AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.
qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 2
Many experts believed that radial engined
fighters would lose performance caused by too
much drag, but the Fw 190 proved otherwise.
Commonly believed to be the best fighter
aircraft of World War II, the Fw 190 had such a
big impact on the Luftwaffe air operations it was
manufactured in over forty different models to
fulfil a variety of roles. The FW 190 started out
as a low altitude high speed fighter with better
armament than the early Allied counterparts.
Since the air battles over France until the end of
the war, the Fw 190 was extensively employed
replacing many fighter and ground attack
aircraft. The air cooled radial engine of the Fw
190 offered a couple of advantages over the
water cooled engines equipping the Luftwaffe’s
other ubiquitous fighter, the Bf 109. The first
advantage was that it could take a lot of
damage and keep running. The second
advantage was that its huge size helped to
shield the pilot in combat. Additionally, radial
aircraft offered more simplicity in their
manufacture and operation.
2
Eduard is one of the few companies prepared to
revisit kits and improve them. This is the second
1:48 Fw 190 from this company, and it is a
completely new kit.
About ten years ago, Eduard released their
original 1:48 scale kit of this German fighter. It
was a very engaging model just straight out of
the box. The cowl was a multi-part affair
showing a full engine. As a result, it was a quite
complex build. Now, with a much greater
experience in manufacturing full kits, Eduard
have returned to the same subject releasing
what feels to me as one of the best kits today
available in this scale. The simplification of the
parts breakdown and is the most evident
difference in comparing the old and new kits
because in this second release the fuselage
halves extend all the way to the engine cowling.
The basic version of the kit is indeed a simple
build but for those of us who want more Eduard
have also released a fantastic range of
upgrades...how could I resist?
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 3

3
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 4

Giving the lack of open cowls the new kit’s

engine is quite simplified, represented only
by the front cylinder bank moulded on a
bulkhead. Hiding behind the cooling fan and
the narrow cowl, this simple part is more than
adequate for a ‘buttoned up’ model. The cowl
guns and the engine exhausts are separate
parts so we can hope for other versions from
Eduard. Another very important difference is the
shape of the fuselage, modified to increase the
level of accuracy. Just to give an example, the
edge of the vertical tail, something criticized in the original
release for being too thick, now looks much thinner. Also the
wings are very different from earlier releases.

No wing gun bay details are provided given that the covers are
moulded closed. The one piece lower wing incorporates a
large section of the belly, something very convenient when
mating wing and fuselages together. With the exception of the
flaps, all the control surfaces are separate and posable. Wheel
wells include a recessed cover, some small separate detail
parts, the wing gun barrels, and a long spar.

Another interesting feature of this new 1:48 Fw 190 A-4

(82142) is the great detail of the undercarriage legs and the
wheel hubs which are moulded separate from tyres. Out of the
box the cockpit is rich in detail, even the floor and the area
behind the pilot’s seat are very nice. Eduard provides three
options for both the instrument panel and side consoles. The
first option is plastic parts with moulded dial controls and
switches. The second option is smooth plastic parts to receive
decals. The third option is smooth
panels to be detailed with photoetched
parts.

Different transparent parts are provided

for open and closed canopies. Pre-
coloured etched parts include belts,
control panels and other small controls.
Finally, decals include all stencils and
markings for five different aircraft.

Removing the engine cowls is

the only tricky part of the
4
project requiring careful
scribing and cutting.
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 5
It’s true that in this new ‘Profipack’ release a full engine is missing,
it is also true that Eduard has promptly released a full series of
super detail sets in the ‘Brassin’ range to spruce up this 1:48 Fw
190 to a level so far unseen by any other company. I like this
approach because gives the modeller the choice of a straight
build or of a more complex super-detailed one. Given my
predilection for open cowls and engines, I decided to build this kit
taking advantage of four of the Brassin detail sets just released by
Eduard: the Fw 190A-4 engine & fuselage guns (648355); the Fw
190A-4 cockpit (648351); the Fw 190A propeller (648366), the Fw
190 resin wheels early (648152), and the Fw 190A-3/A-4 bronze
undercarriage legs (648367). The reason why I opted for the
bronze undercarriage legs was not so much for the increased level
of detail, but mostly out of the worry that given the increase in
weight, due to all these resin parts, the original plastic parts would
not stand the test of time.
As usual with World War II fighters, building starts in the cockpit.
Honestly, unpacking the Brassin parts I could not stop regretting
that so little will be visible after joining together the fuselage
halves. This super detail set is made up of an etched sheet and
over twenty incredible cast resin parts. Building the cockpit was a
very easy process. First I painted all the small details and the main
cockpit parts according to the instructions, then I washed all these
parts with some Burnt Umber oil paint and finally I applied some
very basic dry brushing, just to highlight the most visible upper
parts, using some Humbrol Gun Metal (56). The supplied etched
dashboard needs only to be carefully placed on the corresponding
resin part. The same is true for the construction the very delicate
etched pedals and the seat belts, as usual I painted these in
Gunze Sail Colour (H85) and then heavily washed with the same oil
paint used for the cockpit tub and side consoles. However, while
the cockpit goes far beyond in terms of detail and accuracy, what
impressed me most with this project was the engine and guns
detail set. I was ready for plenty of resin and etched parts, but I
was pleasantly surprised by the fit and ease of assembly resulting
in stunning detail.
5
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 6

The most difficult part of this project was cutting the fuselage probably mating the fuselages to the wing, given that these parts
halves to receive the engine. My suggestion is to deepen the perfectly mate together. At this point I decided to first paint the
relevant panels with a very sharp needle and then cut them apart main airframe surfaces, before gluing the engine and the fuselage
with a sharp razor blade. The easiest part of this build was together.

Wheel well detail is very nice and

responds well to a dark wash.

Heavily diluted gloss

white allowed a gradual
Basic camouflage was applied which will be build-up, note the non-
subtly visible under the winter white over-paint. uniform finish.

Painting was done according to the instructions. For the metallic

Note the finesse of the rivet
parts I used just two Alclad colours, White Aluminium and Semi and panel detail, a dark
Matte Aluminium (ALC-106 and ALC-116). Painting the exhaust wash lifts this beautifully.
pipes was a little more complicated, it was a four stage process.
Initially I painted them in Gunze Flat Chocolate Brown (H-406),
afterwards I washed only some areas with brown oil paint, so to
give some shading, then I dry brushed all these parts with a
mixture of Gunze Russet (H-33) just lightened with a touch of
Gunze Yellow (H-4), and finally they were sprayed with some
Gunze Flat Clear (H-20), Like in the case of the cockpit, these two
detail sets are jewels. Required clean-up is minimal and following
the well designed instructions makes for very rewarding modelling.

Of all the five markings available out of the box my choice was the
second one, an aircraft over painted in white, even if a white
scheme is always a challenge. Given that aircraft was originally
camouflaged in the typical RLM 74/75/76 scheme, I first
camouflaged my ‘190 using the corresponding Gunze colours.
After masking the spot on the wings where are supposed to
receive the national insignia, I randomly airbrushed some very thin
layers of Gunze Gloss White (H-2) until I was happy with the look
of the slightly transparent finish. When the white was dry, I washed
the entire airframe with some very thinned brown oil paint
removing the excess with fine tissues quickly. It is very important
that the over painted white is very glossy and very dry otherwise
the oil was will tint the white and appear dirty. The last step in the
camouflage process was to scratch away some of the white paint
from the wings using a very fine 3000 wet abrasive paper.
As expected, the decals went on flawlessly.

6
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 7

Eduards own Brassin

range of upgrades for
the kit offer stunning
detail and fit beautifully.

The airbrushed exhaust stains

offer an interesting contrast to
the winter white finish. Note the
exhausts in their base colour.

7
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 8

8
AIR 76 Feb/March 2018.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/01/2018 14:26 Page 9

My conclusion is that I can only say in terms

of ease of assembly and accuracy this new
Fw 190 outclasses any other kit of this
aircraft currently on the market. While
specially designed super detail sets are not
only rich in amazing detail, but for once are
also easy to assemble and add to the base
kit. This is not my first Fw 190 in 1:48 and
certainly it will not be the last given that I
am looking forward to other version of this
same kit from Eduard.

This kit is a joy from the moment you open

the box to placing the last part, even a
newcomer to the hobby should have no
issues assembling the basic version of the
model as the design and fit is excellent
throughout.