News of Revell’s new budget priced but well detailed new 1/32nd
scale Focke Wulf FW-190 F8 came to favourable ears – we could always do with a
more affordable but accurate "Schlachter" – but would it be any good
to build? Let’s see as François has a go at Revell’s latest ‘190…
Focke Wulf Fw190 F-8
Manufacturer: Revell
Manufacturer: Revell
Kit No #04869
1/32nd scale
Injection moulded kit
Number of parts: 230
Number of liveries: 2 (Black 2 and Black 6 of SG10,1945,
Czech Territory)
Product Link
Product Link
When the Revell new tool 1/32 scale Focke Wulf Fw-190 was
announced, everyone had something to say about it, even before it hit the
shelves... But how about building one, wouldn’t that be something?
The feature set from Revell
- New mouldings - 201 parts in grey plastic; 12 clear styrene parts
- New mouldings - 201 parts in grey plastic; 12 clear styrene parts
- Finely detailed
surfaces with recessed panel joints
- A choice of open engine
cowling, MG hatch or extended flaps
- Super detailed BMW
801 radial engine with exhaust manifold
- Moving rudder and
ailerons
- Rotating propeller
- A choice of normal
or curved cockpit canopy
- Detailed cockpit
with side consoles and rudder pedals
- Detailed instrument
panel
- Tail wheel can be
mounted in either the retracted or extended position
- Detailed
under-carriage
- A SC 500 or a SC250
bomb under the fuselage
- Four SC 50 bombs
under the wings
- Two fully detailed
MG 131 machine guns
- Large display stand
with multiple flight positions
- Authentic decal set for following versions:
- Fw 190 F-8/R1,
black 6 , St.SG.10, Czech Territory, 1945
- Fw 190 F-8, black 2
, St.SG.10, Czech Territory, 1945
Revell picked the F-8 version of the Fw-190 for their new
1/32 scale release. A choice that not only offers quite a few interesting
possibilities when it comes to choosing liveries, but makes it also doable to
convert it into other types, like the A-8, A-8/R or A-7 quite easily. This new
Revell kit is slightly more expensive than their Bf-109 G-6 and G-10 releases,
but it comes with a highly detailed engine and let’s be honest: 40 euro is a
fair price for a good kit. But is it? We asked François to build it and here is
the building report!
The cockpit is very straight forward. The F-8 has quite a
simple cockpit, with very few instruments; Revell has reproduced this very
nicely. It is a matter of careful painting. The only thing that really needs to
be added are a set of seatbelts. Revell provides decal seatbelts, but those
won’t do, right?
With the painting and wash done, François used Revell’s new
weathering set of pigments. It contains six shades, which means that it can be
used on many colours. And it ensures some very subtle weathering! Coooool set
for not too much dineros...
Weathering Set (6 Pigments)
Product number #39066
Contains:
- Mud Green, Dark Brown, Rust Red, Sand Yellow, Deep Black & Snow White
The application of the pigments is easy, and the result
stunning. A set like this can be used on many builds. If you haven’t tried it,
give it a go!
The leather seating of the seat is provided in a separate
part. François painted it so it would look like used brown leather.
The cockpit fits perfectly inside the fuselage. The only
thing is, it’s a pity so much of it is barely visible. Fortunately you can
still see the front instrument panel.
The landing gear bay is very well detailed and the
construction shows the excellent engineering by Revell. Glue, paint and weathering
the bay is done in a flash.
Flaps are done in RLM
02 and weathered...
One of the truly marvellous parts of this new Fw-190 is
everything in front of the cockpit: the engine, the guns and everything beneath
it. The details are good, fit well and although super modellers will probably
add a lot of extra detail to this area though it looks pretty cool out of the box.
Time to get started on the engine! What can we say: there
are a lot of parts, it will take you some to build it, but it is worth all the effort?
The main parts are very nicely moulded. François started the
engine by giving these parts a coat of silver paint. This served as a base for
a first wash.
About a day’s work
later, this is what the engine looked like:
While recovering from all the engine work – slight exaggeration
of course, just inserting some drama into the report – the other parts were
prepared and painted.
One of the 4 engine cover doors and the starboard landing
gear door:
Revell put a lot of attention into all the parts of this kit
and apart from the engine, it really is a very easy one to build. The detail is
exactly what you can expect from a modern kit, like those gun barrels that are
hollow thanks to the slide mould technique. Here, more parts are waiting for
painting after they got a coat of primer.
The fuselage to wing joint doesn’t give the slightest
problem. Fit is about perfect and no filler was used. François wanted to show
the Butcher Bird with the top engine covers open, but in order to get the
camouflage right, he temporarily closed these covers for painting.
With all the major components glued, the masking done and
the kit cleaned, it was time to start the real challenge of any WWII Luftwaffe
kit: the painting!
This was truly the fun part of the build. Revell provides
two SG10 aircraft, both with a very distinguishable yellow band around the
nose. Francois chose for “Black 2”, which previously had another number, over-painted in rather dark RLM 70.
The belly of the Focke Wulf was painted in several shades of
RLM 76. See the weathering on the front end of the engine? On the centre line,
it carries a bomb, while underneath each wing a droptank has been mounted.
With the green-grey upper camouflage done, François painted
the wavy leading edge pattern by spraying some RLM 76. Not the easiest part of the painting process, but what a nice result!
The decals gave not the least problem. They are as always
with Revell decals very easy to use and settle in every detail, on any colour.
Like on the yellow painted rudder.
The engine fits like a glove inside the kit and those open
panels provide a nice look at all the detail provided out of the box. A very
impressive sight!
All it needed was a
couple of hinges to make it look even better!
And here she is all
finished: what a fantastic looking kit!
Time to give you our thoughts. Revell hasn’t disappointed us
with this new tool Focke Wulf in 1/32. It is a very impressive kit and well
worth the slightly higher price than we came to get used to from Revell. The
issues that some modellers had with this kit - like the bulges on the lower
engine covers or the vanes behind the engine on the aircraft's belly– are not
really issues. Some F-8’s have bulges in that shape, and the blisters can easily
be trimmed if you want to.
It is a great kit to build in 1/32: fit is really
impressive, as is the detail. Some modellers will find it a near perfect base
to do some super detailing of the engine and cockpit and some will probably
take the challenge of riveting the aircraft. This is a kit that can easily be
recommended.
And by the looks of it, other Fw-190 variants might see the
light of day as well. Let's hope so, especially at this price-point also.
Kit by François
Laloux
Our thanks to Revell
for sending us this very nice little kit! Revell model kits are available from
all good toy and model retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en
