Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eduard's 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 will be available online from Squadron.com
 

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 introduced the first major structural change to the Würger since the initial A-1 production version. The engine was moved around 5 inches forward, resulting in a longer cowl and fuselage. In addition, the open side cooling slots were replaced by positionable vents, and the canopy armour was revised. Variants included the A-5/U3 with centreline bomb fitted, the A-5/U8 with 300 litre fuel tanks on the outer wing positions, and the A-5/U12 gunboat with two MG 151 cannon mounted in pods under the wings.

Back in October, Eduard released the best Würger model in any scale with their 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8. Their new 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 kit maintains this remarkable standard of detail, quality and value.

Although the Focke-Wulf Fw A-8 and the A-5 variants shared the same basic dimensions, they varied in many smaller details such as armament, hatches and panel lines. Eduard has taken the trouble of issuing a revised fuselage and new wings for this kit so the modeller will not have to cope with ill-fitting inserts, filling inappropriate panels or scribing new lines.

Eduard's new 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 comprises 163 parts in olive coloured plastic; 8 parts in clear; a colour photo-etched fret; masking sheet; and a colourful decal sheet with markings for four aircraft..

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The kit is state of the art in terms of quality of injection moulded parts, detail and markings.

Eduard's packaging is very modeller-friendly. Sprues are packed, singly or in pairs, in resealable bags with each pair of sprues interlocked to prevent scuffing.

The styrene parts are attached to seven sprues via fine connectors. Moulding quality is superb. I could not find a single sink mark or ejector pin anywhere that will be visible on the finished model, even in problematic areas such as the inside of cowlings, undercarriage covers and the gear bay. Small locating pins are moulded to parts as required. You might be able to see some very fine flash around a few detail parts in these sprue photos, but this is an attribute of the test shots and will not be present on the production kits.

Surface detail is excellent. Panel lines are consistent and finely engraved. Very subtle lines of rivets are also present in logical locations (on the cowl, along panel line etc). Rivets are a matter of personal taste, but the finely rendered detail looks terrific to my eye. Please note that, for the close-up photographs on this page, I have turned the parts to reflect the light and highlight the rivets. When viewed under normal light they are very restrained.

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Attention to detail is equally impressive. For example, in every Focke-Wulf Fw 190 kit produced to date, the access hatch for the inboard wing cannon has a big seam line running in line with the wing root. This is usually tricky to eliminate. Eduard's kit addresses this challenge with separate hatches. Not only does this avoid the seam line, but Eduard also provides gun bay interior detail to permit the hatch to be posed open. The cowl gun bay is comprehensively detailed too.

Also for the first time in a Würger, kit, Eduard supplies a well-detailed BMW 801 engine including mounts and firewall detail. A plastic template is supplied to ensure correct alignment of the snaking exhaust pipes.

The main undercarriage offers the choice of treaded or slick tyres (both unweighted).

The later style wheels are also included, but they will not be used for the A-5.Optional tail gear is supplied - either a single piece (wheel and leg moulded together), or a separate wheel and two-piece strut.

The rudder and ailerons are moulded as separate parts, so they may be posed to taste. Elevators are fixed in the neutral position, but it will be an easy matter to cut these off and reposition if desired.

Cowl flaps are moulded shut, but photo-etched parts are supplied if the modeler wishes to pose them open.

Ordnance options include a 300 litre drop tank, a bomb and two W.Gr.21 mortars (rockets).

The kit is necessarily complex due to the high level of detail, but it is pleasing to see that Eduard has chosen not to further complicate construction with plugs and inserts for different versions. For example, the wings are supplied as pure A-8 wings, with bulges and ejector ports moulded in place. This will make for a cleaner build with less filler and frustration.

You could easily convert this kit to the A-6 variant by simply substituting the lower wing from Eduard's Fw 190 A-8 (for the MG 151 20mm cannon bulge in the outer gun positions). However, if you don't want to cannibalize an entire kit for the lower wing, Eduard will be releasing an A-6 kit in 2007.

Clear parts emphasize Eduard's innovation. On the real Würger, the canopy was somewhat flexible. This flexibility was further enhanced with a short hinge on the top. This was necessary because the canopy rails tapered inwards back along the fuselage, requiring the front bottom corners of the canopy to pinch inward when opening (ie, the width was narrower when the canopy was open). This attribute has been conveniently ignored by all Fw 190 models to date - an open canopy would simply overhang the sides of the canopy deck. Eduard, however, has supplied a closed (wide) and open (narrow) version for each canopy style. Clever stuff.

A "blown" canopy is supplied too, but it is not used for this version. More goodies for the spares box!

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The colour photo-etched fret adds gorgeous, intricate detail. This fret provides the harness, instrument panel and side consoles in full colour, plus supplementary metal detail parts for the cockpit and aircraft exterior. The instrument panel should look fantastic when assembled, incorporating all the tiny details of the dials and the characteristic coloured surrounds of the engine gauges. The interior colour is accurately depicted as RLM 66 Black Grey.

Another nice touch is the inclusion of canopy and wheel masks in Eduard's new, thin flexible yellow masking material.

Instructions are supplied in an A-4 size, stapled colour 16 page booklet, with a detailed history on the front page followed by a parts list and ten pages of construction steps and four pages of full-colour marking guides, each with a four-view illustration.

Markings are provided for four colourful aircraft, all with different schemes. Decals look to be very thin and of high quality.

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Construction Tips from Eduard

As a result of test-building several kits, Eduard has pointed out several areas requiring special attention during assembly. These include the following:

• Check the position of the completed cockpit interior to the fuselage halves. Especially the back (upper) part of the cockpit tub must be aligned exactly with line on the fuselage halves. Also the weapon bay must be carefully positioned.

• Another important point is the wing spar (part I16) installation. In this step (page 5 of the instructions), first glue part K20 into the wing, and then add part I16. This sequence will guarantee that the wing spar will be exactly vertical to the wing bottom. This is crucial for wheel well assembly and the whole wing geometry.

• Another sensitive point is the engine mount installation. In this point, find the exact position of the part K18 on the reverse (inside of the fuselage) side of the part H12 (wheel well). K18 fits exactly to the notch in the H12. If you glue K18 carefully to the given position, the engine block will easily assume the correct position when it is glued to the engine mount.

• The locating holes for the main wheels are quite large. This is because the wheel fits to the axle at an angle. Use the instruction picture (page 10) to determine the exact angle of the wheel to the undercarriage leg.

• While we are talking about the undercarriage, when you will assembly the K7 (u/c leg) to the H1 (u/c cover), the location pins on the leg will give you exact position of the hatch (H1) to the leg. This is similar to the assembly of the u/c to the wing – glue the leg to the fine locating position in the wheel well, and immediately add J30/J37 to the position in the wheel well and on the u/c leg (there is a fine location pin on the leg which fits to the small hole on the end of the tow bar). It will give you exact position of the undercarriage to the wing. This is a different system compared to other manufacturers' kits, but it delivers surprisingly good result.
   

Eduard's Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 is every bit as good as their initial A-8 Würger release. It is a magnificent kit, spectacularly detailed and beautifully presented. If all of this detail is not enough for you, Eduard has released some additional colour photo-etched detail sets to further enhance the cockpit (with placards) and engine bay.

In the box, Eduard's are best Würgers available in any scale.

Keep in mind, though, that this is not a kit that will fall together by itself, so you will be advised to allocate plenty of time and treat it with the respect that it deserves. If you have already assembled a few kits, however, you should not have any trouble finishing this wonderful Würger.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2006 by Brett Green
Page Created 15 December, 2006
Last updated 21 February, 2007

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