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Admiral’s 1/72 Fw 190A-4 Jabo

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

Much has been written on the Fw 190 over the years. While it doesn't seem to generate the same amount of material as the Bf 109, it is easily in the top five for most reference books on a single subject. Since that's the case I'll recommend you to your local hobby shop and/or bookstore for complete references and just mention that the Jabo part of this kit means that it performs in the ground-attack role.

The Kit

Yup, it’s another 1/72 Fw 190 kit.  This is the first kit from the new company Admiral and considering that startup costs for a model company are likely high, it makes sense to come out with something common that will be a stable seller over time, thus providing income to allow for the more unusual subjects.  The Focke Wulf Fw 190 is a perfect example.  This kit may not be up to the quality of the Hasegawa kits, but it is still very buildable.  You get a single sprue of gray plastic parts, a one-piece injection-molded canopy, several tan resin parts, some photoetch and a small decal sheet.  The plastic parts have recessed panel lines throughout and for the most part are molded cleanly.  The canopy is a bit thick and cloudy, but perfectly usable, while the resin is pretty much flawless.

Starting with the innards, the cockpit is made up from a combination of photoetch and resin.  The instrument panel, rudder pedals and seat belts all come from the photoetch tree, while the cockpit tub and seat make up the rest.  All together this will result in a very nice-looking interior.  It’s a pity that the canopy is one piece, as it would be nice to show off the detail here.  The fuselage has an opening in the bottom for the wings and while the instructions suggest you sandwich the cockpit between the halves it might be easier to add the completed tub after the fuselage is already together.

The wings are simple, with a one-piece lower wing and separate upper wing halves.  The gun barrels are separate, fitting into holes in the leading edge.  This will make it very easy for those who like to replace gun barrels with metal tubing.  The finished fuselage fits onto the wing assembly, but be ready to adjust the wing roots on the fuselage assembly to ensure proper dihedral of the wings.  The tailplanes are molded as one piece, while the rudder is a separate piece.  This last bit is a very nice touch, as many interesting Fw 190s had yellow rudders.  Having it separate makes painting much easier, as you don’t have to mask it off.

The landing gear is pretty good in this kit, but the limited run nature means that you’ll have to do a bit more cleanup than normal.  The tailwheel is molded in with the fuselage, which makes for some tricky painting.  The final plastic parts for this kit makes up the engine front and propeller, which features a separate hub. Since this is a Jabo Fw 190 it just wouldn’t be complete without a bomb, and this kit provides a beautiful example out of resin and brass, along with a resin rack to mount on the fuselage.

The decals offer a pair of choices, both somewhat interesting.  The first is that of the boxtop, being the plane of Corporal Otto Berchtold.  Flying for I/SKG 10, he landed in England by mistake in April of 1943. Because of this, more is known about this unique camouflage than might otherwise be the case.  It is finished in the standard 74/75/76 camouflage, but has the undersurfaces and most of the fuselage sides overpainted in black.  Only the yellow H remains visible on the fuselage sides.  The upper wing crosses were also slightly oversprayed with black, resulting in a very dark airplane.

The second example is shown on the box side in profile and is Walter Nowotny’s ‘White 10’ of JG 54.  This plane is finished in two shades of green (listed as 70 and 71, but they could be other shades), with lots of white blotches painted over the top.  The fuselage cross is situated on a yellow band, with the underside of the cowling, the lower wingtips and the bottom of the rudder also painted yellow.  The decals are printed by MPD and are very well printed, thin, and in perfect register.

Conclusion

While there are likely better kits of the Fw 190 out there, the nice resin bits in this kit plus the great decals make it a nice model to pick up when you’re in the mood.  The simple construction and few pieces can result in a fast build, allowing you to experiment with the camouflages a bit and perhaps try some new ideas out.