Eduard 1/48 Fw 190A-5 Weekend By James Mustarde

Introduction

When it comes to modeling single-seat propeller fighters of WWII, there seems to be two primary camps – those that love the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and those that prefer Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. Ok, so maybe I’m being a bit of a generalist and I’ve certainly built both, but you’ve only got to check-out the popular discussion forums to see that both these aircraft are immensely popular among the wider modeling fraternity. And for good reason. Not only were these two aircraft built in huge quantities, but the variety of sub-types and paint schemes provides the builder with an almost unlimited number of options. Personally I’m an Fw 190 fan, with a soft spot for the 190D. My ‘wish list‘ kit is an injection molded 1/32 TA-152H. Until that happens I’ll contemplate building Jerry Rutman’s 1/32 resin version which is hiding in the stash somewhere.

Enough of the mumblings. Developed from the A-4 by extending the engine forward approximately 6 inches, Luftwaffe Fw 190A-5 deliveries began in early 1943. Equipped with the BMW 801 D-2 engine and capable of alcohol/water injection for added power, the A-5 retained the same basic armament as the earlier A-4: fuselage mounted MG 17s and 20mm MG 151 wing cannons. 1,752 A-5s were built between November 1942 and June 1943.

First Impressions

The 1/48 Fw 190A-5 is the latest version in Eduard’s Fw 190 line-up. Others include the A-6, A-8 and A-8/R-2. The kit is supplied in a sturdy 15” x 9” x 3” box that defied all of my initial attempts to open. The fit is reassuringly tight and requires prying at opposite sides to wiggle open. Box art is typical Eduard, with a delightful ¾ shot of ‘Black 7’ against a simple white grid.

The box contains two shrink-wrapped bags of light brown sprues, a single sealed bag with transparencies, and a 3” square decal sheet and large instruction booklet. I was a little surprised that the decals were not protected by a cover sheet, although they didn’t appear any the worst for wear without it.

The smaller of the two sealed bags contains the main fuselage halves, wing upper and lower surface, as well as the bulk of the undercarriage and wheel well components. With a 6” stretch ahead of the firewall, the main airframe changes are restricted to the front fuselage, wing root and wheel wells, and this is reflected in the sprue packaging. Surface detail is beautiful, with subtle panel line and rivet detail. This First Look won’t attempt to comment on the accuracy of either.

I was hard-pressed to find any injection pin marks on the sprues, certainly not on any visible surfaces. Eduard has done a fantastic job in this respect. I only wish other manufacturers of larger and more expensive kits would pay as much detail to this issue.

The flaps are molded in the up position, although if you look closely you’ll notice rib detail on the under side of the upper wing surfaces. A little surgery and scratch building can get you dropped flaps. Two wheel options are provided with the A-5 sprues– smooth or treaded. The latter will need some gentle sanding and re-scribing to deal with the mould line running around the circumference.

The larger of the two bags contains the bulk of the common components for all of Eduard’s Fw-190 line-up. Three sprues include all of the engine and cowl components, cockpit, cannon hatches, external ordinance, a drop tank and the control surfaces. A set of early model wheels are also included.

The cockpit can be built and painted using molded-in detail or sanded smooth for use with the included instrument and side panel decals. Two propeller options are provided, but the narrow chord design is correct for the A-5.

The ailerons and rudder are molded as separate pieces, but the elevators are integral with the horizontal stabilizer. Posing the elevators will require surgery too and it’s a shame that Eduard didn’t include them as separate components. Interestingly, Eduard has included two tail wheel options: a single piece all-in-one molding and a three-piece build your own. For painting and finishing fanatics, the latter offers more to work with.

Transparencies

The transparency sprue looks to be common to other Eduard FW-190s, with two sets of both the straight and blown canopy styles available. A separate windshield allows the canopy to be built open or closed. Eduard has also included a clear top cowling piece if you want to shown engine detail ahead of the separate nose gun bay hatches.

Painting and Decals

Painting directions and decals are for Lt. Emil Lang’s Fw 190A-5, serving with 5./JG 54 and based on the Eastern front through the Summer of 1943. Lt. Lang is credited with 173 victories in 403 missions, with 144 recorded victories over the Eastern Front. He died on 3 September 1944, assumed shot down by RAF Spitfires of 41 Squadron. ‘Black 7’ wears the standard two-tone RLM70/71 green upper surfaces, but with sand stripes over sprayed in an attempt better fit in with the Russian countryside. Under surfaces were predominantly RLM 76. Unit identification colors included the a yellow lower rudder, center fuselage band, chin cowling and outer 1/3rd of each wing under surface, excluding the aileron.

Conclusion

This is the first Eduard kit I’ve seen and I’m highly impressed. Construction will pose few problems for even moderately experienced builders. Surface detail has been scaled perfectly, with no excessively deep panel lines or crater-sized rivets. Once painted, a light wash will highlight these nicely. I’m really looking forward to building this kit and then probably their Spitfire Mk 22/24 (although the new 1/32 Seafire Mk47 resin conversion set seen at Britmodeler.com might force a delay to that plan).

What’s Next?

In classifying this kit as a Weekend Edition, Eduard is implying that it can be built in a couple of days. Well, let’s see if that’s true. My experience though is that Future takes longer to dry than the few hours some modelers claim! Of course it will have to be an OOB build and probably with limited weathering. And with no photo etch components or stencils to worry about; finishing the kit won’t be an extended exercise in patience and drying time. All I need to do now is to think up a cunning plan to get the wife and kids out of the house for the weekend.

Thanks to Eduard for the review kit.