Eduard's 1/48 scale
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-13

by Fernando Rolandelli

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-13 “Black Chevron” W.Nr. 836016, V./EJG 2, Pilsen-Bory, Czechoslovakia, May 1945

History. “The Other D-13”

One of a flurry of 190 D developments, the D-13 had a Jumo 213 F-1 engine with MW-50 system, and an armament of two wing root MG151/20 plus another firing through the propeller hub. Two prototypes are recorded as produced, V62 y V71. Production information is sketchy; apparently the so-called Arbeistsgruppe “Roland”, encompassing Siebel, Junkers, Weser Flugzeug, and A.T.G. Leipzig would share parts of the airframe, the final assembly line location is unclear, possibly Mimetall Erfurt (according to Jerry Crandall). Just two production machines are known to have served Luftwaffe: the famous “Yellow 10” W.Nr. 836017, and this one, “Black Chevron”, W.Nr.836016. The Eduard kit obligingly supplied decals for both.

A variant of the ill-starred Fw-190 D-9 kit (in itself a development of the equally unlucky “early” 190A series), the kit (#8185 twin 190 D-11/D-13 combo) is as ambitious as its cousins.

The first to provide the correct open wheel bay and engine’s back, accessories and mounting, as well as open inner gun bays (inherited from the 190A) the kit has a deserved reputation of being a pig to build (though some have reported it is lightly better than the D-9 proper). Mushy plastic certainly didn’t help, the wings in mine were flattened, and the spar that should get them right badly warped.

Other than that, the kit seems slightly oversized in the fuselage, with the windscreen wider than any other “modern” (i.e., since Tamiya’s) 190 kit (sharing this with the 190As); certainly, when placed beside a Trimaster one, it looks as if having recently feasted.

Additionally, the fin’s leading edge is also very wide and flat; that’s were the “new series” 190As shine as corrected.

Some other minor inaccuracies appear here and there, but nothing really decisive; these were tackled during assembly. I used some parts from an extensive Eduard PE for the 190 D-9.

For me, the hors d’oeuvre was the unacceptably thick fin leading edge. Therefore, I started hacking it from the outside even before considering starting detaching anything else from the sprues. I found an acceptable result was achieved fairly quickly, and I thought it presaged a better than expected assembly. Wrong.

The flattened wings and the twisted spar, looking like a mad octopus, was next. Again, brute force and various cements, including cyano, coaxed it into shape and into giving the wing some sort of diedhral.

Cockpit was fairly easy, with the included PE. The fearful looking engine back and accessory parts was tackled separately.

Cockpit bulkhead and back of engine proper were built, painted and glued separately to the fuselage half; some magic was necessary to make the bearers connect but it was more sensible that building it all as a “barrel” and then trying to fit it as a whole.

The “boxes” for the exhausts were added before; their mere existence indicates that the whole affair is a mimicry at best (the exhausts should match the cylinder banks in the engine), but, suitable painted Black as part of the engine, they are not really apparent. The compartment looks just a bit less busy than advisable; a couple of wires and boxed made a long way. Beware that the bulkhead in front of the instrument panel should be flat and simple instead of showing the faired holes (I guess associated to the guns in the D-9; I left it as is, but you may be willing to correct it) The fuselage was closed gluing it in segments. It worked, though it is apparently slightly warped.

I quickly discarded the opened cooling flaps option, overly thick, and went for the closed one. Coaming and instrument panel fitting is one of the craziest designs I have ever seen, glued with the fuselage already closed from inside… it is difficult to explain, but somehow it works; windscreen fit is better than in the “new series” 190As .

I preferred to drill a hole on the smooth D-11 nose cone than using the gruesomely big holed D-13 one.

The wings look complicated. The weapon bays didn’t help with the diedhral. Closing them would be a chore, so I traded the scanty detail (augmented a bit) for the fit. The treatment of the single ejection port for the engine MG151/20 is wrong; but opening a more correct looking one is easy. Finally, the fit was acceptable.

Well, at last, the best part of the build. Not exactly relaxed; I painted first a heavy preshading, then the metal underwing parts (Alclad Aluminum), then the RLM76 (Xtracolor); then the RLM81 (WEMM’s, the “Olive Drab” version of 81).

The extreme contrast conspires against relaxed freehand airbrushing; I resorted to Blu Tack masking on wings. According to sources, I painted the extra tail segment in “WeiBblau”, adding a bit of White to the 76. Propeller was painted RLM70.

Decals are first rate, both insignia and stencils. A Gloss varnish (Xtracrylix) coat was liberally applied even on the metal sectors which would receive decals. Then a Flat artist’s acrylic varnish to matt the finish.

Well, undercarriage lacks anything resembling a positive fit, but you can “feel” a point where it might be it will stay at the correct angle. Follow your instinct. Gun bays doors are glued “plain”, but they also behave. The big cowling port I chose to leave open, so that the compartment is fully appreciated; that means you need to thin it and add some sort of structural detail.

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However, the hinge is not so good as to leave it resting on the windscreen. I saw a picture where a sort of an “A” frame is used to keep it on an intermediate angle, and that I did. Though I used the “narrow” canopy, it still hangs a bit on the fuselage. The falling antenna wire gave me the fits to adopt a half-realistic attitude.

Quite a challenge of a kit. And we thought that of the Trimaster’s! The model looks good, though a trained eye will detect the fuselage is a bit too wide. The engine compartment certainly adds interest, and in the end the wing showed almost correct, almost even diedhral. A friend of mine, a better modeller than me, made a run at the twin kit of this, and demolished it in frustration. Be warned.

Sources

• “Fw 190 D, Ta 152” Marian Krzyzan, Aircraft Monograph n° 6, AJ-Press

• “Yellow 10. The Story of the Ultra-Rare Fw-190 D-13”, Jerry Crandall, EF#2, Eagle Editions Ltd.

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2020 by Fernando Rolandelli
Page Created 9 December, 2020
Last Updated 9 December, 2020

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