Revell-Germany has released another big ol’ Luftwaffe machine in 1/72, the four-engined Ju 290A-4/A-5, which was used as a maritime recon and transport aircraft from 1942 to the end of the war. Three Ju 290 were captured intact by the British, another by the Americans, one was interned in Spain and another was finished after the war in Czechoslovakia, the sole survivors of a production run of about forty-seven. The Spanish one lasted until about 1956, by which time all the others had been scrapped.
Under the best of circumstances, this would have to be considered an obscure and unlikely subject for a high-quality injection kit, but Revell-Germany didn’t let that stop them when they issued their very nice BV 222, and they continue to follow the trend by producing this kit. One wonders what’s next? A BV 238? A Ju 390? An Fi 333? (Quick, get the oxygen for that man.) Most likely a new-tool Fw 200C Condor, I suspect, but that we’ll have to leave for another time.
Back to business: this is a sweet kit, if you’re into an aircraft with a span of twenty-three inches and a length of close to sixteen inches, and which happens to be German. The length and the span are right on for 1/72 scale. Even better, the kit can correctly represent either the A-4 or A-5 variants (the kit caters to the very minor differences), and also, with a little creativity, can be built as an A-2, A-3, A-6, or A-9 variant (the A-6, incidentally, was one-off and was the one that ended up in Spain). Those variants collectively represent about two thirds of the total Ju 290 production run. There’s even fodder for the Luft ‘46 crowd here, assuming you’re willing to buy two kits, as there was a proposed Ju 290Z project, which would have involved a common three-engine center wing section mating two Ju 290, generating a seven-engined monstrosity only someone with a very large workbench (and display space) could love.
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| Under new management. Ju 290 A-4 (V7) in preparation for flight to the USA. It arrived at Wright Patterson AFB on the July 31, 1945. The aircraft was scrapped after testing.” |
Getting back to aircraft that actually flew, the kit offers markings for one A-4 and three A-5. The clear parts are nice and thin for injected-molded glazing, and the small detail parts on the main sprues are well executed in light gray plastic, right down to the Hohentweil aerials. One very much appreciated feature is that the dorsal fuselage panel is separate from the two fuselage halves, meaning that seams can be fared in without having to worry about the turrets, which mount right into the dorsal panel afterwards. The cockpit is decently detailed, as are the engines. The rest of the interior is Spartan, for anyone who wants to add cargo or long-range fuel tanks, especially if you leave one set of doors in their optional open position, or open the Trapoklappe, a drive-up ramp at the back of the airplane.
Is there a downside to this kit? There are a few things to complain about if a reviewer really wants to, like the absence of bomb racks, or the fact that the kit is not designed to have an open Trapoklappe, but if these things are issues of concern for you, it won’t be that hard to resolve them, given the fine starting point you have. Maybe there will be build issues, but on its face, this is a great buy if you want a 1/72 Ju 290.
