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External differences fw190 a7/8


Lawzer

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Folks, just out of curiosity were there any external differences between an a7 and an a8?

 

mr google reports a different engine and some additional armour but could you do an a8 as an a7?

 

i'm hopeful in sourcing some decals for the otaki a8 but the one scheme i like is an a7.

 

also one thing i noticed was the otaki kit does not have the "cowl" behind the head armour - from what i can see there's some a8's have it and some don't.....would i be right in thinking that?

 

the mrs did say i was becoming a bit ocd about all this model malarkey ;)

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1 hour ago, Lawzer said:

the mrs did say i was becoming a bit ocd about all this model malarkey ;)

One lady's OCD is another lady's 'passionate'.

...just don't tell her I said so... :lol:

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1 hour ago, Lawzer said:

but could you do an a8 as an a7?

 

yes.  The devil being in the detail

http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/fw190jb_1.htm

 

Quote

A-7

  • This was the first aircraft fitted with the MG 131, 13mm heavy machine guns in the cowling replacing the rifle caliper MG 17. This resulted in the typical bulges now seen on succeeding models. The fuselage carrier, however, did not move forward so the A-7s are easily distinguishable in a photo if they are carrying a drop tank.
  • There was a special version, the A-7/R2 that carried the 30mm Mk 108 cannon in the outer wing positions. Many of these aircraft served with JG 11, Sturmgruppe Kornatski which became IV. (Sturm) JG 3 in June 1944, and JG 300. Many were also fitted with the special exterior armor, but there was no model differentiator for these. The larger breech of the Mk 108 cannon resulted in a rectangular bulge on top of the wing near the flap line.
  • The F-7 and G-7 versions were never done as will be explained below.

 

 
 

A-8

This was the last main version of the BMW variants and more of these were produced than all the other versions combined. The major changes were several-fold:

  • The ETC carrier was moved forward 8 inches to again help with weight distribution.
  • The weight distribution problem was aggravated by the installation of the MW 50 tank in the fuselage behind the pilot. MW50 was to generate extra power below the rated altitude of the aircraft.
  • This resulted in a squarish, with round corners, panel in the fuselage bottom where the tank was installed and removed. This is not on any earlier variant of Fw. Another panel was installed on the right fuselage side and the filler for the MW 50 tank was installed. Again, these are not on any earlier variant. So when you’re converting backwards from an A-8 kit, to an A-7, A-6, or A-5 these have to be removed.
  • Again, there were Sturmbock versions with the 30mm cannon and armor
  • Also, there were variants that looked like F-8 and G-8s but were not. These "F" versions did not have wing carriers for bombs. The "G" version was not fitted with special internal tanks and navigation equipment.
  • There was also a variant for nightfighting fitted with "staghorn" aerials.
  • To simplify production, the bulge for the Mk 108 cannon breech was placed on all aircraft, including the F-8. It did not affect performance and made for a more "universal" wing as far as production went.

 

only the truly obsessed could spot an A-7 from an A-8 without  looking it up.....

 

and you mean No.2 on this sheet... ;)

http://www.ultracast.ca/products/Limited Stock/AeroMaster/48-Scale/48-376/default.htm

 

 

 

FWIW, the Otaki A-8 box art is a really famous scheme, as it was a captured 190 which was photographed in color from several angles

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=fw190+5/jg4+681497

 

FW190_A8_R2-JG4-(W11+-)-WrkN681497-USAAF

 


I was about to cast aspertions on Errormasters  reasearch, but  look at  Eric Mombeek's "Defenders of the Reich" Jg1 44-45,   shows A-7's with the striped cowl.

they have outer wing guns like this JG1 A-7 BTW

Focke-Wulf-Fw-190A7-JG1-White-9-Alfred-G

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Fw-190A/JG1-Stab.html

1 hour ago, Lawzer said:

the mrs did say i was becoming a bit ocd about all this model malarkey

s

Have you shown her the replies your questions get?

Better not, or she'll ban you for hanging out with the likes you get on here.... :whistle: 

 

 

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My quick search shows the early A-8’s had the same engine. Besides unless you're opening the cowl I doubt you’d see anything through the cooling fan and tight cowl. Im not sure about the canopy cowl piece you mention. But these were interchangeble canopies. Who’s to say the original didnt get shot up and replaced. Thats my two cents for what its worth. Dont forget a photo is just a one second snapshot. Things changed in the heat of war, whos to say that prior to or after the photo the canopy hadn't been swapped out. 

 

Dennis

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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The front windscreen was virtually the same for all 190s (except for armored version) but the rear sliding part came in two versions. The earlier and most common was essentially straight sided and had the head rest on the end of a rod that came forward from rear. Later canopies as seen on some A-8s, D-9s, etc were bulged and the head rest was a tapered column projecting from the rear. Is this the ‘cowl’ piece you mention? At different times in its life span the same 190 could have had either fitted. (I’m sending this from my phone so trying to link photos is virtually impossible for me, hence the awkward description )

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Troy covered the differences very well in his post.

 

The way that I remember, is that the A-7 was basically an A-6 with the bigger nose guns. The A-8 was a more thoroughgoing re-design that added the MW 50 tank, and revised several other systems. 

 

A timeless (and personal favorite) reference for keeping the A-5 through A-9 variants straight, is the classic 5-sheet set of drawings by Arthur Bentley, first published in “Scale Models” magazine WAAAAAY back in 1977. The 190 is my favorite aircraft, and I’m never far from a set of those drawings.

 

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  • 1 year later...

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