1/48 MPM FW-190S-5

Gallery Article by Chip Berseth on Sept 22 2017

 

      

A typical limited run kit, MPM's FW-190S is truly a beast. Used mostly for training duties, the S variant of the FW-190 was rare. But it's secondary use is what hooked me. It was also used as a high speed liaison aircraft. Using a kit I've been putting off building forever, I took a deep breath and jumped in.

Click on images below to see larger images

Resin parts for the cockpit and wheel well assemblies make up a majority of the kit's detail. Surface detail on the wings and fuselage is also nice, with engraved panel lines and rivet detail. The kit includes an injection molded canopy, and two vac formed canopies. The only parts that I added were a brass set for all gun barrels and the pitot tube. Copper wire from an old electrical cord was used for the brake lines.

Model Master Acrylics were used throughout. I have since started the transition to acrylics as they are far easier to work with than enamels. Decals were entirely from my spares box as the kit decals were old and hard to work with. I close to represent "Rot 2" which was a liaison aircraft which saw service in France in the late summer of 1944.

MPM's offering of the twin seat version of the FW-190 is definitely a good skill building exercise. Chock full of resin, photo etched and vac formed parts, this kit is an excellent opportunity to hone your skills not only on those three medias but also attain the satisfaction of taking a limited run kit and turning it into a nice representation of a rare and interesting aircraft.

Chip Berseth

Photos and text © by Chip Berseth