Zoukei Mura FW-190A-4 JG 54

[Uncarina]

8 hours ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

 

I have to say I'm in almost total agreement with you here.  I'm building their 109 right now and the kit is amazing.  One of the things I love is that attention to detail and how you build the airframe, and not just the skin.  It gives a much better insight to these planes than most other kits and if you test fit not just the parts you're working on now, but also the next related steps, you will finish up with an excellent replica.  I really like how you can see how the 109's undercarriage works and attaches to the fuselage, rather than just sticking a leg into a socket. 

 

I've built only the DO-335 two seater and HS-129 so far, and both have been some of the most fun projects I've ever built.  Incidentally, I had no problem with the HS-129 fuselage/wing panels.  I have the Z-M FW-190 and TA-152H-0 in my stash, though I understand the TA-152 is not quite up to present standards, but I'm still looking forward to building both.

 

So I'm looking forward to your first build report here.  Definitely a WIP I'll be following closely, but no popcorn images for me in this Christmas period.  I'm sure I'll be gaining enough weight without popcorn too.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

I’m glad you’ve had a similar experience Michael. These kits can be a lot of fun, but certainly not for everyone. By the way, my TA-152 build was pretty easy with just the wing forward section requiring a little sanding to fit. Since you have the same H-0 version you should be in good shape, aside from Christmas abstinence !

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

I’ll tag along too if you don’t mind.

I haven’t seen a ZM ‘190 build yet and recently my interest in the type has been rekindled. It looks very comprehensive so you should have lots of fun.

 

John

Please do John! Don’t hesitate to call out anything you see questionable or amiss.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Uncarina]

I've finished the engine section, and it went together without any problems. The only possible exception was a loose fit of the propellor shaft through the crankcase, so I attached a small piece of tape around the shaft to increase its diameter so that it could rotate without any play. A unique feature of Zoukei Mura kits is that the engine sprue (note singular: their sprue layouts are logical and concise, without you having to search through multiple sprues) contains sections of an engine stand in the runners around the perimeter, in this case eight pieces. I took advantage of this for these photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some build notes:

 

 

The center piece above connects the engine to the engine mounts attached to the main firewall of the fuselage. The instructions have you attach it at this stage, but the Old Man's Blog recommends you keep it unglued until you are ready to join the engine to the fuselage, then determine if you should glue it to the engine mounts or the engine first depending on visibility of gluing surfaces and fit. I am following this advice and also not gluing the upper four exhaust stacks on each side until I start attaching the cowl sections. Overall it was fun and easy putting this together, but the proof of the pudding is how it fits with the cowl sections coming together. I'll keep you posted!

 

Cheers, Tom

[Out2gtcha]

Great work so far Tom, and will be very colorful when done too.

[Uncarina]

8 minutes ago, Out2gtcha said:

Great work so far Tom, and will be very colorful when done too.

Thanks Brian! On to the cockpit next.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[LSP_Ron]

Nice!

[Dpgsbody55]

Nice looking engine, Tom.  I think I'm going to bookmark this build.

 

Incidentally, it's good to know that Z-M's TA-152 is not as fraught a build as I've heard.  Thanks for letting me know.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

 

 

[Troy Molitor]

Wow.  Nice!  

[MikeMaben]

[Uncarina]

9 hours ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

Nice looking engine, Tom.  I think I'm going to bookmark this build.

 

Incidentally, it's good to know that Z-M's TA-152 is not as fraught a build as I've heard.  Thanks for letting me know.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

 

 

 

Michael, my pleasure, and especially since you’ve already built their Hs.129 you will enjoy it. In fact, it’s one of my favorite ZM builds.

 

9 hours ago, Troy Molitor said:

Wow.  Nice!  

 

Thank you Troy! It’s great to have you along.

 

6 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

 Thanks!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[HB252]

Great job paint

 

Do you put open or close cowling?

[Uncarina]

6 minutes ago, HB252 said:

Great job paint

 

Do you put open or close cowling?

Thank you! I’ll be having all the cowls closed so I won’t be wiring the cylinders. But I hope to make up for this lack of effort by riveting the airframe .

 

Cheers,  Tom

[monthebiff]

Nice work Tom, ZM always do a good engine and ts a shame they generally aren't seen. I'm going to skip this release as I did a Revell F-8 with all the Eduard Brassin stuff and fully cowls/ acces panels open but never again.

 

Regards.Andy 

[Uncarina]

3 hours ago, monthebiff said:

Nice work Tom, ZM always do a good engine and ts a shame they generally aren't seen. I'm going to skip this release as I did a Revell F-8 with all the Eduard Brassin stuff and fully cowls/ acces panels open but never again.

 

Regards.Andy 

Thanks Andy! I understand. I skipped the ZM 109 release because I’ve already build three of this aircraft.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Tolga ULGUR]

Wonderful engine.

[Uncarina]

6 hours ago, Tolga ULGUR said:

Wonderful engine.

Thank you Tolga! ZM put a lot of focus on their engines, and I’m happy that the fit and engineering of this one is very good.

 

Cheers,  Tom