Hasegawa 1/72 FW-190D-9 'The Fall of the Reich'

The Fw 190 D (nicknamed Dora; or Long-Nose Dora ("Langnasen-Dora") was intended as the high-altitude performance version of the A-series. It was powered by a supercharged Jumo 213 liquid cooled engine in place of the normal radial which necessitated a lengthening of the fuselage to maintain proper center of gravity. The main production version of the D model was the D-9. While intended as a high altitude bomber interceptor, the D-9 series was rarely used against heavy-bomber raids, as the circumstances of the war in late 1944 meant that fighter-versus-fighter combat and ground attack missions took priority. This model was the basis for the follow-on Focke-Wulf Ta 152 aircraft.

This is the second tooling of the FW-190D-9 done by Hasegawa. The earlier kit wasn't bad, but this aircraft and several other favorites were provided with new tooling in the late 1980s. That means the required engraved panel lines, optional bits for the head rest and canopy, and the interior that uses decals for instrument panels and side consoles. A drop tank and rack are also provided. Some 190D-9s were used in the fighter bomber role, but not often and no bomb or bomb rack is included. Thanks to Hasegawa's penchant for putting all the bits in one bag, mine had several pieces knocked off the sprue and the pitot tube had been broken off the wing tip. I'll leave it to the rivet counters to tell you if the kit has any accuracy problems, but it looks just fine to me. As usual the interior uses decals and could use a harness for the seat.

The instructions are well done and typically use Gunze paints for the color references. Both aircraft have separate windscreen/canopies so you can pose them open. You are provided with both styles of canopy depending on the markings option you choose. The kit comes with standard instructions with an addendum sheet included. One is the box art plane from 2./JG 6. The other is 'white 16' from an unspecified unit. Both are painted in late war colors. Decals are nicely done but are 'old school' where the whites are off-white.

CONCLUSIONS

This is a very nice kit and like all of Hasegawa's 1/72 kits can be made into an equally nice model. There are lots of aftermarket bits for it as well if you want to spend more $$ on it. It is one I can recommend to nearly all skill levels.

March 2022

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