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Airfix 1/24th Fw-190


Bonkin

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That slightly undersells the kommandogerat. It also collected various inputs via sensors and used these to control the supercharger, prop pitch, mixture and I think something else...  So it's a bit like engine management plus traction control (if you think of the prop as the tractions device like a car's wheels). It was essentially an electro-hydraulic computer.

 

It was, allegedly, fiendishly complex and took Bramo and then BMW a long time to perfect...

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19 hours ago, Mattlow said:

That slightly undersells the kommandogerat. It also collected various inputs via sensors and used these to control the supercharger, prop pitch, mixture and I think something else...  So it's a bit like engine management plus traction control (if you think of the prop as the tractions device like a car's wheels). It was essentially an electro-hydraulic computer.

 

It was, allegedly, fiendishly complex and took Bramo and then BMW a long time to perfect...

This was 80 years ago and it did, electromechanically what the massive computing power in my Porsche Boxster + PDK gearbox + Active Suspension + Traction/stability does today. 

The Boxster requires I only think about steering and the speed I wish to achieve, everything else is taken care of. 

 

The level of technical achievement reached by German scientists and engineers between 1935 and 1945 still resonates today in a range of modern technologies, most related to war: they were not far away from a nuclear bomb, either. Misplaced, achieved at the cost of enormous human suffering, but the ideas of brilliant minds were taken forward. I have very mixed feeling when I look at the aircraft they developed and see the slave labour and death camps needed to make it happen.  

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1 hour ago, 224 Peter said:

I have very mixed feeling when I look at the aircraft they developed and see the slave labour and death camps needed to make it happen. 

Yep, and as long as you do have mixed feelings, that's good. I too have mixed feeling about the machinery of war, period... But there's something about bits of it that appeal to my technical mind and to my enjoyment of making models of military machinery.. I've tried a couple of times to move to civilian aircraft... but it just doesn't 'do it' for me... So I just have to make sure, like you, that I maintain those mixed feelings...

 

Back to you Bonkin... :)

 

Matt

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16 minutes ago, Mattlow said:

Yep, and as long as you do have mixed feelings, that's good. I too have mixed feeling about the machinery of war, period... But there's something about bits of it that appeal to my technical mind and to my enjoyment of making models of military machinery.. I've tried a couple of times to move to civilian aircraft... but it just doesn't 'do it' for me... So I just have to make sure, like you, that I maintain those mixed feelings...

I feel very much the same. My whole career has been on military aircraft (well mostly one in particular) and I have a particular interest in military history. The technical part aside, I'm mostly interested in the personal stories though - and I suppose in a small way, model making is a way of remembering and perhaps learning.

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Nice work on this build. I have been following along as I am building the same kit at the moment, something I have had since I was about 15 and just never got to building it. 

 

I love the work to the cockpit and the Airscale IP looks great. I did connect the long flat panel aft of the cockpit (the one that has the luggage door on it) to the cockpit itself while I was test fitting so I got the position correct but I am finding that the forward bulkhead doesn't line up with the shell ejector chutes on the underside of the wing though the wheel wells seem to be fine 🤔

 

I agree the dihedral is my biggest fear as well, I bent my lower wing into shape with hot water (as well as the underside of the fuselage for that matter for a better joint) but I think I will also need a wing spar to maintain the angle. Your wheel wells look good too. I found it disappointing that Airfix did half a job on them. Still a good opportunity to scratch build 

 

Looking forward to the next update!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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On 09/03/2023 at 08:17, Volksjager said:

Nice work on this build. I have been following along as I am building the same kit at the moment, something I have had since I was about 15 and just never got to building it. 

 

I love the work to the cockpit and the Airscale IP looks great. I did connect the long flat panel aft of the cockpit (the one that has the luggage door on it) to the cockpit itself while I was test fitting so I got the position correct but I am finding that the forward bulkhead doesn't line up with the shell ejector chutes on the underside of the wing though the wheel wells seem to be fine 🤔

 

I agree the dihedral is my biggest fear as well, I bent my lower wing into shape with hot water (as well as the underside of the fuselage for that matter for a better joint) but I think I will also need a wing spar to maintain the angle. Your wheel wells look good too. I found it disappointing that Airfix did half a job on them. Still a good opportunity to scratch build 

 

Looking forward to the next update!

Thanks Volksjager. How are you getting on with your build? If I recall correctly, getting the forward bulkhead to line up with the shell ejector chutes did require some sanding and force. :)

 

On 30/03/2023 at 22:31, bissyboat said:

Very nice details on the office and on the radial engine. This build is certainly something you can sink your teeth into. 👍

Cheers bissyboat.

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Progress has been very slow on this... a number of factors really which I won't go into here. Positive point is that I've not lost my mo-jo for it and will definitely get to finish it before starting the next one.

 

So here are some shots of the little progress. As you can see, the fuel lines have been added to the engine but as yet I still need to do some pipe work at the rear. I've also constructed the cooling slats and control mechanism...

20230416_175708.jpg

 

I've added decals to the switch/fuse boxes and prepared the gun mounts. Also added some grease and stain marks,

20230416_175714.jpg

 

Here is a better view of the the cooling slat control mechanism. With some help with information provided by Mattlow I could figure out how the cooling slats were operated and was able to construct my own interpretation of the control mechanism. Basically a handle mounted to cockpit dash is connected to a unit mounted between the guns and this in turn drives control rods (the two rods at 45 degrees) down to the lower end of the slats. The movement is then converted to a fore-aft movement which then opens/closes the slats. I didn't put all the detail in because it simply won't be seen.

20230416_175737.jpg

 

Top view of the fuse boxes. There is also a data plate on the aft of the engine mount (just visible on the left side).

20230416_175755.jpg

 

Finally I've started work constructing the oil filter. This will be mounted to the starboard side of the engine mount and the pipework run under the engine. I think I may need to make it a bit more orange/brown (or add some more "muck"). Difficult to tell from the different reference pictures exactly what colour it should be.

20230416_180941.jpg

 

As always, thanks for looking.

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Hi again

 

I'd say it could be RLM26 Brown as this I think was the colour used to identify oil systems... I noted the restored 190A-5 has the filter canister in that colour...

 

Nice progress...

 

Matt

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8 hours ago, Bonkin said:

Thanks Volksjager. How are you getting on with your build? If I recall correctly, getting the forward bulkhead to line up with the shell ejector chutes did require some sanding and force. :)

 

Cheers bissyboat.

 Nice update and glad to see you're still underway with this and haven't lost the mojo for it. Your engine looks fantastic with the fuel lines and I do like the extra work with the slat mechanism. 

 

Mine is moving nicely. Finished my engine, mounted the wing's & horizontal stab's etc. As I am not opening the engine cowl or gun cover I have just recently fixed the cowl into place and have the gun cover ready to go on as well. I found the opening was more oval than round. I ended up shimming both lower cowl joints with 1mm plastic card and mounted the front of the cowl to keep it round while glue was drying. An added bonus was then being able to make the added card look like the piano hinge for the cowls. 

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I've just read through this topic .... an old-school Airfix kit and a lot of patience! 

 

The detailing you've added is superb.  It lifts the kit no end from what's in the box! 

 

Keith 😁

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On 16/04/2023 at 19:50, Mattlow said:

Hi again

 

I'd say it could be RLM26 Brown as this I think was the colour used to identify oil systems... I noted the restored 190A-5 has the filter canister in that colour...

 

Nice progress...

 

Matt

I think you're right... so I went out and bought some Vallejo 71.105. :yes:

 

On 17/04/2023 at 03:13, Volksjager said:

 Nice update and glad to see you're still underway with this and haven't lost the mojo for it. Your engine looks fantastic with the fuel lines and I do like the extra work with the slat mechanism. 

 

Mine is moving nicely. Finished my engine, mounted the wing's & horizontal stab's etc. As I am not opening the engine cowl or gun cover I have just recently fixed the cowl into place and have the gun cover ready to go on as well. I found the opening was more oval than round. I ended up shimming both lower cowl joints with 1mm plastic card and mounted the front of the cowl to keep it round while glue was drying. An added bonus was then being able to make the added card look like the piano hinge for the cowls. 

Nice one :like:. I think on some future builds I won't open up the covers either. It is taking a lot of extra time to complete and I know when I display it I'll have all the covers fitted anyway.

 

On 17/04/2023 at 09:20, mick said:

great work on the engine

Thank you Mick :yes:.

 

On 17/04/2023 at 09:56, Keeff said:

I've just read through this topic .... an old-school Airfix kit and a lot of patience! 

 

The detailing you've added is superb.  It lifts the kit no end from what's in the box! 

 

Keith 😁

Cheers Keith :yes:. Still a way to go yet. 

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On 08/03/2023 at 18:49, 224 Peter said:

The level of technical achievement reached by German scientists and engineers between 1935 and 1945 still resonates today in a range of modern technologies, most related to war: they were not far away from a nuclear bomb, either. Misplaced, achieved at the cost of enormous human suffering, but the ideas of brilliant minds were taken forward. I have very mixed feeling when I look at the aircraft they developed and see the slave labour and death camps needed to make it happen.

I agree with most of this and your overall view is similar to mine. I do have to disagree about the nuclear bomb however. The Germans were a long, long way from any realistic atomic bomb. In fact they weren't effectively researching it as they had realised how difficult it would have been. Manhattan took an enormous amount of the economy and scientific expertise of the free world to even get it to the starting blocks. There is no way the Germans would have managed this. I think in our modern retrospective we underestimate the problems that were solved back then. I suspect without the war we would still now be only just getting towards nuclear fission. Look at the slow progress of fusion as a power source.

 

Sorry to divert from the build. I am excited to see how the 190 ends up.

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So having gotten the colour of the oil system wrong I rushed out and bought some RLM26 brown and re-did the oil filter:

20230422_183358.jpg

 

I then added some piping at the rear of the engine - in the hope it may be visible from above once fitted. In truth, I studied a lot of pictures of the BMW engine and came to the conclusion that it would be near impossible (and pointless) with my limited skills to attempt to faithfully replicate all of the piping that goes on back there.
20230422_174513.jpg

 

After multiple dry fit checks and re-checks it was finally time to bite-the-bullet and get the glue out and, given my assembly process, I knew it was going to be a challenge to get the alignment of the engine set correctly. For this reason I elected not to glue the engine until after the front was fitted and clamped together.
20230422_182437.jpg

 

As you can see, the fan blades fit nicely inside the nose ring and do not protrude beyond it. I can only conclude that the key to avoid this getting this right lies in the correct placement of the firewall part 20. 
20230422_182458.jpg

 

I did however come across my first fit issue... in order to get the engine to be correctly aligned it had to be tilted slightly forward - meaning that the engine does not fit snuggly against the frame (see red arrow). This is a gap I'll have to address later on somehow :facepalm:.
20230422_182447.jpg

 

On the plus side, the top cowls seem to fit pretty well.
20230422_182519.jpg

 

I set the engine in place with tape whilst the glue did its thing:
20230422_183511.jpg

 

Again... another view of the fan assembly.
20230422_183529.jpg

 

Now with the clamp and tape off I could check out the cowl fit properly - and somewhat surprisingly (and pleasingly) it seems to fit very well. Bear in mind of course that I've not fitted the guns, oil filter or the exhausts yet so some of this may yet be in error.
20230423_142835.jpg


20230423_142852.jpg


20230423_142941.jpg

 

Happy the engine alignment is ok... :penguin:but getting the front part fitted may now be problematic.
20230423_142952.jpg

 

And finally I couldn't resist checking it out with the propeller fitted:
20230423_162614.jpg

 

As always, thanks for looking.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like you have been very successful in taming the beast 🙂 Your engine looks magnificent! One small point: I think the cannon barrels were lead through sleeves in the u/c bays to prevent heat damage to the tyres, so the diameter of the "barrels" in the u/c bay is somewhat larger than the actual barrel.  But without a direct visual "comparison" between the bay part and the barrel in front of the l/e this will probably not be noticeable.

@georgeusa: As Airfix has only been a brandname since 1981, and Airfix kits were moulded at the Heller factory from 1986 till at least Heller as a company was spun off, there should not be any difference between a Heller and an Airfix boxing of the same kit. Yours probably was moulded from a batch of substandard plastic.  

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Outstanding work so far! Lots of detail added and you're working through the problems this kit is throwing at you with the fit. 👏

 

 

Keith 😁 

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On 04/05/2023 at 20:32, tempestfan said:

Looks like you have been very successful in taming the beast 🙂 Your engine looks magnificent! One small point: I think the cannon barrels were lead through sleeves in the u/c bays to prevent heat damage to the tyres, so the diameter of the "barrels" in the u/c bay is somewhat larger than the actual barrel.  But without a direct visual "comparison" between the bay part and the barrel in front of the l/e this will probably not be noticeable.

@georgeusa: As Airfix has only been a brandname since 1981, and Airfix kits were moulded at the Heller factory from 1986 till at least Heller as a company was spun off, there should not be any difference between a Heller and an Airfix boxing of the same kit. Yours probably was moulded from a batch of substandard plastic.  

Cheers. I'll take a closer look at the barrels. I think I have seen some differences on museum pieces and photographs - so you could well be right.

On 04/05/2023 at 20:35, Keeff said:

Outstanding work so far! Lots of detail added and you're working through the problems this kit is throwing at you with the fit. 👏

 

 

Keith 😁 

Thanks Keith. :yes:

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Despite a couple of bank holiday weekends I've not managed much time at the work bench sadly - so not much to show. For the flaps I made up some wing ribs from plasticard and fitted these in place, being careful to line them up with the rivet detail on the top side of the wing:

20230506_180933.jpg

 

I also sprayed these up and will weather them a bit later.
20230507_182745.jpg

 

Then it was onto the construction and masking up of the canopy. Airfix very helpfully give you two canopy options in the box - one with a blown canopy and one without. I've gone for the latter because I believe they were far more common.
20230506_181048.jpg


20230506_182934.jpg

 

I also fitted the back half of the cockpit (containing the baggage container) and taped up the fuselage whilst the glue set. One of the things I'm slightly dubious about with this kit is the over recessed riveting. Not sure what to do yet to get rid of them, i.e. do a lot of sanding down or a lot of spot filling. In the picture below you may be able to see that I've done some spot filling to the piece that fits over the guns (aft of the engine).
20230506_173501.jpg

 

The canopy frame has little pieces at the front which clip to the inside of the cockpit frame. I really don't know what Airfix were thinking with these... 
20230507_163734.jpg

 

... because as you slide the canopy back the front ends will get squeezed together due to the narrowing of the fuselage :facepalm:. I guess they would serve a purpose of holding everything in place if you wanted the canopy shut - but in my case I want it posed with the cockpit fully open and maybe the seat belts hanging out. In any case, off they came :smile:.
20230507_163749.jpg

 

Test fitting the canopy to the frame revealed the 2nd fit issue I have found with this kit. Although the front fits well, the rear sliding part doesn't, either in width or height.
20230507_162342.jpg

 

I guess if I'm posing the canopy in an open position it shouldn't matter too much - but I'd still like to improve it if I can.
20230507_162358.jpg

 

As always, thanks for looking.

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3 hours ago, Bonkin said:

posing the canopy in an open position it shouldn't matter too much

 

Doesn't look like a lot of difference in height, I don't think it will notice much. The Fw190s look much better with an open canopy, IMO.

 

All looking very good.

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3 hours ago, Bonkin said:

The canopy frame has little pieces at the front which clip to the inside of the cockpit frame. I really don't know what Airfix were thinking with these... 
20230507_163734.jpg

 

... because as you slide the canopy back the front ends will get squeezed together due to the narrowing of the fuselage :facepalm:.

Which I think I am right in saying is exactly what happened on the real thing! that is not an ordinary bit of frame down the centreline of the canopy, it is a hinge that allowed the front sides to flex inwards as the caopy moved backwards. Airfix have simply modelling the original mechanism (https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/focke-wulf-fw-190-a-8-in-detail-revisited/ third picture down)

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21 minutes ago, CheshireGap said:

Which I think I am right in saying is exactly what happened on the real thing! that is not an ordinary bit of frame down the centreline of the canopy, it is a hinge that allowed the front sides to flex inwards as the caopy moved backwards. Airfix have simply modelling the original mechanism (https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/focke-wulf-fw-190-a-8-in-detail-revisited/ third picture down)

That is a great link, cheers :yes:. I never knew this. Too bad I already cut them off :facepalm:.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looking good

 

Wouldn't worry about chopping those parts off. They didn't look like the actual parts... I think one of the references I sent you has better images.  I think as well as being runners in the side rails for canopy opening, they were pivoted so that they could move and take some of the narrowing fuselage adjustment, leaving the hinger canopy to take the rest.

 

Matt

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 22/05/2023 at 14:32, Mattlow said:

Looking good

 

Wouldn't worry about chopping those parts off. They didn't look like the actual parts... I think one of the references I sent you has better images.  I think as well as being runners in the side rails for canopy opening, they were pivoted so that they could move and take some of the narrowing fuselage adjustment, leaving the hinger canopy to take the rest.

 

Matt

Cheers Mattlow. I'm fairly sure I will be posing the model with the canopy open and maybe a belt handing out ... so I will most likely end up PVAing it in place anyway.

 

So I've made a little progress today. Spent a fair few hours in the hope of improving the "finished look" of the model - but unsure of whether it is worth it. Let me explain...

 

I think I have said somewhere before that one of the things that bugs me with this kit is not the fit - its the over done recessed rivets. Here for example is the wing...

20230604_141043.jpg

 

... and fuselage:

20230604_141052.jpg

 

When I've looked at completed models by others, these rivets really stand out. Some may like them but I don't really see evidence of them in pictures of the real thing. Somebody may come along and correct me on this - but I'd already decided to tone them down a bit.

 

I had already experimented on the gun cowling with little success. This is the result after I'd filled the rivet details with Vallejo putty, sanded and sprayed in RLM74. Rivets still visible :facepalm:.

20230604_140826.jpg

 

But, inspired by this I thought I'd try again:

I normally only use IPA prior to final painting... but with some on hand (no Mr Color Thinner) I thought I had nothing to lose. So with the underside of the tail to experiment on:

20230604_142417.jpg

 

It was out with the Mr Surfacer and on with a mask. At first I tried the 500 but this seemed much too thick to apply evenly... so I switched to the 1000. My general approach was to leave some of the detail alone and soften other parts. In the picture, the upper tailplane has the 500 on it.

spacer.png

 

Once dried, I took a small towel moistened with IPA and gave it a good wipe it down. Unfortunately this did nothing to the Mr Surfacer - all it did do was strip the paint off - which is pretty much what I expected it to do anyway.

spacer.png

 

So after a bit of sanding I ended up with this...

spacer.png


...which I then sprayed up with RLM76 to check the result...

spacer.png

 

This was enough to convince me to try the approach over the rest of the model. It's not a perfect finish but the rivets are toned down and my thinking is that with a lot of re-work and patience I should be able to get the finish I want. It will just take time that is all...

 

... so wings and fuselage have their first fills:

spacer.png

 

spacer.png


As with many things like this, having started I'm now committed. My poor neck is not thanking me though :think:!

 

As always, thanks for looking.

 

Edited by Bonkin
Image correction
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