Eduard 1/48 Focke-Wulf FW190A-8/R2 Weekend Edition
By Jacob Russell
The Plane
The last production variant of the Focke-Wulf FW190A-8 was built in greater numbers than any other version with over 1300 produced during 1944. The A-8 used the basic armament of the A-7 (two MG 131s in the fuselage and four MG 151s in the wings), and the BMW 801D-2 radial engine with the MW 50 (Methanol-Water) boost system. With the MW 50 system 1700 h.p. was available at takeoff and 1440 h.p. At 18,700 feet. The GM-1 nitrous oxide injection system was also an option.
The FW190A-8/R2 was designed to combat the large formations of Allied bombers ranging far into the heart of Germany. It substituted MK108 cannon in the outer wing gun bays, deleted the upper cowling guns in some cases, and had additional armor plate added to the fuselage sides in the cockpit area, plus armored glass panels added to the canopy.
The Kit
The kit comes in Eduard's customary stout cardboard box. The kit comprises 165 injection molded parts on 6 sprues. 46 of these parts are for other 190 variants, leaving 119 for the A-8/R2. There are 12 clear parts in their own bag. The rest of the parts are molded in Eduard's customary brown plastic. There are 2 pairs of fuselage halves in the box, one of which features the armor unique to the A2 variant; I suppose one could use the other pair for a diorama...This kit is molded to Eduard's usual high standards.
There is fine rivet detail on the wings and fuselage. The cockpit is a detailed, multi-piece assembly that will stand out with careful use of washes and drybrushing. The only items missing from the cockpit (aside from a pilot figure for those who like them) are a pair of seatbelts and faces for the blank instrument gauges. The BMW 801D-12 14 cylinder engine is a complex, 20 piece model in its own right. Despite the engine's wonderful detail, most of it will be invisible behind the cooling fan. The enterprising modeler can add an ignition harness and then call it a day.
The design of both the kit and the real plane is such that the one can build the model with just the forward cowling and oil cooler rings installed, without the rest of the cowling, if you insist on showing that wonderful detail. Just be sure you have lots of photographic references at your disposal! You would also need to scratchbuild the support structure for the oil cooler and forward cowl rings.
The gun bay aft of the engine, as well as the wing inner cannon bays, can be depicted open or closed. Both of these areas would benefit from added detail-wiring, etc.-if displayed open. Other thoughtful details include 2 sets of wheels (treaded and smooth), single piece or 3-piece tailwheels, and separate ailerons, rudder, and oleo scissors. The wheelwells are also a multi-piece assembly that will benefit from careful detail painting, like the cockpit. There's also a droptank and rack. The clear parts include 2 pairs of flat and bulged canopies, the gunsight, a pair of armored windscreens, and an upper gun cowling with streamlined gun covers, since some R2s had the cowling guns removed and others used this streamlined cover.
There is, of course, no photo-etch or masks for the kit, and a single decal option, the FW190A-8/R2 of Wilhelm Moritz, IV.(Sturm)/JG 3, Memmingen, Germany, July 1944. This plane had an all-black cowling and white Defense of the Reich fuselage band, and RLM 74/75/76 camouflage with mottling in 74 and 75. The decals are well printed, clear and in perfect registration. Color callouts in the logical, easy-to-follow instructions are for Gunze acrylic paints. Interestingly, the box art has the cowl guns removed, and the instructions call for them. There is photograph of this plane in the first two references cited below, but due to the angle from which the picture was taken the upper cowling gun installation-or their absence-can't be verified. Hmmm!
Accuracy
I compared the wings and fuselage to the 1/48th scale plans in Kagero's FW 190 Volume III, and the kit parts are almost an exact match to the drawings. Close enough for me!
Conclusions
If you are a fan of late war Luftwaffe aircraft, you will like this kit. It's well detailed, accurate and it is a first class product. The Eduard FW190s are generally considered the most accurate 190 kits available in any scale by most of the Web "Experten". I recommend this kit and I feel that due to the multipiece engine and wheelwells it is best suited to experienced modelers. I would recommend a set of Mike Grant instrument decals and Eduard's own p/e seat belts to finish it off. I would like to sincerely thank Eduard for providing the review model.
References
A) Print:
Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No.9, Focke-Wulf FW190 Aces of the Western Front, by John Weal, 1996, Osprey Publishing.
Focke-Wulf FW190 In Action (first edition), Aircraft No. 19, by Jerry L. Campbell, 1975, Squadron/Signal Publications.
Focke-Wulf FW190 A/F Walkaround, Walkaround No. 22, by Malcolm Laing and E. Brown Ryle, 2000, Squadron/Signal Publications.
Focke-Wulf FW190 Volume III, by Krzysztof Janowicz, Kagero Publishing, 2005.
B) Web: