Late Model FW 190D-9, a Tale of the Tail.

[Retired Bob]

As the Second World War was coming to an end in Europe, Canadian troops found a damaged FW 190D-9 abandoned at Hustedt airfield, not an unusual occurrence but this aircraft had a difference, it was fitted with the tail unit from a Ta 152.  By the wars end a few more of these aircraft were found, the question is, were they short of some normal D-9 tail units on the assembly line and fitted some from the Ta 152 or was the design of the Ta 152 tail going to become the standard tail unit for all FW 190 production?

The Eduard kit with its contents still bagged up.

A pair of Quickboost hollowed end exhausts are added as a cheap way to improve the look.

The kit includes the standard tailed fuselage(with 2 marking options) plus a new pair of fuselage halves with the Ta 152 tail fitted.(with 3 marking options)

I will build this kit as featured on the kit box top, brown 4 of 7./JG 26.

[Stew Dapple]

Ha, good call Bob, I got a set of the 1/32 QB exhausts delivered today  Hope you get a good build out of your kit 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Retired Bob]

40 minutes ago, Stew Dapple said:

Ha, good call Bob, I got a set of the 1/32 QB exhausts delivered today  Hope you get a good build out of your kit 

Thanks Stew, the D-9 kit was a crossover kit, better than the original short nosed kits with the option of everything openable and therefore difficult to build and their new ones that are super detailed and if you want to open the covers there are resin upgrades to do that.  looking forward to this STGB. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Welcome along with a fine choice. 

[Retired Bob]

25 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Welcome along with a fine choice. 

Thanks Dennis.  Totally not related to this STGB, my ZM Phantom F4G was delivered today, just WOW, we have mentioned before about a F-4G Wild Weasel and an F-4-E six-shooter with SP codes, well I'm half way there, not sure whether to wait for the slatted E kit or get another G as all the parts except the weapons are on the sprues.  Glad I didn't get the Meng kit.  Wrap round Europe-1 schemes with sharkmouths.  As tasty as my pizza. 

[Retired Bob]

It's taken me longer than I expected to get my build going but here we go.  I found I had a couple of Quinta 3D decal cockpit sets for this kit that I forgotten about, along with the kit p/e and the option to paint the raised detail kit plastic parts left me to take the Enzo option and make them all.  The new Eduard kits contain all the ancillary parts in each box to make any version from A-2 to A-9 so with several spare cockpit tubs there was no problem in making all 3 options.  On the left is the raised kit plastic parts, In the centre the Quinta 3D decal and on the right the kit supplied p/e option.  The seat belts fitted are all the Eduard 'steel' type from a German Fighter seat belt pack.  The grey of the Quinta set is too light and needs a wash of RLM66 over them, all of them still need throttles adding I suppose I could always build a couple more D-9's seeing as I have the cockpits done.

The fuselage interior has been painted and I've added the missing deflector to prevent ingestion of exhaust gases going into the supercharger intake.

Any questions or comments are always welcome.

[VolkerR.]

So you have decided for unpainted interior parts. Will you be doing the wheel wells also "unpainted"?

I have asked myself the same question for my A-9 and decided to do them in RLM 02 following Eduard´s instructions.

But I am not sure.

 

[Retired Bob]

7 hours ago, VolkerR. said:

So you have decided for unpainted interior parts. Will you be doing the wheel wells also "unpainted"?

In one of my books the engine and gun panels of a D-9 are all open and they show the interior surfaces are unpainted, the only photos of late FW aircraft wheel bays that I have is of the Ta 152 and they are un-painted, so yes, I will be painting my wheel bays as bare metal.

[Ray_W]

On 1/27/2023 at 9:37 AM, Retired Bob said:

I suppose I could always build a couple more D-9's seeing as I have the cockpits done.

 

Hi Bob,

 

Great illustration of the benefits of the 3 systems for cockpit console detailing. Only need an applied decal option and we would have the lot. The Quinta looks great. I am planning to use the PE, but I really find it a bit harsh so will tone it down and probably repaint a few areas.

 

I like the subtle wear effects you achieved. What did you use?

 

Ray

[Retired Bob]

4 hours ago, Ray_W said:

Great illustration of the benefits of the 3 systems for cockpit console detailing. Only need an applied decal option and we would have the lot. The Quinta looks great. I am planning to use the PE, but I really find it a bit harsh so will tone it down and probably repaint a few areas.

I agree that the raised 3D effect of the Quinta decals looks good, it's just a shame they decided to use an ocean grey colour for the panel cover, I have just ordered the Eduard 'Space' cockpit set for the FW D-11/13 kit, see what that looks like.  As for the decal option, I have tried it before and it's too flat and lifeless, the p/e is 'over the top', seems to have more stripes than a zebra.  To be honest once I've re-painted the Quinta one with the correct colour that should look good or the raised detail painted plastic will make it into the cockpit.

 

4 hours ago, Ray_W said:

I like the subtle wear effects you achieved. What did you use?

 After spraying the cockpit with RLM66, I dry brushed it with dark gull grey and after I had brushed some aluminium paint on the insides of the engine bay I used the almost dry brush to put some wear on the floor and the seats.  The difficult part is getting the seat belts to drape 'naturally'.  The 'steel' type are easier than the kit p/e. 

[mick]

look forward to your build

[jackroadkill]

Hi Bob, you've made a great start.  I'm building the same kit (although I'm going to be making the second aircraft on the box lid, with the original tail).  It's just possible you've saved me from an RLM02-based booboo, as I was going to paint the wheel wells etc in that colour.  Having read your comments above about bare aluminium, I'll use my new aluminium lacquers instead, in addition to using them on the undersides of the wings and gun panel.  Thanks very much for inadvertently rescuing me!

 

Cheers,

 

JRK

[Stew Dapple]

Looking good Bob  

 

Like JRK above I saw the bit about the unpainted metal parts; unlike JRK I didn't see it until after I had assembled the engine bay (and painted it RLM02).

 

I don't know if you've tried them but the colour of the RLM66 on the Red Fox Studio 3D printed consoles and IP set I used was very close to Colourcoats RLM66, if you looked closely you could detect a faintly more blueish tinge to it but not so much that you wouldn't necessarily expect in a slight difference in manufacturers' components or the fall of light on different planes in the cockpit itself. Might be worth a punt for a future build if you're interested  

 

Cheers, 

 

Stew

[Retired Bob]

3 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

I don't know if you've tried them but the colour of the RLM66 on the Red Fox Studio 3D printed consoles and IP set I used was very close to Colourcoats RLM66, if you looked closely you could detect a faintly more blueish tinge to it but not so much that you wouldn't necessarily expect in a slight difference in manufacturers' components or the fall of light on different planes in the cockpit itself. Might be worth a punt for a future build if you're interested  

I have a large selection of Colourcoats paints, Stew.  I'll try the RLM66 to improve the Quinta decals, the difference in shades is not apparent in the photo, it's the usual problem I find with the Quinta 3D decals.

[Retired Bob]

6 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

Hi Bob, you've made a great start.  I'm building the same kit (although I'm going to be making the second aircraft on the box lid, with the original tail).  It's just possible you've saved me from an RLM02-based booboo, as I was going to paint the wheel wells etc in that colour.  Having read your comments above about bare aluminium, I'll use my new aluminium lacquers instead, in addition to using them on the undersides of the wings and gun panel.  Thanks very much for inadvertently rescuing me!

Hi JRK, it's a the usual minefield of building models of late war Luftwaffe aircraft, were components painted and what colour if they were.  As I mentioned to Volker, photos of FW 190D-9's show the interior of the engine and gun panels in bare metal and since areas of the underwings of late production aircraft were left in bare metal it would be strange to bother painting the interior of the undercarriage bays.  It's the same with Ta 152's, either parts were left in bare metal or if they did have some paint on, it was so thin that it was translucent.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Bob

[jackroadkill]

49 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

Hi JRK, it's a the usual minefield of building models of late war Luftwaffe aircraft, were components painted and what colour if they were.  As I mentioned to Volker, photos of FW 190D-9's show the interior of the engine and gun panels in bare metal and since areas of the underwings of late production aircraft were left in bare metal it would be strange to bother painting the interior of the undercarriage bays.  It's the same with Ta 152's, either parts were left in bare metal or if they did have some paint on, it was so thin that it was translucent.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Bob

 

Thanks Bob, that was pretty much my reasoning.  Things were so confused by that point in the war that I suspect just getting an airframe off the production line was a major achievement, paint or not.

 

[81-er]

Nice progress, Bob, and thanks for the comparison of the cockpit buildups. Colour differences aside, I think the Quinta set looks the best followed by the kit plastic, with the PE a dismal last place. I think I'll be going the painted kit panel route with mine now based on that 

 

James

[Retired Bob]

An update on this build, I had some p/e upgrades for these older Eduard kits, I've banged on about how the new version of FW kits are easier to build but they are also much better detailed and Eduard made various p/e detail sets to improve the detail that is not in these old kits.  I used some of these p/e parts and the Master gun barrels to improve the main spar/wheel wells, I've put some aluminium paint and a dark wash on it, but it's still a work in progress.  The rear part of the engine section is painted up ready to be put in the fuselage though I doubt much will be seen with the gun cover closed.  The cockpit with the Quinta 3D decals have had their colour adjusted with some RLM66, I just need to add a few details then I can get the fuselage joined up.

Sorry it's not the sharpest picture, I'll take some more when I'm happy with the cockpit.  Thanks for looking, any questions or comments are welcome.

[Stew Dapple]

Cockpit's looking good there Bob, and the engine bay looks convincingly complicated - I believe Hasegawa provided a half-relief moulding of the tank on the top there, I wish I'd known I could paint it yellow, it would have made a nice change as everything else was called out as black, grey, silver or steel  I like the effect on the undercarriage bay bulkhead too, how did you achieve that? (I may need to steal the technique... )

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Ray_W]

7 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

I used some of these p/e parts and the Master gun barrels to improve the main spar/wheel wells,

 

Coming together nicely Bob.

 

I really like how Master has sleeved the rear part of the MG 151/20 cannon so you can slip the smaller diameter protruding end of the barrel in at the end of the build. Eduard's one piece cannon are nice but asking to be broken off being clamped between the wing halves early in the build. Here's my A-3. Bent and straightened once already. 

 

 

I have promptly ordered Master barrels for my other FW-190 builds and a set for these when they invariably get broken off.

 

Ray

 

[Retired Bob]

5 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

Cockpit's looking good there Bob, and the engine bay looks convincingly complicated - I believe Hasegawa provided a half-relief moulding of the tank on the top there, I wish I'd known I could paint it yellow, it would have made a nice change as everything else was called out as black, grey, silver or steel  I like the effect on the undercarriage bay bulkhead too, how did you achieve that? (I may need to steal the technique... )

Hi Stew, I just followed the colour call outs in the Eduard instructions that said the tank (coolant?) was yellow with black straps.  As for the spar in u/c bay, I had in the AM stash some p/e sheets of detailing parts for the original FW kits and there were sections of rivet heads and strengthening panels to attach to the main spar, the newer kits have all this detail moulded on.  So with my p/e shears, ca glue and a toothpick I set about improving the u/c bay, even though it was unpainted metal sections I still applied a wash of aluminium paint and a dark wash, needs a bit more work before I'm happy with it.  Then like the engine section it will be sealed into the airframe probably not to be seen again. 🙄

[Retired Bob]

5 hours ago, Ray_W said:

I really like how Master has sleeved the rear part of the MG 151/20 cannon so you can slip the smaller diameter protruding end of the barrel in at the end of the build. Eduard's one piece cannon are nice but asking to be broken off being clamped between the wing halves early in the build. Here's my A-3. Bent and straightened once already

I have quite a lot of Master barrel sets for my FW builds but occasionally I still use the kit part of the MG 151/20mm cannon in the u/c bay, I cut off the protruding gun barrel, drill out the end of the u/c sleeved part and then, at the end of construction I can insert a piece of the correct diameter/length brass tube.  I have a selection of Albion Alloy brass tubes for when I don't have any/ enough Master barrels. 

[VolkerR.]

23 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

I have quite a lot of Master barrel sets for my FW builds but occasionally I still use the kit part of the MG 151/20mm cannon in the u/c bay, I cut off the protruding gun barrel, drill out the end of the u/c sleeved part and then, at the end of construction I can insert a piece of the correct diameter/length brass tube.  I have a selection of Albion Alloy brass tubes for when I don't have any/ enough Master barrels. 

I usually cut the kit cannon so that the cut is hidden in the wing leading edge. I leave the cannon to the very end and insert one part from the u/c bay, the other from the front. You won`t see anything of that if the cut is in the right position.

[81-er]

That's a top tip, Volker, thank you 

 

James

[Retired Bob]

I have sprayed some green toned RLM 76 on the fuselage, because the exhaust stacks have to be put into the fuselage before the engine section can be installed and then the fuselage can joined together.  There is a difference in the colour  schemes between the Eduard plans and the EagleCal decals.  EagleCal decals were made by Jerry Crandall's company that also published the FW 190D-9 books that I'm using for reference information and their interpretation of the photos and JG 26 records seem more plausible to me, so that's what I'm going with.

My fuselage in the photo looks more grey than green but the paint I've used is Lifecolor RAF sky, I did think about mixing my own shade but I have several bottles of this paint and  the clock is ticking.  I'm getting some other bits and pieces like the engine front and propeller painted, wheels and undercarriage legs are next on my list.