|
I consider the FW-190A one of the
prettiest of the World War II fighters, particularly in flight. With those
ungainly landing gear, on the ground she looks like a swan out of water. In any
case, from that shiney black Aurora offering in the days of yore, through the
Monogram, Fujimi, Otaki, DML, Eduard, Tamiya, and now Hasegawa, I've attempted
them all. The Hasegawa A-8 is new mold from their earlier A-3/4 pressings, which
were adapted from the DML kit. I'm happy to relate that it is a definite
improvement over the earlier kit. Their A-5, and -6 also are new mold. The kit
goes together well, with a somewhat easier to assemble cowling. The only place
that I found difficult was the leadng edge of the wing filet. Assembly is just a
wee bit more ticklish than the Tamiya, with just a few more bits here and there,
such as the drop tank sway braces. The glass parts are nice and crisp, and
distortion free. I found no dimples or press marks anywhere, with all the
moldings matching the clear parts in quality. The surface detail is represented
by engraved panel lines, and here is my chief gripe with the kit. They were too
shallow for my particular panel line treatment. The Decal sheet caters nicely to
3 different birds. I have no difficulty recommending this kit to all
builders except perhaps the very young.
Click on
images below to see larger images
Flash back to Christmas, 2008.
My daughter presented me with the 21st Century built up and prepainted 1/32nd
FW-190A-8 in JG-1 markings. Very pretty with its red tail band, yellow with
black outlined 11 and 3rd Gruppe dash, topped off with the blatant Jg-1
insignia. Looking through my own decal supply, I found an EagleCals sheet with
the same markings. Just had to duplicate this handsome bird in 1/48th. Yep, I
had the new Hasegawa -8 model in my stash also. No excuse, gotta build it!
My end product
pictured here, is painted with Model master Enamels, RLM shade numbers 74/75/76
applied with my Paasche H single action airbrush. I did add my own scratch built
seat belts and buckles. I added brake lines with craft wire. I drilled out .025
holes where the visual gear indicators would protrude on the upper wing
surfaces, where the ventral antenna would go on the rear belly, and finally
where the insulator for the antenna cable drop line entered the fuselage. I used
Evergreen ,025 rod, cut to the proper length for these accessories. The antenna
cable is Stren monofilament 2 lb test fishing line, the insulators being applied
with thick paint and a tooth pick. I must say I enjoyed this build very much,
and my daughter was happy that I liked the gift well enough to duplicate it in
my own scale.; have fun,
Hal Marshman Sr
|
|
