Eduard Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-8/R2 ProfiPACK (82145) - 1:48 Eduard

[Julien]

Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-8/R2 ProfiPACK (82145)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

The Fw 190 was a shock to the Allies when it arrived, and was a trigger for evolution of the Spitfire once it became known. It was designed to be small, consisting of little more than a radial engine and space for the pilot, but its diminutive size belied its offensive power that was concentrated around the centre line of the aircraft with guns installed in the engine cowling and wing-root that fired through the propeller. The A-8 was a late war variant, but was still the most produced of the A series aircraft, and had a more powerful engine with emergency boost that increased speed for a short time at the expense of fuel economy, a new wooden wide-bladed prop as well as a bulged canopy to improve the pilot's vision to the side and rear. An additional fuel tank was also housed in the fuselage to improve endurance, which necessitated movement of other items and the access hatches that serviced them. Additional armour was added to the front of the aircraft, with 10mm plate protecting the engine during head-on attacks, and an elongated centre mounted bomb rack could also carry an additional fuel tank if required. The A-8/R2 replaced the outer wing 20 mm cannon with a 30 mm cannon. 

 

 

The Kit

This kit is a new tool and not to be confused with the older A-8 kit. These new kits from Eduard are top notch in all respects.  Inside are five grey/blue sprues, one clear,  two decal sheets, a sheet of PE, a sheet of masks (not shown); and the instruction/painting guide in glossy colour printing.  Due to the pick-n-mix nature of the sprues there will be a fair quantity of spares left after construction, which are marked on the diagrams with a pale blue overprinting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction starts in the cockpit.  The tub includes the sharply pointed rear deck, to which you add the rear bulkheads, control column, seat,  rudder pedals, and sundry other parts in styrene, detail parts and replacement panels are provided on the PE fret.  In order to close up the fuselage the cockpit assembly is inserted along with a bulkhead that closes up the front of the tub, two exhaust inserts in the cowling, and the engine assembly, which is only an approximation of the front row of cylinders, plus the reduction gear, as not much will be seen once the cowling is in place.

 

The lower wings are full width, and have a spar fitted that runs to the ends of the gear bays, with detail on the face visible through the apertures.  This is augmented by the wheel trays, various ribs and the cannon barrels that protrude through, with the upper wings added after painting of the bay roof detail that is etched into their underside.  The completed wing assembly is then offered up to the fuselage, and the missing sections of the cowling with exhaust stubs, gun barrels and troughs are added to the top and bottom of the nose.  The two-piece ring finishes the front cowling, and the flying surfaces are glued into to place, including separate rudder and ailerons, and fixed elevators.

 

Two types of tyres are provided for the main gear, which have separate hubs, and fit onto the peg on the ends of the strut, with separate oleo-scissors and captive bay door parts.  The retraction gear is installed on the inner side of the leg, and the centre doors fit to the central bar that splits the bays.  The tail wheel slots into the rear, crew step, gun barrels and pitot probes are installed, then the three-bladed paddle prop is completed with spinner and fan behind it, with a peg at the rear fitting into a corresponding hole in the engine front.  Different open and closed canopies are provided, and are outfitted with head armour before being added to the airframe along with the windscreen part.   If you are rigging the aerial wire to the tail, remember that if you pose the canopy open, the wire can appear relaxed, although many photos also show it taut, so check your references.

 

 

 

Markings

This Profipack edition gives you five decal options,  from the box you can build one of the following:

 

• W. Nr. 682989, 5./JG301, Germany, May 1945
• Flown by Fw. Adalbert Koch, 6./JG 300, Löbnitz, Germany, Fall 1944
• Flown by Lt. Karl Spenst, 8./JG 300, Germany, Löbnitz, Germany, leden 1945
• Flown by Hptm. Gerhard Schröder, CO of II.(Sturm)/JG 4, Welzow, Germany, September 1944
• W. Nr. 680747, flown by Oblt. Hans Weik, CO of 10.(Sturm)/ JG 3, Memmingen, Germany, June 1944

 

 

 

 

 

All the decals are printed in house, have good registration, colour density and sharpness, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the edge of the printing.  The stencils are catered for on a separate sheet, with a page of the instructions devoted to their placement, away from the markings options to avoid clutter. As always with Eduard, the Swastikas are provided on one cut-off corner of the sheet, and in two parts on the body of the sheet to comply with local regulations regarding this contentious symbol.

 

Conclusion

The surface detail on the kit is excellent, with lines of finely engraved rivets adding to the visual appeal (yes, we know rivets aren't holes, but this technique works for most of us though!).  Highly Recommended.

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of