The history of the Fw-190 series of fighters has been told ad nauseum so I'll limit this to the variant in question. The Fw-190A-9 fighter was a development of the very successful A-8 that had been in service since late 1943. The major difference in the type was that it had a 2,000 hp BMW 801F engine and also had armored leading edges to the wings. This was so that the airplane could be used in ramming tactics to use the wings to cut off sections of Allied bomber flight surfaces, such as a stabilizer or wing section. Two subvariants were the /R11 with  a turbosupercharged BMW 801 TS engine and the /R12 with 30mm cannon in the outer wings.

The Fw-190 A-8 and A-9 were also built in ground attack variants, the F-8 and F-9. These planes were reinforced for wing racks mounted on the outer sections of the underside of the wings and could carry a variety of weapons including the R4M unguided rockets, W/Gr 28 rocket tubes, antipersonel bombs and other nasties. The F-9 differed in that it was powered by the BMW 801 TS engine like the A-9. This required a cooling fan with 14 instead of 12 blades and a propeller with wider blades than that carried on the A/F-8 versions. The F-9 started coming off the production lines in October of 1944. In January of 1945, all new 190s were fitted with the larger 'blown' hood, with many earlier machines being retrofitted. Most 190F-9s were used on the eastern front against the Soviets. It is unsure how many F-9 versions were actually built, but it is probable that the number was actually rather small.

If you have seen the Hasegawa Fw-190A-8 kit of about 15 years or so ago, then you have seen this kit. It is typical Hasegawa in that it has finely engraved panel detailing, separate prop blades, a fair interior that uses decals for the instrument panel and side consoles. It is also able to have either a drop tank or bomb on the centerline. For the F version, you can have bomb racks on the undersides of the outer wings. The kit instructions would have you remove the small underwing bulges for the outer wing guns and have you fill in the gun ports, which are not used in the A-9/R11 or the F-9 variant.  Included in the kit are new, wider prop blades and a new 14 blade cooling fan, both done in metal.

The instructions are all that you have come to expect from Hasegawa. They are well done and give you all you need to build the kit. Color references are for Gunze paints. You get two marking schemes for this kit. For the A-9 you can do a bird from II./JG301 in the 74/75/76 scheme that is so common on FW-190As. This one has a red/yellow fuselage band. Interestingly, the cover artwork shows this plane in late war colors of 81/82/76 so the choice is really yours! The F-9 is in 82/75/76 with a yellow nose ring and is the technical officer's plane from an unknown unit. Decals are typical Hasegawa in that they are a bit thick, but should be OK if you use caution applying them. A swastika is supplied with the sheet.

This kit has been out of the catalog for a few years, but shouldn't be impossible to find. It also looks as if it will build into a very nice model.

German Aircraft of the Second World War by JR Smith & Anthony Kay, 1978
Monogram Closeup #8, Fw-190F, by Gebhard Aders, 1986

Review kit courtesy of me and my wallet!

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