Hasegawa 1/32 Fw 190D-9 Late "Brown 4"

[Thunnus]

Before I continue, I wanted to point out that most of the things I am doing are in no way required.  As a Dora nut and as frequent builder of the Hasegawa 1/32 Fw 190D-9 kits, I've come up with little modifications here and there that I think make the build more authentic.  The following is a good example of the type of little modification that I'm compelled to do.

 

This kit shows the foot ladder in the retracted position.  If you want to show the ladder extended, the instructions tell you to drill two small holes and glue the ladder into place.  And that's probably what most modelers do.

 

 

But that is not what it look would like. There would have to be an opening for the ladder to retract into.  So I'm adding that opening.  Chain-drill a set of holes slightly smaller than the outline of the ladder.

 

 

The x-acto is used to connect the holes and smooth out the opening.

 

 

The end result.  And yes, I added some bolt detail to the end of the ladder.  Is it necessary? No.  Is it even noticeable?  I think so and it is also do-able so I did it.

 

 

Some more minor modifications to the wheel well.

 

 

There is a wiring run that runs to the edge of the opening and disappears.

 

 

To make that wiring run more plausible, I've cut a portion of it away and placed a section of brass tubing.  I can then add the continuation of that wiring run into the engine compartment.

 

 

The wing-mounted MG151 cannons are fairly well represented. They are molded straight and with a fairly uniform round cross-section.  When the ends are hollowed out, they look pretty good.

 

 

My major issue is with the leather boot at the base of the cannon barrel. Hasegawa incorrectly based this on a restoration condition and is not reflective of Fw190's in service. Luckily, Quickboost makes a nice set of resin gun barrel replacements, of which I will only be using the wing-mounted MG151's.  For whatever reason, Quickboost does not list a gun barrel set for the 190D so you'll have to use one marked for the 190A.

 

 

The locating tab on the rear will need to be adjusted to match the Hasegawa part. Don't worry about the portion extending past the base but make sure the tab ends in the middle of the base like the Hasegawa part.

 

 

A quick verification that the guns fit into the wheel well without issue.  Since the gun barrel gets sandwiched between the upper and lower wing parts, you would need to install the guns before that stage.  

 

 

I don't want the barrels in the way when I'm cleaning the leading edge joint and I don't want them to snap off either. So I make one more modification.  The resin barrels are cut off from blast tubes.  Locating posts made from 0.70mm brass tubing are glued into place at the end of the blast tubes.  And new gun barrels are cut from 1.00mm brass tubing.

 

 

Now the barrels can be attached at the end without getting in the way or getting knocked off.

 

 

[LSP_Kevin]

Nice mods, John.

 

Kev

[Thunnus]

3 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Nice mods, John.

 

Kev

Thanks Kevin!

 

A little more mod work on the wheel wells.  This time I am adding the Eduard Exterior set details. For the best detail, I would recommend the Aires resin wheel wells but this set has some PE panels that dress up the kit wheel wells decently enough.

 

 

This was about as straightforward as PE gets.  All flat panels... no folding and they all fit with only one issue.  I had to trim one the panels to allow the center spar piece to fit properly.

 

 

I thought about this panel today and came up with a theory.

 

 

The most well-known surviving D-9 is the National Air and Space Museum Dora (Werk Number 601088).  I'm sure many drawings, profiles and models have been based on photos and measurements of this aircraft. But for a long period of time, this Dora was mistakenly matched with the wings of the D-13, which was at Champlin Museum. In Jerry Crandall's Dora Volume 2, there is a clear photo of the port wing of 601088 when it was lumped together with the D-13 fuselage prior to restoration.  Like the photo of Brown 4, the panel in question is not present.  The wings between the D-9 and the D-13 were finally swapped sometime in 2001, I think.

 

So my guess is that the panel may have been specific to either the D-13 or that particular D-13 and that the D-9 did not have that panel.  Most of the plastic models of the Fw190D-9, including the newest release from IBG, are based on a D-9 that had the wings of a D-13.

[MikeMaben]

Just now, Thunnus said:

                   I'm compelled to do.

I hate when that happens 

[StefanGebhardt]

9 hours ago, Thunnus said:

I thought about this panel today and came up with a theory.

 

 

The most well-known surviving D-9 is the National Air and Space Museum Dora (Werk Number 601088).  I'm sure many drawings, profiles and models have been based on photos and measurements of this aircraft. But for a long period of time, this Dora was mistakenly matched with the wings of the D-13, which was at Champlin Museum. In Jerry Crandall's Dora Volume 2, there is a clear photo of the port wing of 601088 when it was lumped together with the D-13 fuselage prior to restoration.  Like the photo of Brown 4, the panel in question is not present.  The wings between the D-9 and the D-13 were finally swapped sometime in 2001, I think.

 

So my guess is that the panel may have been specific to either the D-13 or that particular D-13 and that the D-9 did not have that panel.  Most of the plastic models of the Fw190D-9, including the newest release from IBG, are based on a D-9 that had the wings of a D-13.

 

John's theory made me think about the panels. the positioning of them is closely matching the bulks seen on A-8, A-9 and D-11 (link to Miloslav's D-11 built) machines with the outer wing cannons/guns installed. If my theory is right they should be partially visible on the outer side of bulks (even if they are not portrait on models like the Revell A-8). Jerry Crandall is stating in Fw 190 Dora Vol. 2 that the D-12 and D-13 prototypes were based on A-8 frames. This should mean that the outer wing cannons/guns were installed. This means the base plane before adjustments carried the outer wing weaponary. Removing them should logically result in the removal of the upper wing bulk. Probably the panel was a leftover of this configuration. The D-9 on the other side was a variante for mass production without the need for any settings linked to outer wing weaponary. I hope that Jerry or someone else can provide more insight into this topic.

 

Update:

JaPo is having some good pics of the D-9 prototypeV68 in Part I. I can't spot the panel in question on these pics. Obviously not many photos of this area exist but a second one, even if it is not as conclusive, does not seems to show the detail either (JaPo Part 2, Page 378 D-9, W.Nr. 601315)

Edited May 21 by StefanGebhardt

[dennismcc]

Nearly missed this one as I do not normally look at Luftwaffe builds, but this one is superb as is usual for a Thunnas build and as a Hasegawa 190D is lying in my stash it will be a really important part of my reference material one day.

So I am on board now.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

[Thunnus]

Thanks for the comment guys!

 

Time for some riveting work.  I like to start off on the smaller pieces first to get the hang of it.  It's something that you get better at the more you do and if you haven't done it in a while, practicing on the small parts first is a good practice to shake off the rust.

 

First, I draw the rivet lines using a set of detailed drawings.  I'm doing the tail first so the plans are for a Ta-152H-1.  I use a soft lead pencil and a flexible clear ruler.  I'm not an exact rivet applicator and I usually just eyeball the lines instead of measuring.

 

 

Once the lines are drawn, I trace over the lines with a rotary rivet tool.  It's like a ponce wheel for sewing but there are several out there manufactured specifically for modeling.  For this model, I am using the Galaxy Tools 1.00mm dot pitch tool. One good thing about the Galaxy Tools is that the dot pattern for the large 1.00mm dot pitch tool matches the small 1.00mm tool exactly.  If you are using the RB Rivet-R, be aware that the dot pitch of 1.00mm wheel may not match the Mini Rivet-R 1.00 wheel.  I use the larger wheel mostly but in tight spaces or around curves, the smaller wheel is handy.

 

 

Using constant pressure, the rivet tool is run over each drawn line, producing a row of small holes.

 

 

The process leaves a raised mound of plastic around each hole.  You can leave this as is but I like to lightly sand away those mounds, leaving just the hole.  The effect is cleaner.  The part is then treated with a dark pastel wash (in this case black) to highlight the work.

 

 

I use this stage to check the panel lines and clean those up as appropriate.

 

 

After this process is finished and I'm satisfied with the rivets and panel lines, I'll scrub off as much of the pastel wash as possible.  The rivet holes are quite small and may fill up with the multiple layers of paint that are to come.

[Thunnus]

A minor detail that I forgot to post... the shroud for the leading exhaust pipe is thick and is easily thinned down by carefully scooping out plastic with the tip of an x-acto blade.

 

[Dpgsbody55]

Enjoying this build, and it's also very instructive.  Nice work so far.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[scvrobeson]

Great update. Always informative John.  Where did you get the Galaxy rivet wheels from?

 

 

 

Matt

[Thunnus]

Thanks guys!  I bought the Galaxy Tools rivet wheel from EBay after reading a review on Modeling News. At the time, I was having a hard time finding replacement wheels for the R&B Rivet-R and Mini Rivet-R that I was previously using.

 

The circular hatch on the lower front fuselage is always weakly molded on this kit.  

 

 

Using a circular metal template and a sewing needle chucked into a pin vise, re-scribing the hatch should be very simple. If... you do it right.  I made the mistake of working on this when I was rushed for time.  The template was not securely attached and slipped slightly as I was scribing... you can see the telltale double edges all around the circle. While it looks fairly good in the photo, it was obvious that the hatch was no longer circular.

 

 

So I filled it in with black CA glue.

 

 

I offset the scribing template a bit off from the original circle as I wanted to avoid scribing through the black CA glue as much as possible. In comparison, you can see how ugly the original attempt was. The new one has been highlighted with a pastel wash and the old one is completely filled with CA glue and should disappear under paint.

 

 

Like the tail, the fuselage has been riveted. The pastel wash used here is pure black to maximize contrast but I'll use a lighter wash on the painted model.  This is just temporary.  Curiously, the wash has caused some stains on the sanded surface... interesting effect. You can't really see them but I've repaired quite a few scriber overruns and re-done some crooked rows of rivets.

 

 

I'm waiting for the Eagle Editions tail wheel to install before I attach the tail to the fuselage but fit is very good.

 

 

After the gun cowling was riveted, I put the riveted components together and put it in the light box for a review of body work so far.

 

[LSP_Kevin]

This is looking fantastic, John! You're slowly changing my mind about this rivetting caper (though I did rivet one model many years ago).

 

Kev

[duke_]

12 hours ago, Thunnus said:

Thanks guys!  I bought the Galaxy Tools rivet wheel from EBay after reading a review on Modeling News. At the time, I was having a hard time finding replacement wheels for the R&B Rivet-R and Mini Rivet-R that I was previously using.

 

The circular hatch on the lower front fuselage is always weakly molded on this kit.  

 

 

Using a circular metal template and a sewing needle chucked into a pin vise, re-scribing the hatch should be very simple. If... you do it right.  I made the mistake of working on this when I was rushed for time.  The template was not securely attached and slipped slightly as I was scribing... you can see the telltale double edges all around the circle. While it looks fairly good in the photo, it was obvious that the hatch was no longer circular.

 

 

So I filled it in with black CA glue.

 

 

I offset the scribing template a bit off from the original circle as I wanted to avoid scribing through the black CA glue as much as possible. In comparison, you can see how ugly the original attempt was. The new one has been highlighted with a pastel wash and the old one is completely filled with CA glue and should disappear under paint.

 

 

Like the tail, the fuselage has been riveted. The pastel wash used here is pure black to maximize contrast but I'll use a lighter wash on the painted model.  This is just temporary.  Curiously, the wash has caused some stains on the sanded surface... interesting effect. You can't really see them but I've repaired quite a few scriber overruns and re-done some crooked rows of rivets.

 

 

I'm waiting for the Eagle Editions tail wheel to install before I attach the tail to the fuselage but fit is very good.

 

 

After the gun cowling was riveted, I put the riveted components together and put it in the light box for a review of body work so far.

 

John, what can i say.. that is amazing!!!  Your work is so inspiring!  you make me wanna start my two Doras and follow your work step by step! But you have set the bar soooo high :)) 

When you use the riveting tool you are using also a ruler or is totally freehand? Any suggestion where i can' find correct technical drawings? I have a set of hgw positive rivet decals that i could use as a guide but yours looks more detailed 

 

Thanks!

 

Edited May 23 by duke_

[Thunnus]

17 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

This is looking fantastic, John! You're slowly changing my mind about this rivetting caper (though I did rivet one model many years ago).

 

Kev

It's tedious but I really like the result from manually applying rivets, as opposed to rivets that are already molded.

 

 

5 hours ago, duke_ said:

John, what can i say.. that is amazing!!!  Your work is so inspiring!  you make me wanna start my two Doras and follow your work step by step! But you have set the bar soooo high :)) 

When you use the riveting tool you are using also a ruler or is totally freehand? Any suggestion where i can' find correct technical drawings? I have a set of hgw positive rivet decals that i could use as a guide but yours looks more detailed 

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks Duke!  I run my riveting tool completely freehand.  So they are not the straightest lines!   There are some different resources available that have rivet-level drawings that I go by.  I'll PM you with some more information!

 

One of the trickier items to apply rivets to is the circular radiator cowling.  I'm happy with the re-shaping and the panel lines have been re-established and it's ready to be riveted.  I use a thin strip of white Tamiya plastic tape to help draw my guidelines on the cowling.

 

 

The riveting is done carefully and slowly, dividing each run of the riveter into quarter circles.  

 

 

Here is the riveted radiator cowling added to the rest of the riveted body.

 

Note the thinned cowl flaps as well as the edge of the small shroud in front of the exhausts.

 

 

An aftermarket item that is on the DEFINITELY YES list that I forgot to mention is Henri Daehne's beautiful resin VS111 prop.

 

 

Henri's work is the most impressive resin that I've seen so far.  The prop assembly includes the spinner, backplate, prop blades, hub assembly and mounting hardware. All of the resin components are cast in dark grey. Some parts like the spinner and backplate have papery excess resin that needs to be trimmed away but are otherwise immaculate.

 

 

The detail on the hub mounts is most impressive.

 

 

I'm not familiar with the resin casting process and I wonder how Henri produces such impeccable surface quality in his castings.  He must do some post-casting sanding and polishing, no? 

 

 

All resin parts come pre-cut from their casting blocks but still need grinding/sanding to get to their final shapes.  This is very straightforward using the well detailed instructions and a micrometer.

 

 

The parts are carefully sanded down to their final measurements.

 

 

Here is a sneak peak at the HD resin VS111 mounted onto the riveted body.  Very sexy.

 

 

Next, I'm going to share a neat little modification to the HD prop that I think you'll get a kick out of.

[adameliclem]

Are you going to add tiny little fabric wrinkles to the prop blades? I wouldn’t put it past you.

 

You’ve probably seen these images already but, if not, there’s some really nice detail in them, and I love how completely over it she looks. 

 

Always fun and educational to watch you do your thing.

 

Adam