Tamiya 1/48th Fw190A-3, JG26, 1942 ETO
The Fw-190 was a fearsome fighter in the hands of skillful pilots such as Josef "Pips" Priller. As Hptmn with JG26 in the summer of 1942 flying the A-3 variant of the 190. JG26 converted to the more capable Fw-190 replacing the 109's in early 1942. The A-3 was more capable than the Spitfire MkVb then in service with the RAF. Hptmn Priller was commander of the 3rd Gruppe, flying out of the Wewelgem aerodrome in Belgium. 58 kills at the time this "Butcher Bird" is featured. Priller went on to add to his kill totals. Surviving the war, flew 307 combat missions with a tally of 101 confirmed kills. All in the western front. Priller stood at 5'4" jovial and well liked by his men who served under him. Josef Priller died in 1961 to a heart attack.
The Tamiya kit is much easier to build compared to the Dragon/Trimaster series of Fw-190's. Yet the detail is just as delicate and petite on the Tam kit just not as fiddly. The landing gear is also more accurate in the stance of the aircraft compared to the Dragon version. Using Eduards zoom set for the cockpit, Print Scale decal set #48-015 for Hptmn Priller's A-3. Using Polly Scale (wish it was Polly S) acrylics for the RLM 74/75/76 for the standard scheme, with RLM 02 and 04 to complete the detail colors. Testor Black and Oily black was used for the Hubs and tires. Print Scale decals are not as easy to use as say Aeromaster, Super Scale as they tend to stick once you apply them, so I found that by adding a little dish wash detergent in the water it helped to float the decals in place before they settled down. Otherwise they are quite difficult to move around once they are on. Keep the surface very wet. Kit #61037, another nice straight forward kit to build of a WWII Luftwaffe fighter. Thanks for viewing.
Chuck
Fly Navy
Very nice pair of wulfs, they both look ready to go after a Lancaster or superfort
Thanks Vince, Priller did shoot down 11 USAAF heavy bombers, but amazingly no Lancs!. Happy Easter
Chuck, really like your FW, very well done. You may find this as hard to believe as I do, I do not have any of these on the shelf "weird huh". If I may make one suggestion, try a different colored background for a little better contrast. I use a poster size sheet of paper that I painted grey and another one that's off white. Easy and cheap, and will really bring out your work ! Good job on this.
Thanks Terry, working on that but for now I make do with what I have in the mean time. Are you referring to the Tam Fw-190's or Fw-190's in general?
Nice build, Chuck...can't go wrong with anything that says Tamiya on the box. ๐
Since Terry brought it up, I tend to agree with the photography standpoint. An "uncluttered" background will really make your work 'pop out'.
Besides, we've seen your house before. LOL ๐
Tamiya kits are nice to build if you want to just to get a plane together without too much fuss. Especially if your working on a labor intensive kit or doing a modification which leads to major surgery. But still even in sports you may be 10-0 and playing a win less team, you still need to play the game not just show up and be awarded the win. At times you can do an oops on a kit that is normally a hassle free build, so the challenge is to hone your skills to prepare for one that will make you pull your hair out.
Another very good quality build from you, Chuck, and the background info and build tips are just right, informative and to the point (some people's posts just go on a little bit too long!). As to the photography, I know that you, like me, like to take the pictures outdoors using natural light, so maybe you can experiment with the aperture setting on your camera to throw the background out of focus, just a thought, please don't take it as a criticism (it took me a couple of goes before I spelt that correctly!).
Thank you George, your correct being in So Cal with amazing natural light all year around is perfect for outdoor photography. Though I do need to improve the settings, however I do with what I have presently.
Great detail in the cockpit, awesome paint scheme.
Thanks Robert, one of the nice results in doing Luftwaffe aircraft, is the number of schemes available for the same type.
Very nice looking Butcher birds. Photography is not my hobby and like you I have to make do with what I have. However, some modelers spend a lot of money on fancy cameras and imaging software that even allows you to manipulate errors. On another model forum this was discussed at length as to how model magazines would manipulate images to hide mistakes on a model. I think you did a superb job on this project. Just invest in a cheap black or white sheet of paper as a background and use that nice Southern Cal sunshine earl in the morning or late afternoon. Cheers mate!
Thanks Morne, photography is one I am not an expert, but I have taken thousands of photographs over my lifetime, and yet I am still consider myself an amateur which is ok by me. Still have my trusty Canon AE-1 haven't used it in years. The new digi cameras set themselves basically just point and shoot. Honestly I would rather build then spend anytime setting up a shoot.
Lovely clean build, Chuck. Previous comments re background for photos very helpful - a quick and easy way to improve presentation (I keep a couple of pieces of dark grey poster board handy as background as it's cheap and doesn't reflect back any light, which keeps the model the focus of attention.).
Once again, nice work.
Thanks Rob I do appreciate the tips.
Great looking build! And you're right about schemes to choose from - I've only build one 190 thus far, but there are so many great-looking schemes that I want several more to add to the display cases!
One of the fascinating Luftwaffe fighters of WWII that really got my attention. As a teenager. The very first one I built was the Otaki 48th scale 190. This is only the 3rd one I had the pleasure to build. I will build the F-8 later in the year.
I've been building models for 37 years, and I've never built, much less bought an FW-190. Now I'm going to buy one of these Tamiya kits and build it.
About as long as I have Frank. I'm not surprised as there are so many. I have never built an F-101, though I have one in the stash to build, Over the years I have accumulated quite a few planes that I have never built before. Many in the Soviet block, and some quite well known. And time is so fleeting. You will enjoy the Tam kit.
Chuck, the A-3 was the first combat ready version, and gave the RAF fits, 'til the Spit V came out. The Abbeville boys the Eagles and Closterman talked about. Tamiyas isn't as fiddly as DMLs (multi piece nose), or Eduards later versions (good boogamooga).
And it was very effective right off the bat. I have built the DML kit, which is quite fussy but fun to build, haven't checked out Eduards, Hasegawa or Fujimi's or for that matter any others
Chuck, I started out on the Aurora FW, the black one. I never could get the gear right, and at the time the wing was a solid piece. My solution was "more glue", which gave mixed results. Looked like it had rickets. Then the Monogram multi kit, which is supposedly a -5. What an improvement.
The modern stuff is beyond belief, comparitively, but complicated. The Tamiyas and the Otaki/Arii/Airfix are the simplest to build. Lots of color schemes.
What's not to like about an FW 190 flown by Pips Priller..Nothing! Great job on your Butcher Bird Chuck-Thanks for posting it.