Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8

HobbyBoss 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

I saw this online and I was intrigued. I hadn’t heard anything about the kit. I have had a bitter-sweet relationship with HobbyBoss kits – easy to build, with good fit and looking nice enough if you don’t get too close. On the bitter side of the equation, the kits that I have seen suffer from inexplicable and oft-repeated errors.

How would this one look? Only one way to find out! I ordered the model.

This all-new 1/48 scale HobbyBoss Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 was released around June 2026. It shares nothing in common with any of HobbyBoss’ previous Fw 190 kits, and it is due to be joined by an equally new 1/48 scale Fw 190 A-6 shortly.

The HobbyBoss 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 comprises 113 grey plastic parts (six unused), three clear plastic parts, nine photo-etched parts (one unused), self-adhesive masks and markings for two options.

Surface textures look very nice, with crisp and fine recessed panel lines and rows of rivets. Stretched fabric is depicted by recessed strips on the flying surfaces.

The parts breakdown is quite conventional. The one-piece engine cowling and cowl ring are thoughtful design elements, ensuring perfect alignment and fast assembly. The cowling bulge side panels are moulded as part of the fuselage halves – another welcome design feature. The cowl flaps are moulded open.

The cockpit is easily the best Fw 190/Ta 152 front office released by HobbyBoss to date.

The depth of the cockpit looks correct, which means we do not see the compressed cockpit components that HobbyBoss has offered us until now. The seat looks good with its separate cushion, while the raised side-console detail is convincing.

The instrument panel also looks good, with raised bezels and switches, plus a decal overlay for the dials and digits.

The only shortcoming is the photo-etched harness, which does not really resemble the genuine article. Fortunately, there are many replacement harnesses available.

A decent twelve-piece engine is supplied, although almost nothing will be visible behind the 12-blade cooling fan. The exhaust ejector ports are supplied as small separate parts and are hollowed out at the ends.

The landing gear and wheel wells look good, although it would appear that the main undercarriage legs must be installed before the upper wing is fitted. The plastic legs will therefore be vulnerable to damage during the remainder of assembly and painting, so take care!The main wheels are not flattened or bulged.

The landing flaps, ailerons and rudder are all separate parts. It looks like the flaps and ailerons are designed to be posed closed or in the neutral position.

The machine-gun and cannon barrels are not hollowed out at the ends.

Two styles of drop tank, a deployed boarding ladder, DF loop, FuG 25 antenna and Morane mast are also included.

Two small sprues make up the single canopy option and gunsight. The clear parts for both the HobbyBoss and Eduard kits are thin and free from distortion.

The marking options will be discussed in detail below.

There is no doubt that this model is a clear improvement over HobbyBoss’ earlier Fw/Ta efforts.

However, looking at HobbyBoss’ new 1/48 scale Fw 190 A-8 in isolation will only tell part of the story.

In particular, I think the inevitable question is: how does this kit compare with the best direct counterpart currently available? That kit is Eduard’s 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8. Let’s take a closer look at how the new HobbyBoss offering stacks up against its established competitor.

Accuracy

When I place the HobbyBoss and Eduard fuselage halves together for comparison, the canopy opening on the HobbyBoss kit appears to be a few millimetres too far forward. This impression is reinforced by the fact that the instrument coaming is also positioned a couple of millimetres too far forward.

It is difficult to say with any certainty that the HobbyBoss fuselage is actually too long until the kit is built and its overall length can be properly assessed.

There are a few accuracy issues worth questioning. The propeller blades do not look quite right to me. The diameter of the VDM metal propeller is fine, but the blade profile is not convincing. It seems to lack the characteristic curvature and twist of the real thing.

I am also unconvinced by the shape of the tail unit.

It just does not look quite right to my eye – perhaps a little too chunky?

Surface Textures

The next area for comparison is the surface texture of the HobbyBoss and Eduard kits.

The HobbyBoss surface detail on the wings and fuselage is admirably fine and crisp. The Eduard kit, however, uses variations in depth for its panel lines, rivets and other structural details, resulting in a more nuanced and convincing surface treatment.

HobbyBoss

I also think the fine horizontal and vertical rows of rivets are more subtle and convincing on the Eduard kit than on the HobbyBoss offering.

Eduard

While we’re on the subject of surface detail, Eduard and HobbyBoss have taken different approaches to representing fabric-covered control surfaces. We are accustomed to seeing HobbyBoss and Trumpeter kits with a deep, capsule-like recessed effect on the flying surfaces to represent stretched fabric.

I am pleased to report that this rather crude approach has not been carried over to the HobbyBoss Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8. The new recessed effect is certainly much more subtle. However, I still prefer Eduard’s treatment, with faintly raised rib tapes on the fabric-covered control surfaces. Of course, this is ultimately a matter of taste.

Cockpits

Another area I was particularly interested in was the cockpit. Both Trumpeter and HobbyBoss have struggled over the years to capture the correct depth of the cockpit in their Focke-Wulf Fw 190-related kits, with the cockpit traditionally being noticeably too shallow. As a consequence, components such as the pilot’s seat and control column have often been comically undersized.

The good news is that this does not appear to be a problem with the new HobbyBoss Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8.

Eduard

The cockpit depth looks correct, the pilot’s seat appears appropriately proportioned, and detail is moulded directly onto the side consoles, making for quick and straightforward assembly.

I am less enthusiastic about the HobbyBoss photo-etched parts though. The shapes of the harness straps and hardware are questionable, and I will be replacing them at the very least.

Clear Parts

Let’s take a look at the canopies.

Hobby Boss supplies a single choice – flat canopy in the closed position.

HobbyBoss

Eduard offers four canopy options.

Eduard

Two versions of the early flat canopy are supplied in the Eduard kit – one representing an open canopy and the other closed.

On the real Würger, the canopy was somewhat flexible. This flexibility was further enhanced by a short hinge at the top.

This was necessary because the canopy rails tapered inwards towards the rear of the fuselage, requiring the front bottom corners of the canopy to pinch inward when opening. In other words, the front of the canopy was narrower when open.

The late blown canopy is included too, as is the armoured glass for the Sturmbock version.

Compared with Eduard’s four canopy options – five if you include the Sturmbock armoured glass – HobbyBoss has just one: the flat canopy in the closed position. If you simply pose this open, the canopy will inaccurately overhang the sides.

Markings

RED 13

For a start, this one is not even an Fw 190 A-8. It is an Fw 190 A-7, W.Nr. 431007, flown by Major Heinz Bär, CO of II./JG 1, at Störmede, Germany, in April 1944.

You’ll need to make a few easy adjustments to convert the HobbyBoss kit into Bär’s A-7, including relocating the pitot tube from the starboard wingtip to the mid-wing leading edge and moving the ETC 501 rack approximately 200 mm rearwards.

On to the markings themselves.

The Red 13 is too small and its stroke is too narrow. The rudder should be white. The fuselage Balkenkreuz should have a narrow black border. The II. Gruppe bar should be red with a narrow black border, and the exhaust panel should be black.

The cowl artwork is not correctly coloured. There should be black segments in addition to the red and white markings.

BLACK 3

Fw 190 A-8, JG 51, Uffz. Helmut Johannes Johne, Zinten, East Prussia, February 1945.

Uffz. Helmut Johannes Johne of Jagdgeschwader 51 was killed on 9 February 1945 in combat with Soviet forces south of Zinten, East Prussia.

The yellow cowl ring and spinner appear consistent with the colour interpretation of the period photographs, although the tonal values of yellow in contemporary black-and-white photography can be deceptive. The black tactical number is consistent with JG 51 Stab/Staffel aircraft in 1944–45.

The Black 3 is the wrong shape and, once again, the stroke is too narrow. The exhaust panel should be black, not burnt iron.

Registration and colour look okay.

So, who wins? Well, that’s an excellent question.

HobbyBoss has produced a credible and very buildable Fw 190 A-8, and it represents a substantial improvement over the company’s previous efforts in this area. With a little attention to the shortcomings – and perhaps a replacement harness and some aftermarket refinement – it should build into a nice model straight from the box.

Nevertheless, when it comes to overall detail, surface treatment, accuracy and useful options, the Eduard Focke-Wulfs win hands down.

I also have to say that the closer I looked at the HobbyBoss kit, the more I wanted to build another Eduard Würger!

Purchased by the Editor

Text and Images Copyright © 2026 by Brett Green
Page Created 1 September, 2026
Last updated 2 September, 2026

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