replace a yellowed, damaged or missing Ju 388K/L canopy with this copy of the original.
Includes one 2-piece set (top and bottom).
The camera wouldn’t focus on it very well, but the framing is actually very distinct in person.  If you are building a Ju388J, I also have that canopy set.
Contact me before purchasing and we can substitute for the fighter canopy.
All the other parts are common.
Includes one set only (if you want to buy a spare, contact me first).
3) The Special Hobby Ju 388 kits come with a nicely-molded resin panel for the starboard (right) side of the cockpit.
Unfortunately, it is entirely fictional.
This replacement panel is based on a factory drawing and photos of the surviving aircraft.
The original was made of several sheet metal parts that were molded to provide depressions for equipment.
Like the kit part, the back will need to be sanded down so that it fits nicely into the plastic fuselage side.
The back of the large rectangle should be removed and backed up by the fuselage side, so don’t worry if it gets sanded away.
Use CA glue to attach.
4)
Also includes a pair of replacement spinners which are more tapered, like the real thing.  The resin spinners included with the kit are far too blunt.
There is a great source of photos and other helpful information at the Large Scale Modeller website.
One of the contributors (Wouter) built a 1/32 Ju 388 and found some great photos of the interior.
From a smoke-free home.
Part will be mailed in a small box for protection.
I will gladly combine shipping (I’ll refund the difference if significant).
Sold as-is, no warranty or returns.