The Fw-190A-8 Wurger was the most-produced sub-type of the radial engined Anton series of Kurt Tank’s classic design. Introduced into production at the end of 1943, it featured the increased armament of the Fw-190A-7, with the fuselage-mounted 7.7mm machine guns replaced by 13mm MG 131 weapons, with four MG 151 20mm cannon mounted in the wings.  With minor modifications for heavier armament for the bomber-destroyer role, this aircraft would serve until the end of the war on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

THE KIT

Editor's Note: I've shown the unique sprues to the A-8 variant. The others are identical to the 190D-9 kit.

     Hasegawa’s 1/32 Fw-190D-9 is rightly acclaimed as the best Langnasen-Dora kit currently available.  This kit of the Fw-190A-8 takes its place as the best kit of the radial-engine variant currently available.

      The kit shows the influence of the 1/48 DML Fw-190 kits in the design of the engine cowling; however, this cowling looks to be far easier to assemble than the DML offering.  The kit shares the same wing and undercarriage assembly - other than having a completely enclosed wheel well - with the earlier Dora kit, which means it is virtually foolproof when it comes to getting the gear legs installed at the correct angles.  The cockpit is sparse in comparison with what one can get in resin aftermarket sets, but given that the cockpit is not that visible once completed, it is more than adequate for all but the most addicted resin-a-holic. The only aftermarket bit I could suggest would be the Cutting Edge posable resin seat belts, since the seat is the most-visible item in the cockpit in the completed model.  The windshield and flat-top canopy are very clear and of scale thickness.

      The kit provides both lower wing ejection chutes for the 20mm MG 151 cannons and the 30mm MK 108.  This means that a modeler would not have great difficulty in turning the kit into an Fw-190A-8/R2 Sturmbock for those who can’t wait for Hasegawa to re-release the kit in that version in coming months.

      Given the engineering of the kit, it would be surprising if the earlier A-3/4 and A-5/6 versions will not be released.  That is almost a foregone conclusion when one looks at Hasegawa’s policy of maximizing mold use over all versions of any airplane they decide to produce in model form.  Since the “Rudel version” of the Dora-9 kit includes the 50-kg bombs and racks, the Fw-190F-8 will also be on the release schedule.

      Decals are provided for two aircraft, that flown by Leutnant Hans Dortenmann of 2./JG54 during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944, and the Anton-8 flown by Feldwebel Rudolf Artner of 9./JG5 in Norway during early 1945.  These are the new-style Hasegawa decals where the white is really white, rather than ivory, making the decals very useable.  Those who are challenged in painting and masking the Reichverteidigung bands will be happy to know that decals are provided for these items.

 

CONCLUSIONS

     The Fw-190 in all its variations is my favorite Luftwaffe subject.  Hasegawa provides a kit that is good enough out of the box that any modeler who wants to build multiple copies for the different markings that will soon be available from aftermarket decal companies can do so in the knowledge that they will not be breaking the piggy bank at the very reasonable price of 4200 Yen, and that the completed result will be a very good-looking model.

      Hasegawa’s 1/32 scale kits are definitely tempting me into the dark side of Big Models.  Highly recommended.

 Review Kit courtesy of Hobby Link Japan - http://www.hlj.com