Which is better, old Eduard or Dragon Fw-190A-8

[Otakar]

Which is the better kit, Dragon/DML or Eduard (old)(weekend) Fw-190A-8. If I go on a US website I get Dragon/DML, if I go on a Czech website I get Eduard. Now I would like to hear it from the UK crowd. I am looking at general fit and dimensional fidelity. They can both be gotten for about $17 here. I would like some justifiable opinions.

[VMA131Marine]

Both kits are notoriously difficult to build, the Eduard kit does have a full engine, but this adds to the fit issues unless you open up all the cowling panels. The fit of the cowling on the Dragon/DML also leaves a lot to be desired and the kit itself just feels dated compared to the other options.

 

There is of course the Tamiya A-8, which is the easiest to build of any 1/48 Fw 190 and should be obtainable fairly cheaply, or go for the new tool Eduard kit, which is what I would do if I didn't already have a stash of the earlier kits.

 

https://www.eduard.com/eduard/fw-190a-8-1-48-1-10.html?cur=2&listtype=search&searchparam=fw 190

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I haven't built the Dragon kit, but have experienced the Eduard kit. Whilst it is accurate and has lovely surface detail and great detail generally, it is imperative to assume that absolutely nothing will just fit and dry fit/adjust/confirm every single part.

 

Furthermore, if you don't want everything opened up in the way real aircraft tend not to be, then the kit parts and the build sequence benefit from going off-piste and using modelling skills. The cannon bay covers in the wing roots for example simply cannot be closed without motification and this is best done before building the rest of the model or you can kiss goodbye to all that surface detail.

 

Likewise, whilst very detailed, nothing in the wheelwells fits properly without fettling and if you get that mainspar just fractionally off the fuselage wont fit on the wing.

 

If treated with extreme suspicion every single step of the way a skilled modeller blessed with a good amount of foresight generally will be rewarded with a very nice Fw190 for their effort - but it's a pig of a kit to build in truth and the new Eduard kit is a much easier way to get the same result!

[Asmodai]

The simplest option is to pass them both by. The Dragon kits are the old Trimaster 190s, sans metal parts and most of the etch. The plastic wasn’t all that impressive or detailed, and ill fitting. Eduard’s early 190 kits were nicely detailed, but overly complicated and very poor fitting. You want to wrestle for a kit for less than $20 as the main reason to buy it? Be my guest; I’d rather go without and save the money for a Tamiya or new Eduard 190. 

[Sturmovik]

I read on Modelling Madness that Hasegawa had taken Dragon's 190 and modified it a bit to make the kit more builder friendly.

I also read on Modelling Madness the sole three build reviews of Eduard's old tooled 190s, each of them stating fit issues.

 

Maybe get the Hasegawa kit, since it looks similar to the Dragon kit.

[elger]

In my opinion the issues surrounding the old Eduard 190As are exaggerated - in my experience they build just fine. The only thing you have to make sure is that the wing spar is installed correctly. Otherwise the kit's complexity is only proportional to the level of detail (open gun bays etc).

 

 

 

 

[Troy Smith]

11 hours ago, Otakar said:

Which is the better kit, Dragon/DML or Eduard (old)(weekend) Fw-190A-8. If I go on a US website I get Dragon/DML, if I go on a Czech website I get Eduard. Now I would like to hear it from the UK crowd. I am looking at general fit and dimensional fidelity. They can both be gotten for about $17 here. I would like some justifiable opinions.

 

There is a very detailed build of the Eduard kit here,  it's the A-5, but the comments about fit problems, and ways to overcome them are the same

accuracy is generally very good, the leading edge of the fin is too thick. 

 

The Dragon/DML/Trimaster  (and at one point Revell of Germany) 

 

Assembly tricks  https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/luft/cleaver190a8.htm

Quote

 While it is true that the DML kit is more difficult to build, modelers who can touch the tip of their nose with their forefinger on consecutive attempts do in fact possess the necessary hand-eye coordination to build the kit.  There are, however, some “tricks of the trade” a modeler should be aware of when taking on one of these kits.  Using these tricks, the kit becomes much easier to build, and results in a good-looking and accurate model of this famous warbird.

 

      The primary “trick” is to get the fuselage to fit to the wing without having to use a ton of putty on the upper wing-fuselage joint.  The secret is to push the fuselage out and widen it so that it fits the wing exactly.  I use pieces of sprue, which I position immediately fore and aft of the cockpit assembly.  Once the cockpit has been glued in position, I push them in, then test-fit the fuselage and wings until I have a perfect fit on the upper wing surface.  I then glue the sprue braces in position.  If you do this, you can build this kit with only a need to use Mr. Surfacer on the centerline seam for the upper and lower rear fuselage.

 

      The next trick is to assemble the multi-part engine cowling so it maintains its shape and has a strong attachment to the forward fuselage.  Break out the .010 Evergreen sheet here, and cut some narrow strips. Glue them to the main upper and lower cowling pieces, so that there is an increased area to glue the side parts to.  Then cut two strips about 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide, and glue them inside the forward fuselage, to make tabs.  The cowling can then be fitted to these tabs, which will provide increased “grab area” for the glue, resulting in a good firm joint.

 

      Past these, the third “trick” is to get the landing gear properly aligned, and this one is much harder to do than the first two.  Trust me, the number of DML Fw-190 models - all beautifully constructed, magnificently painted and wondrously marked - that have failed to make the first cut of a judging sweep at a model contest for the crime of having misaligned landing gear is likely approaching more than 1,000 by now, just in North America! The mistake can range from landing gear that hangs straight down, to gear where one wheel is further forward  of the leading edge than the other.

      Here’s the secret: the correct position for Fw-190 landing gear is to be at such an angle forward that when you look straight down at the model from above, the rearmost point of the main wheel hub is just visible in front of the wing leading edge.  Yes, it’s tricky to get this, and it’s too bad there isn’t another visual clue to use in doing this, but after building some 20-plus of these, that is the only reference point I have found that works every time. It is also important to be certain that both gear legs are angled the same; again looking down at the model from above, the wheels should be about 5/16 inch outboard of the inboard cannon barrels.

      If you use these three secrets, the DML Fw-190 will lose its difficulty rating.  Other than these items, the rest of the kit is easy to assemble.

 

Budget wildcard

the Otaki/Arri kit,  still available new for under $10 in Japan

https://www.plazajapan.com/4968279304143?setCurrencyId=6

 

very good match the the AL Bentley plans,  weak cockpit and wheels, 

https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/luft/jamison190.htm

over picky review I thought,  as it has fine engraved panel lines, and was tooled in the mid 70's!   

 

'Free'  AM for it can be found in the early version boxings of the new Eduard kit, which have all the small parts in every boxing.

 

Note,  unless your time is worthless,  and you are buying kits new,  and especially if you still have relatives in the Czech Republic, (the prices are a lot cheaper there)   I'd suggest getting the new tool Eduard overtrees,  and avoid all the messing about with fiddly kit design.  

 

If you are buying pre owned (and I do mostly) I'd spend time on Hyperscale plane trading and the ARC sale pages, the Hasegawa A-8 is rated very highly, the Tamiya needs some bits,  not the tamiya can be got from PlazaJapan for about $18 new as well.

 

HTH

[Otakar]

Edit. sorry all, wrong language. translation in following post. My-Bad. LOL Too many websites to keep track of and too many languages.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Otakar

[Otakar]

Well, I guess I will wait until the new Eduard A8 is available and than get the overtrees. Since I want to put Czech markings on it I need nothing but the plastic. and the canopy mask. I'm not spenting (wasting) the cash for Tamiya or Hasegawa. I just wanted something I could just throw together quick over a weekend. no-muss-no-fuss.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Otakar

[Troy Smith]

6 minutes ago, Otakar said:

Well, I guess I will wait until the new Eduard A8 is available and than get the overtrees. Since I want to put Czech markings on it I need nothing but the plastic. and the canopy mask. I'm not spenting (wasting) the cash for Tamiya or Hasegawa. I just wanted something I could just throw together quick over a weekend. no-muss-no-fuss.

as @Corsairfoxfouruncle  has helpfully pointed out,  Spruebrothers in the USA carry overtrees

http://store.spruebrothers.com/searchresults.asp?Search=overtrees&Submit=

 

$20 and shipping,  the A8/R2 is listed,  but IIRC one other version has all the bits to do a standard A-8.   

 

The A-5 apparently

https://modelingmadness.com/review/axis/cleaver/g/190/tc190a6.htm

Quote

Eduard’s Fw-190A-5 was released this Spring, and quickly demonstrated that the company’s new series of “short nose” 190s were the best kits of the Wurger in 1/48 scale.

Many have noted that the kit has numerous parts that are not needed for the Fw-190A-5. This includes a different propeller, different gun cover, different elevators and horizontal stabilizer, different rudder, different main gear legs and different main gear covers, as well as a substitute part for the area of the main gear wells to cater to the lack of inboard gear covers, the outboard MG 151 cannon breech covers, and the centerline pylon and drop tanks that were not used by the Fw-19A-5. Using these parts, it is not difficult to co “mix and match” to create any Fw-190A from the A-5 through the A-8. All it takes is an extensive stash of aftermarket decals. 

I'd check the Eduard site to be sure what bits you need for your project to be sure.

[Otakar]

I just found the overtrees. I put them on order from Hobbyshop.cz