Ju88 Vertical Stabiliser Panel

[Max Wünsche]

Please see here my new addition to my collection.

A very nice Ju88 vertical stabiliser panel.

My expert friend from Norway who works on the restoration of these and other LW aircraft said to me that this is likely a replacement panel (spare) as it lacks the outer rivet holes.

Or it could have had the rivet hole section trimmed, but most likely a spare part and undoubtedly original in every way!

The rivet holes would then be made to match that of the aircraft that this panel would have been used to repair / patch up.

[VtwinVince]

That is a great looking relic.

[harrison987]

If that is the one that sold on auction last week...then you way overpaid.

[Max Wünsche]

I don't see how I overpaid when the previous 2 Ju88 panels I had seen go to auction had sold for more.

Or to be precise, one sold for almost the same amount as mine and the other had sold for quite a bit more as it was in GBP,
and this was all when taking auction commission into account.

Any other panel that has sold I would have been aware of unless it was a private deal.

The condition of the other panels, the one that sold for a lot more in particular was in quite beaten up condition also.

[Revi16]

Originally Posted by harrison987

If that is the one that sold on auction last week...then you way overpaid.

You say the same thing over and over again about anyone's Luft purchases that don't include you. Everyone pays too much except for you.

[Snautzer]

Why would the swastika been painted on a reserve piece of metal?

[Max Wünsche]

Originally Posted by Snautzer

Why would the swastika been painted on a reserve piece of metal?

I just received a reply from my friend in Norway about your question and he stated that from his recollections on discussions with former Junkers factory employee's 20+ years ago, was that they had spare parts painted and ready to go / install.
Basically, anything that could be pre-completed and which made things faster and easier in the field were done prior.

Of course specifics like unit insignia, specific plane designations were only done after installation, or indeed if said markings were to cross over multiple panels as there is no way this could be matched up prior.

The Ju88 vertical stabiliser panel that had the swastika was all 1 piece and easy to install. Every other Ju88 panel I have seen matches this and does not have the swastika crossing over to a second panel.

It is not a reserve piece of metal as you have stated, it is a specific piece to go in a specific location and cannot be installed anywhere else. This explains that the swastika which was of the same size and location on the Ju88's and only
on 1x panel, would have had this part and any other parts that could be quickly replaced, pre-painted so that there was no extra time wasted with having to do it in the field.

My friend sent me this image as an example, but stated that the Luftwaffe had the same system (as stated above) and that fuselages etc... were delivered pre painted although specific insignia's / squadron or fuselage markings were added later in the field as required.

[Revi16]

The photo of aircraft hanging from the Hangar Deck are complete aircraft with BuNo's that have been disassembled so that more aircraft can be carried. They are NOT spare parts or assemblies like your panel.

[Snautzer]

@max w:so you tell me the factories knew to what outfits with what specific cammo the had to make spare/reserve skin parts for?

[harrison987]

Originally Posted by Revi16

You say the same thing over and over again about anyone's Luft purchases that don't include you. Everyone pays too much except for you.

Given the fact that I am one of the largest Luft dealers in the world...I can pretty say that everything on that auction went for 2x what they should have. I have had 3 Ju88 panels, and never paid more than $2500-$3000...and those all had history.

I bought a complete Ju52 vertical stabilizer (not just a panel) with the swastika 80% complete on one side for the same price the OP paid for this single panel...and a complete Me109 stabilizer with a swastika on both sides for $6K.

So all things considered...yes...the OP overpaid based on the current market.