Kit: Fw-190A-3

Scale: 1/48

Kit Number: 61037

Manufacturer: Tamiya

Price: $34.00

Media: Injected plastic

Decals : Three schemes, all in 74/75/76

Accuracy: see review

Overall: see review

Another photo at the bottom of the review

Comments: This is one of Tamiya's more recent releases and I can only look forward to more. The kit was a joy to build with a level of accuracy that puts Tamiya in the forefront of model technology. The only gripe might be the very thick decals, but that is what earns money for the aftermarket folks.

As should be expected, all the panel lines are engraved and they match from one side to the other. The fit is as good as it gets. Other reviews had complained about the wing fit and so I filed down the top of the wheelwells to ensure a good fit. There was also some complaints about the gun openings not matching, but I found no problem there. Where I did find some work necessary was with the wing root area. I assembled the wings prior to attaching them to the fuselage and had to file the wings at the root to get a nice tight fit. There needs to be care taken to attach the engine cowling to prevent a step and I did have to do some sanding to remove a slight lip.

The kit includes a separate canopy/windscreen and a great interior. Care needs to be taken when masking for the paint scheme and some would recommend not attaching the cowling until after, but then one would have to repaint when the cowling is glued and sanded. Another small complaint is that the inner gear doors (unique to early 190s) are molded in a very non-standard up position. It is probably to keep wing stiffness, but I would like the option to have them down. I did not cut them out as I generally make a mess of this kind of work.

I used aftermarket decals from Aeromaster and they worked just beautifully. After then dirtying up the aircraft with pastel exhaust and gun stains, it joined some of its compatriots on the shelf. I highly recommend this kit and look forward to building some other Tamiya kits.