1/72 IBG Fw 190D-9 Early Production

[Thunnus]

It's been a while hasn't it? September 2021 was the last time I spent working on a model.  And even before that, I was struggling to maintain the desire to build models.  The Me163 project was SUPPOSED to get me back on the path but it didn't work out that way.  My in-progress builds, including the Me163, aren't calling out to me but I want to give modeling another shot.  So I'm going start a brand new project.

 

 

This kit fits the bill in a couple of different ways.  First of all, the Dora is my favorite aircraft and a new tool kit of a D-9, in any scale, holds interest for me.  Secondly, that scale.  1/72... the one and only true scale... braille scale.  Whatever you call it, it is much smaller than what I am used to dealing with and I thought it would be a good challenge.  A small (and possibly quick) build using a modern tool kit of my favorite aircraft is the plan.  Gonna try to keep it simple and build it out-of-the-box as much as possible.

 

So let's take a closer look at the kit, shall we?  IBG is smaller model company producing smaller scale aircraft and armor kits out of Poland.  They are an entirely new entity to me and so I'm curious to see what an IBG model looks like.  The kit is attractively packaged in a bigger than expected, top-opening box. 88 plastic parts molded in a neutral grey plastic, 5 clear parts and 50 photo-etch pieces make for what I am assuming to be a fairly complex kit for 1/72 scale.

 

There are 16 pages of instructions including full color profiles of three marking choices... all early production WNr 210xxx aircraft.

 

 

There two small decal sheets included in the kit.  One provides the markings for the three 210xxx aircraft.  The second is reserved for generic stencil data and also includes decals for the instrument panels. I am going to scan the markings decal just in case I need to create masks.

 

 

No resin parts are included in the kit but it does come with a substantial photoetch fret of small details including the seat harnesses.

 

 

There are four clear canopies provided.  Open and closed versions of the earlier flat and later blown canopies.  The Fw190 canopies were flexible and were pinched narrower as the canopies slid backwards into the open position and IBG has elected to provide for that little detail.

 

 

Before I get into the main plastic sprues, here is a size comparison between the Hasegawa 1/32 D-9 and IBG 1/72 D-9 wings... what am I getting myself into???

 

 

To be continued...

[Thunnus]

Continuing on with a look at the kit's main plastic sprues.  Here are the lower wings by themselves...

 

 

The molding detail is incredibly delicate and refined. IBG elected to portray full rivet detail on the exterior surfaces, which is probably a controversial choice.  The 1/32 Hasegawa D-9 kit (2003) does not portray any rivet detail while the newer 1/48 Eduard D-9 (2010) shows partial rivet detail.  IBG goes the whole hog here.  As a modeler who prefers surface detail over a featureless surface and manually applies full rivets to my 1/32 and 1/48 scale builds, I don't know if this is the correct choice at this smaller scale.  I think it looks ok and is not a deal breaker in my eyes.  To see what these rivets look like after painting is one of the reasons I bought this kit.

 

 

Multiple versions of the Dora are planned by IBG and this first release gives us the early, 5-piece, gun cowling. Note the openings for the gun barrels... IBG provides the gun barrels as separate parts!

 

 

The upper wing parts are provided on a separate sprue and are similarly detailed.

 

 

The very fine pitot tube is molded onto the upper starboard wing and is already bent.  It will need to be cut off prior to construction, stored in a safe place and re-attached after painting.  Typically, I would replace the plastic pitot with brass tubing but it may be too fine to do that.

 

 

The fuselage halves include the tail so any future release of the "big tail" late production D-9 will have to include full fuselage replacements.

 

 

Another interesting feature of this kit is that IBG chose to include a FULL Jumo 213 engine while providing no option for open engine cowlings.  However, the bottom rear of the engine IS visible through the wheel well and IBG goes one step beyond Hasegawa and Eduard in providing more than just that rear portion of the engine.

 

 

The exhausts are molded separately.  The ends are solid and should be hollowed out but is it possible at this tiny scale?

 

 

The D-9 cockpit is fairly simple and IBG provides a one-piece cockpit tub including the side panels and the rear decking.

 

 

No option for open radiator cowling flaps.  Only a closed-flaps version is supplied.

 

 

The landing gear legs look long and wispy. The coil spring on the leg actuator is a nice touch.

 

 

A few options on this last sprue including two choices for the drop tank, three different spinners and three, for what appear to be, engine support arms.

 

 

Instead of wheel well inserts, IBG is representing this area using molded details in the upper and lower wing parts and this wing spar part, which also provides some reference for establishing the correct wing dihedral.

 

 

The left-most spinner is appropriate for the D-9 which lacked a gun firing through the spinner.

 

 

The instrument panel features some raised detail for painting but I'll probably just apply the decals on the IP and side panels and call it good.

 

Stay tuned for step 1, which is NOT the cockpit for once. 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Thunnus

[Wurgermeister64]

Hey Thunnus,

 

Thanks for the review. I was considering getting the kit, and the D-9 is also a favorite of mine too. I am really looking forward to your build of the subject matter. I am sure it will be exemplary!

[Uncarina]

Welcome back John! It’s great to see you here and I hope this build rekindles the modeling mojo! Thanks for the preview. That 1/72 kit packs better features than many 1/32 and 1/48 counterparts.  

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Thunnus]

3 hours ago, Wurgermeister64 said:

Hey Thunnus,

 

Thanks for the review. I was considering getting the kit, and the D-9 is also a favorite of mine too. I am really looking forward to your build of the subject matter. I am sure it will be exemplary!

 

Thank you Wurgermeister64!  Is 64 your birth year?  If so, we are the same age!  The kit looks very nice and I'm looking forward to putting it together.  Hopefully, it'll look like a proper Dora when I'm done!

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Uncarina said:

Welcome back John! It’s great to see you here and I hope this build rekindles the modeling mojo! Thanks for the preview. That 1/72 kit packs better features than many 1/32 and 1/48 counterparts.  

 

Cheers,  Tom

 

Thanks Tom!  I hope so too!  Yeah, very surprised at the level of detail that is packed into this tiny model!  But then again, I've seen photoetched detail sets for 1/144 aircraft!

 

Step 1, per the kit instructions, is the Jumo 213 engine.  Normally, I like my builds buttoned up with no open panels and I will not deviate from that norm on this build.  But since the exhausts are mounted on the engine and portions of the engine will be visible from the wheel well, I'll have to assemble the engine at least and do a little painting.

But first, the exhausts.  On my 1/32 scale builds, I usually start by hollowing out the ends of the exhausts but these are REALLY small.

 

 

Using my normal procedure, but on a much smaller scale, I drilled a couple of holes into the end one exhaust and then tried to gouge out plastic between the holes by very careful cutting and scraping.  Hmmm... I guess it's do-able.

 

 

I usually employ a set of 3 holes on my 1/32 exhausts but these only required two.  That made the work relatively quick, to my surprise.

 

 

This should work just fine!

 

 

Encouraged by this work, I chugged ahead and put together the main body of the engine. It is surprisingly well-detailed and complex for such a small model.  Including the exhausts, the engine is comprised of EIGHTEEN parts!

 

[Citadelgrad]

Glad i clicked on the non lsp section and saw this, John.  Nice to see you back at the bench.  

[dodgem37]

Good on you.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[Thunnus]

11 hours ago, Citadelgrad said:

Glad i clicked on the non lsp section and saw this, John.  Nice to see you back at the bench.  

 

Thanks Bill!  It's been a while since touching some plastic but it feels nice again.  Hopefully, this will mark the beginning of more building!  I'll have to jump over to the Works In Progress forum to check up on your Jug!

 

 

 

8 hours ago, dodgem37 said:

Good on you.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

 

Thanks Mark!  It's gotta be done right?

[Thunnus]

1 hour ago, MARU5137 said:

Hello John,  

 

Glad to see you back on the modelling bench.

Neat .

 

Thank you very much!  I hope you enjoy following the build!

 

After hollowing out the exhausts, my thoughts drifted over to the gun barrels, which are significantly smaller than the exhausts.

 

 

Looking at the kit parts, I noticed that one of the wing MG151 20mm cannon barrels were already bent.  

 

 

Since the wing cannons are simply hollow tubes, I thought that brass tube could be used to make quick replacements.  Using the unbent kit gun as a template, I cut two sections of Albion slide-fit brass tubing (1.0mm and 0.8mm) for each barrel.

 

 

The MG131 13mm cannons mounted over the engine aren't as easily replaceable since the barrel ends feature a conical section.  The kit barrels are not perfectly round due to the seam imperfection and hollowing out the ends gave a slightly messy result.

 

 

Gotta put the thinking cap on to see how to proceed.  There might be a chance that the kit parts could be cleaned up and made to look presentable but you can only do so much hollowing out before you start losing the exterior surface of the barrel.

And there is this option by Master to consider...

 

 

Pretty cheap as far as aftermarket price is concerned.  Would be less than $8 shipped.  I think I just talked myself into ordering it!

[scvrobeson]

Good to see you back at it John. Was hoping that everything was okay on your end.

 

Was hoping someone would start one of these new Doras, they do look great on the sprue. I'm sure you'll do your normal masterful job on it.

 

 

Matt

[Thunnus]

2 hours ago, scvrobeson said:

Good to see you back at it John. Was hoping that everything was okay on your end.

 

Was hoping someone would start one of these new Doras, they do look great on the sprue. I'm sure you'll do your normal masterful job on it.

 

 

Matt

Thanks Matt!  Everything is a-ok on my end, fortunately.  Just haven't been in the model-making mode, that's all.

 

Presenting the Jumo 213 engine.  It's a jewel of an assembly.  Eighteen parts and they go together quite nicely.  The pics make it look like a respectable rendition in 1/48 scale.

 

 

But this Jumo 213 fits on the pad of my index finger!

 

 

The engine is not completely glued but I've temporarily cobbled the sub-assemblies together using Blue Tack.  The question running through my head now is... should I add some wiring???  I really wanted to keep this build simple but the old tendencies seem to be kicking in.

[crobinsonh]

Fabulous work as usual.

[Shawn M]

for the conical barrel tips, try flaring some of your albion tubes with a nail, tack etc

kit looks really nice, especially in this scale!

[Wurgermeister64]

Very impressive work in a scale difficult to work with. Thunnus, you got your MOJO back-YEAH, BABY!!! 

[Thunnus]

23 hours ago, crobinsonh said:

Fabulous work as usual.

Thank you very much!

 

 

16 hours ago, Shawn M said:

for the conical barrel tips, try flaring some of your albion tubes with a nail, tack etc

kit looks really nice, especially in this scale!

Great tip but I think that's beyond me at this scale.  I ordered the Master brass barrels and they should be arriving this coming week.

 

 

15 hours ago, Wurgermeister64 said:

Very impressive work in a scale difficult to work with. Thunnus, you got your MOJO back-YEAH, BABY!!! 

Thanks!  Hope I can keep the mojo going!

 

 

I performed a round of dry-fitting just to see the view into the engine compartment from the wheel wells.  Although there is opportunity to add detail in there, it would be a bit tricky since the engine bulkhead is built into the wingspar. This forces construction to occur in an order that makes adding detail harder than if the engine compartment was totally separate.

 

 

Overall, the fit seems to be VERY good and I don't foresee any problems.

 

 

I thought it would be a nice touch to open up the wing ejection ports.

 

 

A rotary tool like this David Union 300 makes things much easier.  I can grind the plastic down from the interior side to make cutting easier.

 

 

And then... my camera broke!  Some sort of lens error that doesn't seem fixable.  So I just put in an order for a replacement.  I hate using my DSLR for bench progress photography but I guess I'll have to while I wait for the new camera.