Epeeman Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I've pondered having a go at Airfix's 24th scale Focke Wulf FW190 A8 kit on and off for some time. This was mainly due to online articles berating this kit for poor fit. I finally caved in when I saw this one in the window of a local model shop. Well I have to say that this is, without doubt, the worse Airfix kit in this large scale series. The molds are really past their prime being very poor on the sprue and each part is covered in flash. Add to the fact that the instructions are pretty vague regarding part placement which means you really have to try and figure things out for yourself. Assembly itself has been a right headache as absolutely nothing fits as it should. The first problem is getting the cockpit assembly into the fuselage halves. I had to really remove a lot of plastic before I could achieve a half reasonable fit. I then started to discover that some parts are missing - namely the clear reflector gunsight (replaced with clear plastic sheet), cockpit headrest support strut (fabricated from piece of the sprue cut and filed to shape) and most serious of all, the lower portion of the port side elevator. I could only think of using two pieces of sheet plastic glued in place then trimmed to size once set. Not perfect, but best I could do here. The next serious fit issue is the engine and cowling covers. If engine is assembled as shown in the instructions, there is a fan disc that sits in front of the radial engine and immediately behind the prop shaft and spinner that extends beyond the front cowling by some distance. I was already aware of this issue but did not expect it so difficult to overcome (fan disc should sit just within the front cowling ring) with a lot of effort. Long story short, I ended up having to remove the rear cylinder banks completely and installed the front half of engine using sections of sprue and replacement engine mounts - obviously not ideal but I wanted engine within cowling anyway. Then the real pain began. The separate cowling panels just do not fit together as they should, causing me the most real grieve of the whole build. I got each panel roughly together then once set, filled huge gaps with strips of plastic sheet, trimmed these flush, applied model filler and sanded this all smooth when dry. Still not perfect, but take a look at what others have done on the web and I see what I mean. Final part of the building pain was fitting the lower wing half section to the fuselage - a completely and utterly useless fit. I simply persevered using lots of cement and super glue till I got an OK join. I then installed upper wing sections. There is then a lovely large gap at the wing root. Overcome with more strips of plastic sheet and simply pushed vertically up against the root until it set. This was actually good because it gave the correct wing dihedral angle so was happy with this. The wing root could then be tidied in the usual manner. Most strips of plastic sheet was then used on large gaps on the leading edges of the wings. How this kit never ended up being thrown against the wall on more than one occasion I will never know!! However, despite all this, now I have finally got this one together it has built into an impressive looking model - I admit to being really pleased with how this has turned out. As always, entirely brush painted. Regards Dave 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latinbear Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I enjoyed reading the background to the build and am wondering what I'll find (or won't find) in the box sitting in the loft of one that I bought as part of a deal that Airfix were offering with the 1/24th Typhoon.and and Looks like you've made a silk purse out of a right sow's ear there. Well done for persevering with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocky05d Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Good work ,one of my fav Aircraft ,got one in the stash . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Superb build and finish!Must be some size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbie(kinda) Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Wow...having read your post, I was expecting a total disaster of a model. SO not so. Excellent and top marks for perseverance. And end result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epeeman Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 Thank you very kindly, gentlemen - It was a nightmare to build (I would not want to do this one again!) but I admit I liked the end result and was pleased how it turned out. Once finished you really do end up with a nice large model. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 That is a very good model Dave, despite the many problems that you had to overcome. Top marks for perseverance and for the finish. P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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