Sheet:

Aeromaster 48-431 for Fw-190:
Butcher Birds Pt VII

Units: JG 2, 26 & 54

Price

£5.75

Reviewer:

Peter Marshall

 

 You know what it's like, you go into the shop for one thing and you come out with a lot more besides.  I wanted a tin of RLM66, I ended up with the paint, some glue, two Squadron Canopies and this decal sheet.  I shouldn't have been flicking through them, but I did, and I saw the picture and had to have it.

 It was the unusual JG54 scheme that caught my eye (though the winter JG54 bird was also quite pretty) but when I opened the packet for a closer look the scheme that sealed the deal was the one for Gallands A-6. I'm a sucker for anything he flew.  So that was at least three I was going to have to do from this sheet so I had to have it!  Anyway, on with the details:

 There are five aircraft on this sheet, mostly in the usual 74/75/76 with one notable exception!

 The first scheme is for an A-4 of I./JG26 flown by Oberleutnant Johannes Seifert.  It has some light mottling on the sides, yellow lower cowl and rudder and 34 kill markings on the tail.

 Second is another A-4 of JG54, this time the aircraft of Hannes Trautloft.  It's in the standard 74/75/76 with yellow lower cowl, wing tips and fuselage band but with patchy white temporary winter camouflage.  It carries the Green Heart with the emblems of I., II. and III./JG54 on both sides.  Worthy of note is that there are THREE ways to do this!  All in one, a three part decal consisting of a white heart, a green heart and the badges or a FOUR part decal of the white heart, the green heart, the coloured part of the badges and the black part of the badges!  On my sheet the single decal option looks to be in perfect register, but it's very thoughtful. 

 Third is the A-4 of Major Hubertus von Bonin of JG54.  I'm a sucker for Gallands a/c but also for wacky schemes (I WILL make that D-13 soon) and this is a pretty one.  The guide says the colours are "unspecified greens", possibly 82 and 83, and brown, possibly 79 (or maybe 79/80/83) on the uppers and 76 underside.  Even more yellow on this one, spinner tip, lower cowl, wing tips, rudder and fuselage band.  And two choices of colour for the number 5 on the cowling, very thoughtful again.

 Number four is the A-6 of Adolf Galland, a much more standard scheme of 74/75/76 but with extensive (and rather attractive) mottling in 75.  Only yellow under cowl here, but one other thing worth pointing out.  The fuselage crosses on this a/c are filled with 74, but rather than supply pre filled crosses that might not match the 74 you use on the rest of the a/c Aeromaster have supplied a small sheet of paper with crosses marked for you to use as masks with the paint of your choice.  It gets better and better. 

Finally we have the A-8 of Kurt Buhligen.  Here the 74/75 covers more or less the whole side of the fuselage, the black area round the exhaust has a thin white stripe (which I think will be a bit tricky), yellow under cowl and rudder, white spinner spiral and unusual chevrons.  And 76 undersides.

 All in all a VERY nice sheet I think and, without spending too much time checking all the various combinations of the crosses, I think you should be able to do at least three of the a/c off the sheet as it is.  And I'm sure if you wanted to do more your spare decals would provide.  And you'll have to dig in your decals anyway as there is no stenciling provided at all.  As for suitable kits, with the Dragon A-4 currently OOP (I understand) I guess it's the Tamiya A-3 with a few mods for those a/c and one of the A-8s for the A-8 and Gallands A-6, again with a few mods.  Nothing too taxing, as far as I know.

 Gripes?  Just the one.  I get very uptight about having to guess what the other side of an a/c looked like.  And this is especially an issue with the 79/80/83 scheme.  We have the starboard wing upper and starboard fuselage side.  I NEED MORE!  Maybe it's not available, in which case that's fine, just tell me that so I don't spend weeks looking for it.  But that's my only complaint, otherwise I'm a happy camper. (Late note: Sundin and Bergstrom's "Aircraft of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces" has a photo of the right side of this aircraft undergoing maintenance)
 

 Review sheet courtesy my wallet and one of my local(ish) model shops (MR and ME, Kempston near Bedford, England).

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