Cool Hand

Excellent build.

Yes. That would work for Jg 1. Have a look at Heinz Bär's Fw 190A-8.

I imagine that the red Jg 1 used is close to the shade that Jg 301 had on their tail bands. I would try to get close to that.

Great model and brilliant display stand.

Superb build. Excellent work.

It should be the armored glass unit. Unless I'm very mistaken, the frame and mounts will be painted RLM 66 like the rest of the cockpit. Couple of pics via google:

Wait, there's an A/B model TCS pod is in the D kit as well?

There are plenty of great schemes for the F. I'm sure you'll find more than a couple that will merit a build.

Yes, but some F's also had glass only on the left side. More importantly, the canopy frames changed from the F to the G. G models have thick frames on the windscreen and tilting portion. Armored windscreen glass was added to the outside on the F and was mounted inside the frame on the G. Other key differences between the F models and the G-2. The position of the fuel filler hatch is under the canopy on the F and on the left side of the upper fuselage aft of the canopy on the G. There is a round hatch on the left fuselage of the F, just aft of the supercharger intake. Most F models had a shorter oil cooler fairing under the nose. The F-4(Trop) and F-4Z had oil coolers which became the standard on the G. The same applies to wider chord prop blades - G standard on F-4(Trop) and F-4Z. Wheel wells are perfectly round on the F-4 but the F-2 and all G models had strait outboard edges for doors which were never used. Supercharger intake is thinner on the 109F-2. G models had 4 small scoops on the nose aft of the spinner, 2 per side. Some F models have a thin scoop on the right cowling aft of the engine crank access hole. Many F models have external strengthening plates(2 per side) over the join between the tail and rear fuselage.

I have to completely disagree with you. An F-111 or F-100 may be of more interest to you, but even if Tamiya were to develop kits of both of the same quality as their F-14. The F-14 line would sell more than the F-111 and F100 lines combined. The Tomcat is iconic to the level that the Aardvark and Super Sabre cannot even come close to. The F-14 is the license to print money, the others - not so much.

Very nice build, Darren. How easily do you think it would be to close the gear bays for an in-flight build? I had a Hasegawa build going a few years ago, but I was not happy with my attempt to close the gear, slats and air brake.

I'd love to see an A-6A from VA 196.

I'm rooting for the Dodger because Dave Roberts is the manager. For those who don't remember Roberts' contribution to the 2004 Red Sox:

The main difference is that the A-6 uses a re-designed wing to allow for a pair of MG 151/20 cannons in the outer bays, unlike the earlier wing which could only house the Mg FF cannon in the outboard bays. The rest of the guns were not changed. Check here for more details: http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/11/stuff_eng_fw190_01.htm As for the kit, make sure you use the lower wing with the flat hatches under the outer wing cannon and open ejection ports in the hatches. Otherwise follow the instructions for an A-5. If using the decals for Walter Nowotny's aircraft, do not use any cannon in the outer bays - he had them removed to save weight and maximize performance. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997435-fw-190a-5-profipack-172-eduard/

I do not recall this being mentioned as one of the criteria before now.