REVIEW
Eduard's Fw 190 A-6
Merlin
Senior Editor
#017
United Kingdom
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Posted: Sunday, July 08, 2007 - 09:34 AM UTC
Quoted Text
BTW do the c&m instructions contain meaningful text ? .. the pdf on the eduard site is just blabla from a previous release (A-8 RC)... best wishes
Steffen
Hi Steffen
I didn't understand your question about the painting instructions until I took a look at the Eduard site. Don't worry - the printed instructions are totally different, with valid text!
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
Germany
Joined: September 07, 2005
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Posted: Sunday, July 08, 2007 - 06:34 PM UTC
Hi Rowan
I hoped that
thank you for the information!
best wishes
Steffen
DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO HOBBY MORI
#041
Kobenhavn, Denmark
Joined: July 20, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 12:13 AM UTC
Great to see this bird progress. I will follow this with interest as this bird will certainly join the two previous Eduard FW-190s in my stash when it reaches my local hobby store. As I said soon I will have a couple of rotten
Regarding the MG17. "The door tapper" might be a good translation.
A little of topic: The 37mm PAK was similarily called "The door knocker" due to its inability to knock out Russian T-34 and KV-1/2 tanks - even at point blank range.
Campaign'oholic - 252+ campaigns completed
Germany
Joined: September 07, 2005
KitMaker: 5,609 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 12:59 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Regarding the MG17. "The door tapper" might be a good translation.
A little of topic: The 37mm PAK was similarily called "The door knocker" due to its inability to knock out Russian T-34 and KV-1/2 tanks - even at point blank range.
Hi Jesper
true, but that it is "Luftwaffe door tapping device" what pronounces its usefulness even more. OTOH I have read some accounts that the pilots used the MG as aiming help for the heavier weapons as the MG 151 or the MK 108 (both on Fw 190 and Bf109).
BTW one of the "best" dogfight reports I have ever read was the Do 217 vs. Wellington in Paul Zorners biography "Nächte im Bomberstrom" ... he never liked the 217 and never flew it again afterwards... circling for "hours" over open waters, shooting it down without witnesses and having to creep home with just one engine some 100m above the waves (oil loss just due to one bullet in the oil line) ... "priceless" (to paraphrase a kown ad)
back on topic: Rowan, how about some more pictures? or is your work taking all your modelling time again?
best wishes
Steffen
DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO HOBBY MORI
Indiana, United States
Joined: May 14, 2007
KitMaker: 3,117 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 12:31 PM UTC
Here I am on the Rowan and Jean-Luc Show. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be flying in such esteemed company.
But seriously, I am following this build closely because of the growing number of Eduard FWs in the stash closet. I hope it doesn't take a year. Those poor boxes are getting crushed beneath the load. This is a cool plane and the checkerboards really take it to a higher level. If you are having trouble finishing your kits, you should try this...Give up sleeping. Worked for me.
Twin Spinners Campaign? Count me in.
"Treat 'em Rough", Current Builds--Wingnut Rumpler
I am frequently seen with blood shot eyes from staying up past my nap time to get the right colour scheme on my latest WWI model?
Moselle, France
Joined: May 15, 2005
KitMaker: 5,653 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 05:50 PM UTC
Hi Carl!
Did you start one of your Fw already? If yes, I don't think Rowan would be against a "mini group build". i plan to start mine in a week or so...
Jean-Luc
Better think one hour and build five minutes...
Than think five minutes and build an hour!
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
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Posted: Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 06:31 PM UTC
Quoted Text
... back on topic: Rowan, how about some more pictures? or is your work taking all your modelling time again?
best wishes
Steffen
Hi Steffen
In answer to your question - unfortunately, yes - work's been very heavy lately.
But, after a mad scramble to do some building yesterday afternoon - your wish is my command!
The wheel well is nicely detailed, with individual ribs etc. Everything locks into place without problem, but one chance I have made is to trim off the MG 151 barrels (Kit Parts J27). As supplied, these are full-length and project through the wing - making it harder to clean-up the leading edge and wing-root without damaging them. So I've cut them short and will add the barrels much later (probably after painting the a/c).
Now to get the wing top surfaces on and (as usual, doing everything in the wrong order!) turn attention to back the cockpit...
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
New York, United States
Joined: April 04, 2006
KitMaker: 279 posts
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 04:02 AM UTC
Hey Rowan, looking good so far.
Be forewarned, getting the cockpit, firewall and fuse togethor is tricky. There is little to no room to spare. I had to grind a good amount off of the underside of the firewall shelve to get the I/P to fit underneath on my A8. As far as I can tell, I did everything right, but this was still an ugly fit. Let me know how you make out.
Justen Hanna
IPMSUSA #45680
Proprietor, Section 8 Hobbies
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success."
Indiana, United States
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 06:07 AM UTC
I haven't started mine yet. I sure would love to get at least of them done. I have numerous campaign committments and probably can't do one for a while. But what the hey, I'll just give up sleeping for a week or two. Which one do you want me to do, the A-5 OR A-8?
"Treat 'em Rough", Current Builds--Wingnut Rumpler
I am frequently seen with blood shot eyes from staying up past my nap time to get the right colour scheme on my latest WWI model?
New York, United States
Joined: April 04, 2006
KitMaker: 279 posts
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 06:54 AM UTC
Rowan's got an A-6, I'm doing an A-8..... Go for the 5.
Justen Hanna
IPMSUSA #45680
Proprietor, Section 8 Hobbies
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success."
Indiana, United States
Joined: May 14, 2007
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 07:06 AM UTC
CaptainA walks to his overflowing stash closet, and searches the stacks full of colorful boxes. Then after a few moments of scanning, pulls out the box he was looking for. After checking the closet for curious cats, he closes the door and opens the box. Then he conducts a quick scan of the instructions and parts, and thinks to himself "OMG, what have I gotten myself into?"
What is the timing on this thing?
"Treat 'em Rough", Current Builds--Wingnut Rumpler
I am frequently seen with blood shot eyes from staying up past my nap time to get the right colour scheme on my latest WWI model?
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 08:04 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Hey Rowan, looking good so far.
Be forewarned, getting the cockpit, firewall and fuse togethor is tricky. There is little to no room to spare. I had to grind a good amount off of the underside of the firewall shelve to get the I/P to fit underneath on my A8. As far as I can tell, I did everything right, but this was still an ugly fit. Let me know how you make out.
Hi Justen
Thanks for the heads-up. I'm going to have a play with the cockpit tonight, so I might hit the same tight squeeze you describe... I'll let you know what I find.
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 08:10 AM UTC
Quoted Text
CaptainA walks to his overflowing stash closet, and searches the stacks full of colorful boxes. Then after a few moments of scanning, pulls out the box he was looking for. After checking the closet for curious cats, he closes the door and opens the box. Then he conducts a quick scan of the instructions and parts, and thinks to himself "OMG, what have I gotten myself into?"
What is the timing on this thing?
Hi Carl
Certainly don't set your timing by me!
I'm working on the '190 as and when work permits and you know I'm always notoriously slow anyway - but in this case I've got an extra excuse... I'll be going away on holiday in a week or so's time.
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
Moselle, France
Joined: May 15, 2005
KitMaker: 5,653 posts
AeroScale: 4,347 posts
Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 08:12 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Rowan's got an A-6, I'm doing an A-8..... Go for the 5.
Hey! That was the version I wanted to do!
Carl? Maybe we could fly a Rotte?
Jean-Luc
Better think one hour and build five minutes...
Than think five minutes and build an hour!
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 09:36 AM UTC
Hi again
Following Justen's warning, I've tinkered with fitting the cockpit tub. To start with I hit the same problem, with the lower instrument panel being obstructed by the corner of the bulkhead, so I chamfered both edges and got a better fit.
Then I looked a bit more closely and realised that there's a tendency for the lower panel to sit a bit too far forward on the side consoles. Trimming these flush with the cockpit tub and checking the panel sat flush in the slots instantly made a big difference and there should now be enough room to allow a little play when closing the fuselage.
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
New York, United States
Joined: April 04, 2006
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 10:54 AM UTC
Good show Rowan. That's pretty much how I had to do mine too. I wish I had though of cutting those barrels down the way you did. That would have saved me some headaches.
How do you plan to display this one, all opened up, or closed? The reason I ask is because closing it up, you might run into some more fit challenges.
Here you can see where the cowling just did not quite meet up with the armor ring the way I'd like and the lower wing gave me trouble connecting to the fuse.
And here, the gun access door left a gap which, thankfully, isn't terribly noticable. Also note the the hinged edge of the gun access will leave a gap when closed, but this is covered by the p/e hinge.
ANd finally, the mg cowl is kind of a bear. I had to remove some of the detail inside the cover and the ammo chutes off of the guns to get this fit.
The work is worth it I think. It's a great looking kit when taken as a whole. Most of the Eduard stuff is.
Justen Hanna
IPMSUSA #45680
Proprietor, Section 8 Hobbies
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success."
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 06:05 PM UTC
Quoted Text
How do you plan to display this one, all opened up, or closed? The reason I ask is because closing it up, you might run into some more fit challenges.
Hi again Justen
Well, a bit of both actually. As it's a review-build, I'll show off the cowl guns, but have one wing-root gun bay open, the other closed.
I found the fit of the wing-root bay needed a little help to avoid problems - pics of that and the fuselage to follow...
Great job on your own '190! The forewarning are a real help.
Are these pics of it in its present state, or have you finished the build?
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: November 09, 2006
KitMaker: 295 posts
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2007 - 10:30 PM UTC
Looking forward to seeing how these turn out.
I'm also sorely tempted to start my A8 but I'm worried my modelling skills probably won't do the kit any justice.
H
Indiana, United States
Joined: May 14, 2007
KitMaker: 3,117 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 01:13 AM UTC
"Treat 'em Rough", Current Builds--Wingnut Rumpler
I am frequently seen with blood shot eyes from staying up past my nap time to get the right colour scheme on my latest WWI model?
New York, United States
Joined: April 04, 2006
KitMaker: 279 posts
AeroScale: 194 posts
Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 02:18 AM UTC
Rowan,
Those pics are up-to-date. I still am going to try to get the seems a little neater, than it's on to the paint.
Justen Hanna
IPMSUSA #45680
Proprietor, Section 8 Hobbies
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success."
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 08:41 AM UTC
Hi all
Sticking with the topic of the tight-fitting cockpit, one thing I've found is that the etched instrument panels allow a little slack. We've probably all come across cases where etched aftermarket details are larger than the kit parts and are a pig to fit... well, here, they are actually slightly
smaller than the styrene parts - so there's a little excess you can trim or sand away if it'll help (I've just shown the backing panel in the picture for clarity).
Turning the the wing-root gun bays, I found I needed to trim the base of the outer wall to get the floor of the bay to fit flush. If you don't do this, the ejector chute will force the front end of Part I14/15 out of true, causing a bad fit with the fuselage. Nothing major, but a minute or two's work at this stage will save a headache later...
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
AeroScale: 12,795 posts
Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 09:16 AM UTC
Hi again
Well, the moment of truth... and the stage I've been looking forward to after all the scare stories - closing the fuselage.
Thanks to Justen's precautions, it's gone very smoothly!
The cockpit tub fitted without any problems:
the fuselage halves closed snugly:
and, on the basis of a test fit, the wing-root joints are a good fit:
As you can see, I've strayed away from the instructions (yet again!
) and I haven't fitted the cowl guns and their ammunition supplies, or even the wheel-well roof yet. In the anticipation of possible problems, it made sense to leave myself plenty of access without the risk of damaging details. I've also left out the pilot's seat - that's a simple drop-in fit that can wait until later.
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
betheyn
Senior Editor #019
England - South East, United Kingdom
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Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 09:27 AM UTC
Looking good Rowan. I reckon you will finish this one
.
With all the tips and hints about what needs tweaking and filling I might one day try one of those Eduard German aircraft whatsits.
Andy
It's not the same, better, but not the same...
Merlin
Senior Editor #017
United Kingdom
Joined: June 11, 2003
KitMaker: 17,582 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 09:42 AM UTC
Hi Andy
Don't tempt Fate!
I have to admit, I doubt that I'll finish it before I go on holiday... the real test will be to see if this very easily distracted bear-of-little-brains can pick up where he left off once back in The Smoke...
Unless there's disaster looming ahead in a classic case of pride before the fall, I reckon you should have no problem tackling this kit! The construction is unusual - but, considering tolerances needed for the level of detail, Eduard have done a good job on the engineering. I'm enjoying the build!
All the best
Rowan
BEWARE OF THE FEW...
As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. - H. Rider Haggard
#029
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: December 23, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 09:50 AM UTC
Looking good Rowan, cant wait to see how it looks finished.
Where are you going for your holidays?,,,,,,,Halifax?
Nige
It's not the same, better, but not the same...
