Fw 190A, F and G In Action

Aircraft Number 170

By Brian Filley
Squadron Signal Publications, 1999
ISBN 0-89747-404-X
58 Pages

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

This book has been on the "PLEASE REPRINT!" list of many modelers, since the original Fw190 In Action book (number 11, I think?) had been out of print for many years. I am sure that this title will be compared by many to the original title, and, aside from a different cover and different profiles, the content is fairly similar.

The photos are all pretty generic and for the most part have been seen before in many publications. A fairly complete coverage of the radial-engined Fw190s is presented, though, starting with the early prototypes and following the progression of development in typical In Action style. Detailed drawings are interspersed throughout the book, showing the small changes that differentiated the variants, while full page scale drawings are shown for the major subvariants. These drawings, like all In Action drawings, are done to a "fit-the-page" scale, with no scale bar provided, so they aren't useful for much other than a basic general arrangement.

The color section has some very nicely done profiles by Don Greer and do a great job of showing the myriad of schemes worn by the Fw190 throughout its life. The rear cover also features an additional painting as well as one of the few color pictures of operational Fw190s, this one being the Fw190A-8/R-8 of JG 4 with Defense of the Reich bands around the rear fuselage.

Overall, this is a great introductory title to the Fw190, and for someone who doesn't have anything on this plane this would make an excellent start. The lack of new photos and non-scale drawings limit its usefulness to those who have other reference titles on the Fw190, however. If you own the original Fw190 In Action, definitely take a look at this title, as you'll probably want to add it to your collection as an update to the older book.