Fw-190 F8

[Moofles]

Fw-190 F-8

1/48 Eduard

Much is known about the Fw-190, in its multitude of variants from the original Anton series up to the long nosed Dora’s. Originally conceived and designed by Kurt Tank in early 1939, the "‘butcher bird"’ first took to the skies operationally in late 1941. With its introduction the Nazis gained air superiority in Europe for a time, while the allies played catch-up.

Originally conceived as an air superiority fighter, the Fw-190 with its powerful and reliable BMW 801 engine started to take on a selection of roles including day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft, and night fighter. The Fw-190 F-8 was the designated ground attack variant, serving in a wide range of theatres from the Mediterranean to the Russian front. It differed from the A-8 in a variety of ways, but was based on the same airframe as the Fw-190 A8, and had additional armour plating mounted onto the canopy, fuselage side, around the engine and exterior cockpit tub. Standard armament of the F-8 was 2x 20mm MG 151/20 cannons in the wing roots and the usual 13mm machine guns embedded in the upper cowling. Under the wings could be slung a plethora of weapons ranging from the standard 250kg Bomb to the strange and wondrous BV 246 Hagelkorn.

Eduard are well known for their superb Fw-190s and have recently released the Fw-190 F-8 as a weekend edition, which is without the frills and spills of Photo Etch, canopy masks, and multiple decal options. What you do get however is a stunning Fw-190, more weapons then you can shake a stick at, and enough extra to keep your spares box brimming.

The kit is spread out over 8 sprues without a hint of flash, or any sink marks, and you have the option of 4…yes 4 different canopies. The kit is covered in very finely recessed panel lines which are thin and crisp, and rivet detail is restrained and in scale. At a quick glance the panel lines all seem to match up with my references.

Anyone who has built an Eduard Fw-190 will know what the detail is like, for those that haven’t here is a quick summary. The engine is an incredibly detailed replica, and you could almost believe that if you were to add oil and fuel it would start up. Patience is the key with constructing one of these kits, as there are so many parts, and everything is so delicate, that if you rush at the engine building phase there is a chance you will encounter fit problems later on.

The landing gear is a fair representation of the real thing, the addition some brake lines and weighted wheels is all that is needed to improve this area. The landing gear bays are very accurately modelled, and when painted up will look good.

Eduard have put a great deal of effort to ease the construction of their Fw-190 series, and this is evidenced in the options presented in this kit. You can have everything displayed, including the engine, gun bays, flaps, or you can have everything buttoned up for a sleek airframe. Deciding beforehand which route you will choose is wise though, as there are separate build notes for a full opened up model. The load out options given for this aircraft is impressive, and Eduard supply pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, however very little of the load out is mention in the instructions. For instance the Fw-190 F8 could carry 4 underwing bomb racks, yet there is no mention of position, or load out options for them, even though they are all included. Some careful research on your chosen machine will be needed to avoid mistakes.

The decals supplied are only for one machine (this being a weekend edition) To be honest I'm not much of a fan of the supplied markings, I feel they are drab and somewhat boring , but this is my own taste.

• W.Nr. 584592, Neubiber, Germany, May 1945
  

Swastikas are supplied, as is a full stencil set. The decals are spread across 2 sheets, and appear to be thin, and in good register.

Conclusion

The complexity and complex engineering of the kit may seem daunting on first inspection, but time, patience and a methodical approach will result in what I think is the best Fw-190 in any scale. There is an abundance of after market decals out there, so if you are after something different from the kit decals it will not be hard to find.

Overall a great kit, which looks set to be a very enjoyable build of a lesser known Fw-190 variant.

Review sample courtesy of

[Tim T]

Great review. I picked one of these up before Christmas and totally agree as to the quality. For £15.00 it is something of a bargain to my mind. I agree about the decal options though, they are the only weak area.