| Catalogue No.: | Unknown |
| Scale: | 1/48 |
| Media: | Resin |
| Review Type: | In-bag |
| Rating: | Recommended |
S u m m a r y |
| Contents: | Eight Parts in Resin |
| Price: | US$11 |
| Advantages: | Excellent quality casting; no casting plugs; clever engineering; good fit; inexpensive; the only accurate late-style Dora radiator; alternate kits for different versions; based on Tamiya kit. |
| Disadvantages: | Some tricky cutting required; does not include engine cowling bulges |
| Recommendation: | Recommended as a good value, high quality conversion to any Luftwaffe modellers who don't mind doing a little extra work for an excellent result. |
B a c k g r o u n d |
The Focke-Wulf 190D-11/12/13 represented the ultimate low-altitude versions of this famous fighter marque. Despite the small number of these aircraft to actually see service there is still a great deal of interest in these final Butcher Birds.
The Focke-Wulf 190D-11/12/13 differed from the D-9 in a number of respects. The main improvement was the installation of the more powerful Jumo 213 series engine. The new mounts for this engine required the previously smooth contours of the engine cowling to be bulged on both sides below the line of the upper cowl deck cover. A new "ring" radiator and a Ta 152 style of supercharger intake were added. The bigger spinner and paddle VS10 propeller blades further characterised these sub-types.
Armament was also different from the earlier D-9 series. Upper cowl guns were deleted and wing armament varied. This was the key differentiation between the D-11, D-12 and D-13. The D-11 was intended to have no co-axial nose aramament, but two wing-mounted MG151 20mm cannon and two MK108 30mm cannon; the D-12 was to be equipped with an MK108 30mm coaxial cannon plus two wing mounted MG151; and the D-13 was designed with a single MK151 in the nose and one in each wing.
F i r s t L o o k |
This new Focke-Wulf 190D-13 resin conversion comprises eight parts cast in pale yellow resin. The resin is hollow cast (where appropriate) and mould connection points are minimal where they exist at all. This means that parts clean-up is very simple.
It is designed for the Tamiya 1/48 scale kit, although an alternate set is available for those masochists who would prefer to chop up the Dragon/DML/Trimaster kit. Frankly though, apart from fit considerations, the Tamiya kit is the best choice if only for its more solid engineering around the forward fuselage - this will become important for this conversion.
The conversion supplies a radiator insert with the appropriate ribbed intake and very subtle cooling texture on the outside surface of the ring radiator, a nose insert to adapt the kit cowl flaps, a new D-13 spinner and backplate, VS10 propeller blades, a new flat deck cover and a Ta 152 type supercharger intake.
It would be very simple to use this conversion as a base for either a D-12 or D-11 as well. The tiny changes to the spinner would be well within the capabilities of most modellers.
Instructions are set out over six steps on a single page. Two hand-drawn diagrams are included.
What you don't get is the bulged forward fuselage. However, the instructions do point out that this subtle feature could be replicated using your favorite modelling putty. This will only be complicated by the fact that the bulges don't show up terribly well in reference photos.
What you do get is very nice indeed.
Casting is flawless - no pinholes or other imperfections at all on my sample. VS10 blades are very thin and did not warp or bend on their journey from Georgia USA to Sydney Australia.
Engineering and fit is excellent. The radiator insert slips into the nose insert, which is grooved to fit inside the kit forward cowl part. It is simply not possible to fit this keyed part any way but the right way! I've dry-fitted this assembly, as well as the spinner, deck and supercharger intake. All parts fit perfectly - but make sure you take notice of the instructions advice not to cut all the excess resin from the front of the upper cowl deck..
The only tricky part of the conversion is the requirement to cut away the solid centre of Tamiya's open cowl flaps (Part F19). The instructions suggest a drum attachment on a motor tool for this job, but this will require a very delicate touch. I would suggest an alternative (and, yes, I have tried it). The centre of Tamiya's cowl flap part is a raised circle moulded on the front. Holding the cowl flap part upright and using a razor saw, carefully cut directly in front of the cowl flaps into this raised circle. Its a bit like cutting a very thin slice of carrot! The moulded circle is raised far enough so that the razor saw will cut right through. Once the circle is removed, clean up the edges with a sharp knife and the cowl flaps will fit over the ring radiator with no problem. The whole operation took about five minutes. This technique is more likely to leave both the plastic cowl flap and all your fingers intact!
By the way, the conversion is designed only for open cowl flaps - this will show off the subtle ribbing detail on the ring radiator. An alternate radiator insert for closed cowl flaps is available upon request.
C o n c l u s i o n |
This inexpensive conversion is a great first effort and an excellent basis for a late war Dora. It is certainly the only way to accurately represent the correct ring-style radiator. For a totally authentic D-11/12/13 the modeller will still have to build up the bulges on the fuselage. Alternatively, this conversion could be adapted to the KommanDeur resin D-11/12/13 nose, which includes the forward fuselage but not the later-style radiator!
Recommended for all late-war Luftwaffe aficionados.
Available items are a D-11 conversion for either the Tamiya or Trimaster/DML/Italeri
D-9 for $11.00 U.S.; and this D-13 conversion for either the Tamiya or
Trimaster/DML/Iltaleri for $10.00 U.S. Shipping and handling is $1.50 in the
U.S.A. and $2.50 elsewhere. Planned releases include a Fw 190D-15 conversion. Now there's
a tough looking aeroplane!
Enquiries or purchases can be made through
rstephen@hom.net
orThanks to Robert Stephenson for the sample.
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