Here are some photos
of one of my latest builds, Trimaster's 1/48 Focke-Wulf 190D-9. I used Eagle
Cals markings (sheet # 48 021 "Yellow Tailed D-9s") to depict
"Yellow 11," a late war aircraft. These exhibited a
"patchwork" appearance, as components were manufactured and painted at
small industries prior to being assembled elsewhere. The decals are beautifully
printed, and they even included data placards for the main landing gear legs!
Trimaster's kit
suffers from the same inaccuracy that plagues others - the wheel wells are the
same as the BMW radial-engined versions. Jumo engined Fw 190s had the same open
wheel wells as the Ta 152. To correct this, I removed the dimpled area of the
wells, and added a Jumo 213 engine from an old derelict DML Ta 152 kit. Plumbing
and electrical wires were added, using photos I found on the internet as
reference.
The kit includes
brass tube for the gun and cannon barrels, as well as the pitot tube. Photoetch
stainless steel and white metal parts are also included. Curiously, there were
no photoetched seat harnesses. I added some from an Eduard Luftwaffe belts set.
I also added two levers to the bottom control panel in the cockpit. The upper
control panel was separated from the lower, and glued into the assembled
fuselage from below. This insured a proper fit.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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Using the photos I
found as reference, I added hydraulic and electrical lines, as well as tailwheel
retraction cables, to the main landing gear legs. The white metal tailwheel
is a single piece, so I hollowed out the area between the yoke and tire for a
more realistic appearance.
The upper surface
camouflage was painted freehand with Model Master enamels. The light gray on the
wings was noted on the decal instruction sheet as a primer. I darkened some
Model Master IJN Gray for this color. I masked and painted the fuselage RV band
with Color of Eagles acrylic White and RLM 04.
The lower surfaces
were painted with Alcad II paints. I used White Aluminum, Duraluminum, and Dark
Aluminum for the different shades. The leading edge of the lower wing, along
with the landing gear covers, was painted with RLM 75. The RLM 76 Light Blue was
also Model Master enamel.
This patchwork paint
scheme really adds some interest to the shelf!
Fw 190s have a lot of detail at
the wing fillet that can be lost to filling and sanding. To avoid this, I glued
the upper wings to the completed fuselage. This "trick" comes in handy
for many kits. The lower wing fit snugly, as there is enough flex to the
fuselage sides to align the wing halves.
Based on the photos, I filled an
area forward of the wheel wells with sheet styrene. The reference I used may
have been from a D-13, which has a single shell ejector chute for the
propeller-mounted cannon. Check your references carefully. I may do my next one
differently.
Thank you for letting me share
this pleasurable build with you!
Bill
Visit my website to see other
models of mine, I also build models on commission. http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/
Click on
images below to see larger images
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