Eduard 1/48 FW190F-8 Overtrees
By Jacob Russell
The Plane
The Focke-Wulf FW190F-8 was a versatile fighter-bomber aircraft that saw extensive service with the Luftwaffe during the final battles of World War II. Powered by the BMW 801D-2 radial engine which turned the VDM 9-12176A 3 bladed propeller, the F-8 had armor plates added to the fuselage and engine cowling for extra protection in the ground attack role. It was heavily armed with 2 cowling-mounted MG131 machine guns and a pair of MG151/20 cannons mounted at the wing roots. The F-8 could carry an impressive array of ordinance on the ETC501 center line rack (300l drop tank, SC50 or SR250 bombs) and the 4 wing-mounted ETC50 racks (SC50 bombs). It could also be equipped with MG151/20, MK 103 or MK 108 guns in the mid-span gun bays. The F-8 also sported some of Germany's most colorful, ad-hoc camouflage as the Luftwaffe retreated further into Germany during 1944-1945.
The Kit
This is the Overtrees boxing of the retooled Focke-Wulf FW190F-8. This means that you just get the plastic parts, no photo etch, decals or instructions. You can download these from Eduard's website. The F-8 kit is very comprehensive and consists of 289 parts of injection molded plastic, molded in gray and clear on 9 sprues.
The fuselage and the wings have recessed rivets and panel lines and this surface detail is well done. The rivets in particular are spectacular and they will look great under carefully applied paint and thoughtful weathering.
Conclusion
Eduard's revised FW190F-8 is an outstanding kit. It's accurate and well detailed right out of the box. With Overtrees kits you can choose which of Eduard's aftermarket upgrades to use-the ZOOM set, Brassin wheels or landing gear, 3D SPACE instrument panel, etc. I recommend this kit and I would like to thank Eduard for the review sample.
References
The Focke-Wulf FW190, Radial Engine Versions (including FW190A, B, C, F, G & S) , by Richard A. Franks, Valiant Wings Publishing, 2014