Fw 190 D-9 Hasegawa 1/32

[stona]

With the PCM "Anton" on hold I've decided to start this project.

I'll be using this kit as a basis for my subject.



I'm not 100% sure which aircraft I'll be doing but I'm leaning towards one of the victims of Bodenplatte flown by Dieter Krageloh. There's a few pictures of the aircraft (in a bit of a mess!) and a good back story. I've been meaning to make either Krageloh's or Theo Niebel's aircraft for a while as a sort of Bodenplatte project..

Importantly there's not much to do to the kit to make Krageloh's Mimetall built D-9 from it.

I will return to the PCM Anton. If I can't get the missing bits from PCM I'll raid them from the spares or another kit

Cheers

Steve

 

[Vaughan]

Looks like an interesting build Steve.

 

[tecdes]

A question Steve which I keeps arising.

What is your passion with German aircraft based on ?

This may have been posed before if so I must have missed it. My passion is RAF probably as I was born into the Spitfire age where every boy charged around the play ground with arms flung wide as a Spitfire in a full speed diving twisting manouvre.

Laurie

 

[stona]

A question Steve which I keeps arising.What is your passion with German aircraft based on ?

Laurie

Initially I think it stems from the camouflage and markings which are far more varied and interesting than their allied counterparts. When I first got an airbrush I realised that I could represent these reasonably well. I couldn't do it with a brush, which says more about my lack of brush painting skills than anything else

I had just started modelling seriously the first time around as a lot of the early research into the Luftwaffe and its aircraft was starting to be published. Unlike today the Luftwaffe was very much a "minority sport" and those first generation researchers deserve a lot of credit for changing that. Much of what they did stands up quite well 30-40 years later.

As far as the history goes I get very frustrated with the myths and always try and understand the realities. Specifically for the Luftwaffe I think it goes back to a traditional sympathy for the under dog and an admiration for what some of these men did as they were overwhelmed by vastly superior opposition in the East and West. That does NOT translate in an admiration for the system they were fighting for, which is an entirely different thing.

I've more or less decided to do Krageloh's aircraft, and the story of his contribution (or non-contribution!) to operation Bodenplatte sums it up. Happily he did survive and went on to be a successful architect. I'll tell his story to go with the model of his aeroplane.

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

I've made a start.

The gubbins (basically the a*se end of the engine) which will be visible from underneath and the pilot. He looks like a victim of the French revolution but I do have a head for him!



Cheers

Steve

 

[tr1ckey66]

Hi Steve

If your previous D9 is anything to go by then this is going to be special.

Cheers P

 

[Vaughan]

Steve, all's looking good

Your on this one with a mission I think Roman has got competition. This your second build in under a month!

 

[stona]

Definitely on a mission. When I am at home I can really get stuck in!

Here's somewhere for the pilot to sit.



Absolutely minimal weathering, just a bit of dry brushing. I haven't used the decals on the side consoles, just a bit of "toothpick painting". We know from the werknummer that this aircraft was built in mid December 1944 and shot down on 1st January 1945 on what was very possibly its first operational flight.

Cheers

Steve

 

[BarryW]

I look forward to watching this build, Steve. I have in mind a Hassy 190D at some point - when I get through most of my current growing stash that is....

 

[stona]

I put the pilot in and zipped up the fuselage last night.



It's at times like this one wonders why one bothers painting the detail in the cockpit. I even cut out individual instrument decals an applied them to the panel. I'd forgotten just how little is visible in a Fw 190 cockpit, particularly with a pilot fitted!

Oh well, on to the wings

Cheers

Steve

 

[tr1ckey66]

Wow, you're steaming through this build!

The pilot is obscuring quite a bit of the detail and with the canopy (buttoned up?) there will be even less to see. Still you know it's there.

How many FW190s do you have now?

ATB

Paul

 

[stona]

How many FW190s do you have now?

ATB

Paul

Mmmmmmm a few!

If you include a Ta 152 I've got only two on display, but there's four of five up in the loft. I haven't seen the Dora I built on here for a while so it might have been scrapped.

Of course I'll have another one when I start the PCM "Anton", but I might have to nick a canopy off one of the others as I've had no response to my query.....yet.

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

Quick update at close of play today, though I notice the Aussies are still piling on the runs at the Oval!

This afternoon I have attached the wings.





Not much to fettle as the fit is very good.

Cheers

Steve

 

[flyjoe180]

Those pesky Aussies. Nice progress Steve, that cockpit is a tight fit for your pilot.

 

[stona]

Did a bit of an oil wash in the undercarriage bays. Some stuff must have come off the engine, even in a handful of flights.



Stuck the bits on the front and back which transform this into a D-9.



Just a tiny bit of superglue/talc in the wing roots. You can just about see it on the starboard side.

Cheers

Steve

 

[tr1ckey66]

Great progress Steve the fit of the parts looks excellent. I'm glad as this is another kit awaiting my attention in the wardrobe!

It's a shame about the Dora you did for the GB if it has been scrapped - that model was excellent. Just out of interest, how many 1/32 models do you have for display. I'm imagining quite an impressive collection in both quality and number!

Cheers

P

BTW - the Oval pitch seems as flat as an ironed flat thing, and with a bit of weather it seems like the draw is nailed on. Still, lovely to listen to Aggers, Blowers even Geoffrey on TMS whilst sticking bits of plastic together. Two activities made for each other!

 

[stona]

I have about a dozen on two large glass shelves in the front room and a couple in the backroom (which is our main living room). The rest are stored in those big plastic tubs you can get from the pound store in the loft. I store them on a wing tip and make custom cardboard dividers. The really big ones (like a 1/32 Ju 88) have their own boxes. The idea is to rotate them, but I rarely go up there so it doesn't really happen

As for cricket and model building, I couldn't agree more, even if it was a bit slow today.

Cheers

Steve

 

[flyjoe180]

The landing gear bays are looking superb Steve.

 

[stona]

I've started painting the rather complicated underside. All the following have been worked out from the extant B+W photos and the British Crashed Enemy Aircraft Report.

These aircraft were built from sub assemblies manufactured by various contractors. Hence the blue/grey version of RLM 76 on the bottom of the "Triebwerk" which is the engine assembly or power egg which came from Junkers. A similar colour is on the ailerons.

Most of the lower fuselage is in a yellow/green version of RLM 76, including the fuselage extension. The empennage is in a slightly different, darker version of the same, as it came from a sub contractor. The rudder, yet to be painted, will be in a pale, whiteish, version of RLM 76.

The rest of the wing under surface is in natural metal, though the front 1/4 (roughly, back to the line where the greenish RLM 76 starts) will be in a dark green upper surface colour, RLM 83, which wrapped around. Something like this.



That I will apply when I paint the upper surfaces.

The natural metal is Alclad II. I've no idea how to photograph this, the wing that is not catching the light gives a better impression of what it actually looks like!



This is one of the reasons I enjoy these late war Luftwaffe subjects

Cheers

Steve

 

[tr1ckey66]

Cool.

A real patchwork quilt, it's great when research shows in the paintwork. Top notch stuff.

Paul