Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F series was the dedicated ground attack version of the versatile Wurger family.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8 was based on the A-8 fighter, but with additional armour built into the airframe and provision for a wide range of additional stores on the wings and fuselage centreline. The extra armour was not externally visible, so the best visual cue to distinguish an F-8 from an A-8 is the absence of wing guns. Note, however, that the bulges above the wing gun positions were still fitted to the F-8.

The cockpit was also similar to the fighter, but the F-8 was fitted with a rectangular panel below the instrument panel with bomb arming switches and associated equipment.

I was checking out my local online hobby shop when I noticed that they already had Eduard's 1/48 scale Fw 190 F-8 in stock.

I have a review sample on the way from Eduard but I knew I would be building more than one of these little beauties, so I ordered it yesterday and it was on my doorstep this afternoon.

Eduard released a 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8 as part of their original Wurger family. This kit, along with its Fw 190 A siblings, was very nicely detailed and accurate but was notoriously challenging to build, especially if you wanted to display the aircraft buttoned up.

To their everlasting credit, Eduard re-tooled their entire Wurger family starting with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 in 2017. The result was a kit that was as easy to build and well-fitting as Eduard's Spitfire and Bf 109 kits.

After working their way through the A variants, Eduard has again turned its attention to the Fw 190 F-8 ground attack version.

Similar to the real thing, Eduard's new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8 is based on their earlier A kits, with some sprues in common that contain the cockpit parts, engine, undercarriage and more.

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A brand new wing sprue is included, along with four sprues with a wealth of ordnance plus a large photo-etched fret with associated detail parts.

In common with their Fw 190 A kits, this new Fw 190 F-8 is state of the art in terms of quality of injection moulded parts, detail and markings.

Of course the cockpit benefits from the latest generation of Eduard's pre-coloured photo-etched parts including the instrument panel with shiny lenses, side consoles, harness straps with convincing half tones and other detail parts.

The new wing correcly features blank cannon access hatches...

...and plenty of flashed over holes on the inside of the bottom wing to accommodate various types of ordnance.

The four stores sprues are chock-a-block full.

Ordnance includes AB 500, AB 250, SC 500, SC 250, SD 250, and SC 50 bombs; ETC 50 and 503 racks; Pb 1 early and late rockets and rails; two styles of external Mk 103 cannon; and Ps 2 rocket tubes. Extra drop tanks are included too.

The clear sprue is the same as the one included with the Fw 190 A series with bulged and flattened canopies. Separate parts are supplied for open and closed canopies too.

The additional photo-etched fret mainly comprises bomb and rocket tails in scale thickness.

Markings

Markings are included for a generous seven interesting and varied late-war Wurgers.

• W.Nr. 581632, 1./NSGr. 9, Villafranca di Verona, Italy, May 1945.

• Stab SG 77, Schönfeld-Seifersdorf , Silesia, August 1944.

• Flown by Major Karl Schrepfer, CO of III./SG 1, Kraków, Poland, August 1944.

• W.Nr. 581632, 1./NSGr. 9, Villafranca di Verona, Italy, May 1945.

• W.Nr. 586188, Stab III./SG 10, Hohenmauth (Vysoké Mýto), Protectorate Böhmen und Mähren, May 1945.

• 1./SG 4, Airasca, Italy, June 1944.

• Stab I./SG 2, Csar or Raab, Hungary, winter 1944/1945.

Decals appear to be typical of the recently supplied style featuring wider carrier film. Colours and registration generally look good but the yellow seems to be a bit translucent on the backing sheet.

A separate stencil decal sheet is also included.

There are only two other Fw 190 F-8 kits available in 1/48 scale - Dragon's old kit (originally released by Trimaster in 1988 and often reboxed by others since), and Tamiya's 1995 Fw 190 F-8. Eduard's Fw 190 F-8 is certainly better detailed than either of these older offerings; is more accurate than the Tamiya kit and easier to build than Dragon's.

The abundance of stores also makes Eduard's Fw 190 F-8 an instant spares box as well as a beautifully detailed kit in its own right.

You can be confident that this will be a straightforward build too. I have built two of Eduard's new 1/48 scale Fw 190 A kits and the experience was delightful with excellent fit and terrific detail straight from the box.

I don't expect anything less from this new Fw 190 F-8.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2021 by Brett Green
Page Created 9 June, 2021
Last updated 10 June, 2021

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