1/72 Hasegawa Fw-190 A8 & FW-190 D9

by Eric Bade

--------------------

 

Both kits are the Hasegawa rendition of FW190s and as such construction is quite similar as many parts are common. These kits have been around for some years now, but they still are amongst the best. Their panel lines are very finally engraved and shapes seem to be accurate. One point that can be improved is the cockpit area. But that's quite a Hasegawa trademark, at least in the smaller 1/72nd scale, even on more recent models.

Click on images below to see larger images

Construction 

Construction is quite straightforward on both models. Wings have been quickly assembled. I had made the effort of altering main wheel well on a previous Hasegawa FW190 model I built. It is well known that there is no wall between the right and left wheel wells on real FW190s. Therefore quite a simple surgery should be done if a model is built for a contest with the seek of accuracy in mind. I decided otherwise and left my models as is this time considering that this should not be too visible (not entirely true given the high stance of FW190s).

What I could not leave untouched is the cockpit area. I love to detail my small cockpits. I used a True Details cockpit on the FW190D and an Aires resin set for the A. Dark grey RLM66 overall, white, red or yellow dots on details, red brown cushion for the seats, light khaki on seatbelts, a slight light grey dry brushing to enhance details and my tiny cockpit tubs could be cemented in place and half fuselages cemented together.

The kits also differ in details treatment. A photo-etched part is used as instrument coaming (Aires) in front of the pilot on the D, whereas fuselage decking behind pilot is another photo-etched part (Airwaves) on the A.

That is time then for main assembly with wings and stabilators being attached to the fuselage. An Overall sanding with increasingly fine grain (to 3600 Micromesh) was accomplished to prepare surfaces before painting then I added small details like antennas and retracting boarding step (photo-etched parts used), tiny wheel position indicators (made from stretched sprue), transparent parts etc... 

Painting and decaling 

Both my planes depict 190s during the last stages of the Second World War. I wanted a colourful machine and an unusual one.

The FW190 A is the colourful one. Camo colours are the quite common RLM81/82/76 scheme with bright blue Engine ring, propeller cone and fuselage band. Most colours are Gunze, blue is from the Tamiya range.

The FW190 D is the unusual one. I choose to build it as black 12. It is quite well documented as at least one colour photo of this aircraft exists. But it has been interpreted in different ways. I found additional information on this aircraft after I completed my model so it might not be perfectly accurate. General agreement is that the aircraft has a RLM81/82/84 fuselage with RLM76 fin, RLM75/77 upper wing surfaces. Wings and fuselage under surfaces are partly RLM84 and partly left unpainted metal. Small spots of red brown anti rust paint are spread around fuselage and lower wing surfaces. That is over 8 colours just for external surfaces! Paints are Gunze again except silver which is enamel.

Both models are given the weathering treatment. Very light spots of the altered main surrounding colour and a wash of dark brown in the panel lines. 

Click on images below to see larger images

I also altered my varnishing technique on these models. Until quite recently I used to spray my model with overall layers of gloss, then matt clear varnish in the usual gloss-decal-flat process. I later found out that doing so, 50% of my weathering effects were lost.

It recently came to me that varnishing should be taken as part of the painting process. I therefore applied my varnish as lightly as I would for paint. Some parts even were left unvarnished. Varnishing therefore becomes part of the painting and weathering process and I believe the end result is highly improved by this new approach.  

Apologies : I noticed radio antenna was broken on FW190 A only after photos were shot.   

Eric 

Click on images below to see larger images

Photos and text © by Eric Bade