Eduard 1/48 FW-190A-9

The Focke Wulf 190A-9 was the last version of the radial engined Fw 190. It was supposed to be powered by the BMW 801F of 2400 hp, it ended up using the BMW 801S of 2000 hp due to delays in the manufacturing of the former engine.

The features which could note the difference between the Fw 190A-9 and A-8 were:

• A 14 bladed cooling fan.

• A broad chord propeller.

• The late type blown canopy, present also in some Fw 190F-8s and Fw 190D-9 and the Ta 152.

• An enlarged cowling plus oil tank, making the aircraft 30 mm longer.

   

  THE KIT

Coming in a top opening box, the kit has 168 parts molded in tan (my A-5 edition, also Profipack, comes with both grey and tan sprues) and 11 parts molded in clear plastic, containing both blown style and regular canopy, alongside the R2 reinforced windows. Also as a clear part you have the engine cowling (there the tan version also), so you can see the engine if you want to.

As noted in other reviewes, it comes with a complete engine, finely molded parts with no flash, finely done recessed panel lines and rivets.

There is a coloured photoetched fret containing the cockpit instrument panels and side consoles (you will need to sand the plastic detail to glue the etched parts), seatbelts and other, smaller parts which go in the propeller.

There are 5 options of decals, all of them being late war Luftwaffe. You will have to paint the Reich Defense Bands (RDF Bands).

1. Focke Wulf Fw 190A-9 White 2 and Bars, W.Nr 206000, III/KG(J) 27, Wels am Wagram, Austria, May 1945. Painted in RLM 76/81/82. Ailerons and flaps in RLM 76, middle part of the wings in aluminium. The RDF Band is painted in green and white. Propeller in RLM 70.

2. Focke Wulf Fw 190A-9 Red or Blue 22 and Bars (comes as a decal), W.Nr 490044, II/JG 301, Bad Langensalza, Germany, May 1945. Painted in RLM 76/81/82. The RLM 81 covers the entire attack border of the plane, alongside the landing gear covers. Ailerons in RLM 76, middle of the wings in aluminium. The RDF Band is painted in yellow and red. Propeller in RLM 70.

3. Focke Wulf Fw 190A-9 Black Chevron and Bars, W.Nr 205998, Stab III/SG 10, Salzburg, Austria, May 1945. Painted in RLM 04/76/81/82, the RLM 04 covers the rudder and is a band in the engine cowling. Ailerons and flaps in RLM 76, middle of the wing in aluminium. Propeller in RLM 70.

4. Focke Wulf Fw 190A-9 White 7 and Wavy Bar, W.Nr 750114, 13/JG 54, Germany, late 1944/early 1945. Painted in RLM 74/75/76. The RDF Band is painted in blue. Undersides entirely in RLM 76. Propeller in RLM 70.

5. Focke Wulf Fw 190A-9 Yellow 8 and Bars, II/JG 301, Germany, May 1945. Painted in RLM 76/81/82, cowling, engine cover in RLM 83. The RLM 81 goes the first half of the wings, not covering the left landing gear cover (the one removed when operating in muddy airfields), ailerons painted in RLM 76, flaps and the half of the wing after RLM 81 in steel, nose ring in aluminium. The RDF Band is painted in yellow and red, the white bar comes as a decal. Propeller in RLM 70.

Aircrafts 2) two 5) have spiraled, RLM 70 spinners.

As every Fw 190A from Eduard, it has an excellent design, but it´s rather complicated. Only recommended to intermediate and advanced modellers.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/11/stuff_eng_fw190_01.htm

Francisco Santoro

August 2015