The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine the Fw 190 was used by the Luftwaffe in a wide variety of roles, including day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and night fighter.
The Fw 190 was seen as an insurance policy and by many as unnecessary believing that the Messerschmitt 109 was the only single seat fighter that the Luftwaffe would need to win the war. Because of this the design and development of the Fw 190 was not rushed and Kurt Tank took full advantage of this to produce what was arguably the best German fighter of the war. When it became apparent that the allies had produced fighters superior to the 109 the fw 190 was introduced into service. It quickly proved itself to be superior in all but turn radius to the RAF main front-line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V, especially at low and medium altitudes. The 190 maintained superiority over Allied fighters until the introduction of the improved Spitfire Mk. IX in July 1942 restored parity.
Radial Engine
The use of radial engines in land-based fighters was relatively rare in Europe, as it was believed that their large frontal area would cause too much drag on something as small as a fighter. Tank was not convinced of this, having witnessed the successful use of radial engines by the U.S. Navy, and felt a properly streamlined installation would eliminate this problem. In the end Tanks prototypes with an aerodynamic nose failed due insufficient cooling of the large engine but the huge power produced more than made up for the lack of aerodynamics.
Other Features
One of the fw 190 more noticeable features is the wide inwards-retracting landing gear, much like the Japanese’s Mitsubishi zero. The wide-track landing gear produced better ground handling characteristics, and the Fw 190 suffered fewer ground accidents than the Bf 109 with its narrow-track, outwards-retracting landing gear hinged on its wing root structure.
The fw190 had an advanced flight control system with electronically controlled flight surfaces. This replaced the cables and hydraulic systems with less vulnerable electric wires. Because it was electric the battery was of vital importance and it was stored in an armoured compartment behind the pilot.
Night Fighter Variant
From the summer of 1943 a night fighter intercept system was introduced. This system enabled the fighters to be guided at night by ground radar, known as “wilde Sau” or "wild boar"
The A-8/R11 was a night fighter conversion fitted with FuG 217 Neptune radar equipment with antenna elements mounted above and below the wings. Flame-dampening boxes were fitted over the exhaust exits and flash covers on the cowling machine guns. These covers are not so much to hide flame from the enemy as to keep glare out of the pilot’s eyes.
Specifications
Crew: 1
Length: 9.00 m
Wingspan: 10.51 m
Height: 3.95 m
Loaded weight: 4,417 kg (9,735 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW 801 TU radial engine, 2,000 hp
Performance
Maximum speed: 656 km/h (408 mph) at 19,420 ft (5,920 m)
Range: 800 km (500 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,410 m (37,430 ft)
Armament
Guns: 2 × 13 mm synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 475 rpg
4 × 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannon with 250 rpg, synchronized in the wing roots and 140 rpg free-firing outboard in mid-wing mounts.
The Photographs
Neptune antenna - left wing
Neptune antenna - right wing
Flame damper over the exhaust exit
Wilde Sau - wild boar
The Kit
At first inspection the kit appears very good there is a good amount of detail for the scale and the panel lines are very nice not too deep or large. But there is quite a bit of flash and the clear parts are terrible. I may need to find a replacement for these. Also there is no option to open the canopy.
good detail
not so good clear parts
slight transport damage but should be fine
Thanks for looking
countdown is on just 2 and a half hours before I can start
):
I have got a bit of work done on the cockpit over the past couple of evenings. I had to replace the part that joins on at the back of the head rest due to flash, but apart from that is has been quite smooth so far. I may have trouble when I come to fit the body to the wings, there is a huge gap when I did the dry fit. I have also got the wings glued together and the gun barrels drilled out. 
) I have yet to try the hairspray technique - it just seems a bit too scary for me at the mo. the worn areas at the wing root was done in a similar way but using a bigger brush and then blended in with a brush with just thinners on. I was just experimenting really 