In Box Review of Bachmann-Fujimi Motorized 1/48th Scale
German Focke-Wulf Fw-190D-9
Kit no. 0764-300
By Ray Mehlberger
My kit has a copyright date of the 1970's. The kit is shown for sale at 6 places on eBay with prices rangine from $11.00 up to $25.00.
By Ray Mehlberger
My kit has a copyright date of the 1970's. The kit is shown for sale at 6 places on eBay with prices rangine from $11.00 up to $25.00.
HISTORY:
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (English: Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Focke-Wulf 190 Würger became the backbone of the Luftwaffe's Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force).
The twin-row BMW 801 radial engine that powered most operational versions enabled the Fw 190 to lift larger loads than the Bf 109, allowing its use as a day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and, to a lesser degree, night fighter.
The Fw 190A started flying operationally over France in August 1941, and quickly proved superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force's main front-line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. especially at low and medium altitudes. The 190 maintained superiority over Allied fighters until the introduction of the improved Spitfire Mk. IX.
In November/December 1942, the Fw 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front, finding much success in fighter wings and specialised ground attack units called Schlachtgeschwader (Battle Wings or Strike Wings) from October 1943 onwards. The Fw 190 provided greater firepower than the Bf 109, and at low to medium altitude, superior manoeuvrability, in the opinion of German pilots who flew both fighters.
The Fw 190A series' performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 m (20,000 ft) and above), which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude interceptor.
From the Fw 190's inception, there had been ongoing efforts to address this with a turbosupercharged BMW 801 in the B model, the much longer-nosed C model with efforts to also turbocharge its chosen Daimler-Benz DB 603 inverted V12 powerplant, and the similarly long-nosed D model with the Junkers Jumo 213.
Problems with the turbocharger installations on the -B and -C subtypes meant only the D model would see service, entering service in September 1944. While these "long nose" versions gave the Germans parity with Allied opponents, they arrived far too late in the war to have any real effect.
The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces claimed a great many of their kills while flying it, including Otto Kittel, Walter Nowotny and Erich Rudorffer.
The D-9 series was rarely used against heavy-bomber raids, as the circumstances of the war in late 1944 meant that fighter-versus-fighter combat and ground attack missions took priority. This model was the basis for the follow-on Focke-Wulf Ta 152 aircraft.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (English: Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Focke-Wulf 190 Würger became the backbone of the Luftwaffe's Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force).
The twin-row BMW 801 radial engine that powered most operational versions enabled the Fw 190 to lift larger loads than the Bf 109, allowing its use as a day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and, to a lesser degree, night fighter.
The Fw 190A started flying operationally over France in August 1941, and quickly proved superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force's main front-line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. especially at low and medium altitudes. The 190 maintained superiority over Allied fighters until the introduction of the improved Spitfire Mk. IX.
In November/December 1942, the Fw 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front, finding much success in fighter wings and specialised ground attack units called Schlachtgeschwader (Battle Wings or Strike Wings) from October 1943 onwards. The Fw 190 provided greater firepower than the Bf 109, and at low to medium altitude, superior manoeuvrability, in the opinion of German pilots who flew both fighters.
The Fw 190A series' performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 m (20,000 ft) and above), which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude interceptor.
From the Fw 190's inception, there had been ongoing efforts to address this with a turbosupercharged BMW 801 in the B model, the much longer-nosed C model with efforts to also turbocharge its chosen Daimler-Benz DB 603 inverted V12 powerplant, and the similarly long-nosed D model with the Junkers Jumo 213.
Problems with the turbocharger installations on the -B and -C subtypes meant only the D model would see service, entering service in September 1944. While these "long nose" versions gave the Germans parity with Allied opponents, they arrived far too late in the war to have any real effect.
The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces claimed a great many of their kills while flying it, including Otto Kittel, Walter Nowotny and Erich Rudorffer.
The D-9 series was rarely used against heavy-bomber raids, as the circumstances of the war in late 1944 meant that fighter-versus-fighter combat and ground attack missions took priority. This model was the basis for the follow-on Focke-Wulf Ta 152 aircraft.
THE KIT:
Fujimi Mokei Co. Ltd. is based in Shizuoka City, Japan. Bachmann was the U.S. importer and distributor of Fujimi kits back in the 70's and was based in Philadelphia, Pa. I think it went out of business.
The kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is blousy and 4" too long. My kit also was badly crushed.
The box art shows a Fw-190D-9 escorting 2 Me-262 jet fighters. It has a black-green spine over gray sides with dark-green mottle and a light-blue undercarraige. It has a black and white fuselage band and spiral on the spinner. The fuselage code is hidden behind the wing.
One side panel hs a color illustration of the Mabuchi Mini-baby motor that is included, the UM-3 battery needed is not included. The overall length is 8.07 inches, width is 8.33 inches, followed by a small color repeat of the box art and Bachmann's address in Philadelphia, PA. Thekit was made and printed in Japan.
The other side panel has color box arts of 4 other Bachmann-Fujimi 148th scale kits: kit no. 0741:200, a Bell UH-18 Iroquois helicopter, kit no. 0742:200, a AH-18 Huey Cobra helicopter, kit no. 0743:200, a British Westland Wasp A.S. Mk. 1 helicopter and kit no. 0715:400, a Grumman E-2A Hawkeye radar-reconnaissance aircraft.
Fujimi Mokei Co. Ltd. is based in Shizuoka City, Japan. Bachmann was the U.S. importer and distributor of Fujimi kits back in the 70's and was based in Philadelphia, Pa. I think it went out of business.
The kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is blousy and 4" too long. My kit also was badly crushed.
The box art shows a Fw-190D-9 escorting 2 Me-262 jet fighters. It has a black-green spine over gray sides with dark-green mottle and a light-blue undercarraige. It has a black and white fuselage band and spiral on the spinner. The fuselage code is hidden behind the wing.
One side panel hs a color illustration of the Mabuchi Mini-baby motor that is included, the UM-3 battery needed is not included. The overall length is 8.07 inches, width is 8.33 inches, followed by a small color repeat of the box art and Bachmann's address in Philadelphia, PA. Thekit was made and printed in Japan.
The other side panel has color box arts of 4 other Bachmann-Fujimi 148th scale kits: kit no. 0741:200, a Bell UH-18 Iroquois helicopter, kit no. 0742:200, a AH-18 Huey Cobra helicopter, kit no. 0743:200, a British Westland Wasp A.S. Mk. 1 helicopter and kit no. 0715:400, a Grumman E-2A Hawkeye radar-reconnaissance aircraft.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 4 chalk-white trees and a clear tree in 4 stapled-shut clear cello bags, the large decal sheet, instructions and the motorization parts.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 6 1/2" x 10 1/4" page format. The last 4 pages of it are blank.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, above the history of the Fw-190D-9 and the parts trees illustrations.
The bottom of the page has Fujimi Mokei's address in Shizuoka City, Japan..
Page 2 to 4 give a total of 8 assembly steps with English text.
Trees are alphabetized, illustrated in the instructions and have part number tabs next to the parts on them.
The first chalk-white tree holds the fuselage halves (2 parts)
This kit holds 4 chalk-white trees and a clear tree in 4 stapled-shut clear cello bags, the large decal sheet, instructions and the motorization parts.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 6 1/2" x 10 1/4" page format. The last 4 pages of it are blank.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, above the history of the Fw-190D-9 and the parts trees illustrations.
The bottom of the page has Fujimi Mokei's address in Shizuoka City, Japan..
Page 2 to 4 give a total of 8 assembly steps with English text.
Trees are alphabetized, illustrated in the instructions and have part number tabs next to the parts on them.
The first chalk-white tree holds the fuselage halves (2 parts)
The second chalk-white tree holds wings and elevator (3 parts)
The second chalk-white tree holds wings and elevator (3 parts)
The third chalk-white tree holds: the propeller, cowling, drop tank and its wing mount, air scoop, upper nose panel (8 parts)
The fourth chalk-white tree holds: wheel pants, cockpit floor, tail wheel, seat, pilot, main wheels, gear legs, propeller shaft, bulkhead, machine guns (30 parts)
The clear tree holds the cockpit canopy (2 parts)
The large decal sheet has logos for 4 different squadrons and fuselage codes for 2 or 3 Fw's. and 3 fuselage bands, lots of stencils. However, we are not given any instructions of how to use these.
The motorization parts complete the kits contents. It consists of the motor and it's metal tray (2 parts)
I doubt I will ever build this model motorized.
I doubt I will ever build this model motorized.
I added a Profile Publication book on the Fw-190D/TA-152 to the kit.
Only one 5-view scheme shown in this book matches some marks on the decal sheet. It has a black-green spine, gray sides with dark-green mottling over light-blue undercarraige, a splinter pattern above the wings and elevators of the 2 greens, a black and white spiral on the spinner, a red, yellow, red fuselage band, white skeletal German crosses and a black 4 on the fuselage sides with a black vertical bar on the yellow part of the fuselage band.
It is said to be an aircraft with III/JG54, based at Achner, Germany, in October 1944, as a screening force for the jet fighter unit Kommando Nowotny. The bands indicate service with Reichsverteidigung (Home Defece Organization). The vertical bar indicates III Gruppe.
Only one 5-view scheme shown in this book matches some marks on the decal sheet. It has a black-green spine, gray sides with dark-green mottling over light-blue undercarraige, a splinter pattern above the wings and elevators of the 2 greens, a black and white spiral on the spinner, a red, yellow, red fuselage band, white skeletal German crosses and a black 4 on the fuselage sides with a black vertical bar on the yellow part of the fuselage band.
It is said to be an aircraft with III/JG54, based at Achner, Germany, in October 1944, as a screening force for the jet fighter unit Kommando Nowotny. The bands indicate service with Reichsverteidigung (Home Defece Organization). The vertical bar indicates III Gruppe.
Nice raised detail. Recommended.