Leo Etgen

Hi guys He definitely died in Bf 109 G-2/Trop (W.Nr. 14 256) due to engine trouble but the tactical code is not known as it was not included in any loss list available to us. Horrido! Leo

Hi john53 Roll Models lists the Hasegawa 1/48 Fw 190 A-6 "Sturmstaffel 1" kit number 09965 for $36 while the Eduard 1/48 Fw 190 A-6 kit number 8171 is available for $30. These are your best options for an accurate Fw 190 A-6 as the A-5 and A-8 versions had quite different under wing cannon bulges and cowling machine gun bulges respectively. Which of these two kits is the better option? I honestly think that the best way to decide this is to look up build reviews of these two kits online and go with the one that you feel you will be more comfortable building. Horrido! Leo

Hello Darryl It might also have been the Hasegawa 1/32 scale Fw 190 D-9 kit fitted with the Aires 1/32 scale Jumo 213 engine set in resin (http://www.aires.cz/engineengine-set/fw-190d-detail-engine-set/). This set is available at Sprue Brothers or Roll Models if you are interested. Horrido! Leo

Hi guys Another announcement by Rowan Baylis over on Aeroscale in which new CAD images and several images of the sprues of the soon to be released Devastator are included can be found at http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=10488. It looks quite nice and it is good to have another option available to model this early war US Navy torpedo-bomber. I wonder what the price of this one will be? Horrido! Leo

Hi guys I just saw on Aeroscale an announcement that the new 1/48 scale Douglas Devastator will be released in January 2012 (http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=10351). It will be interesting to see how this kit is and overall quite nice news for fans of early war US Navy aircraft. Horrido! Leo

Mike Lately I am finding my self gravitating more towards 1/32 rather than 1/48, at least for single-engined fighters. It seems as if the kits that are generating the most buzz recently have all been in the larger scale: Cyber-Hobby’s Bf 109 E-4, Tamiya’s Mustang, Revell’s He 111 and Zoukei-Mura’s Skyraider. There have been some excellent kits in 1/48 such as Cyber-Hobby’s Bf 110 series and Zvezda’s Bf 109 F-2 that have been recently released but it seems as if the momentum is with 1/32. I was seeing that most people over on LSP are hoping that the next Tamiya 1/32 kit will be a C

Hi Chesshire Cat Many thanks for your post. I agree with you that I would prefer the Eduard offering over the Tamiya due to the fact that it is much better detailed, can be built with the BMW 801 engine exposed (the only Fw 190 kit in which this can be done aside of the ancient Hasegawa 1/32 scale one) and has a multitude of options such different main wheels, weapons packages, closed or open canopies (the only kit that offers this in any scale that I am aware of) and the painting masks as well as the options to build a BMW 801 TU powered late A-8 or BMW 801 TS powered A-9. It does appear tha

Hi guys I do not have the Tamiya or the Hasegawa kits so what little I know of them is based on what I have read online and not through personal experience. It is generally held that the Tamiya kit is the easiest to assemble and overall is okay for most builders although as mentioned previously by others the main landing gear legs and main wheels are undersized. I have also read that the propeller blades included in the A-8/R2 boxing are supposed to represent the wider wooden type often fitted to Fieseler built Sturmbocks but are noticeably inaccurate. Regarding the Hasegawa release, I must a

Hello Aaron Most Fw 190 A-series fighters were fitted with a metal propeller. However, they could be fitted with a larger wooden propeller that increased climb and acceleration although decreasing level speed if I recall correctly. I have read that frequently Fw 190 A-8/R8 Sturmbocks built by Fieseler at Kassel were fitted with the larger wooden propeller, an example being Fw 190 A-8 "Black <<" (W.Nr. 681 362) of Stab IV.(Sturm)/JG 3 flown by Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz. I hope that this helps. Horrido! Leo

Hello Brian The answer depends upon the type of canopy fitted. Early production Fw 190 D-9 fighters were fitted with flat canopies. These came in two types: one such as on the Fw 190 A-8 that had a radio antenna pulley system that kept the radio antenna wire taunt while the canopy was open and one that did not have the pulley system installed. On these aircraft the antenna went slack when the canopy was opened. Late Fw 190 A-8 as well as Fw 190 A-9 fighters often had this type of canopy, an example being Fw 190 A-8 "Red 19" (W.Nr. 172 733) of 5./JG 300 flown by Unteroffizier Ernst Schröder.

Hi guys Perhaps this is the wrong thread to mention this but Karaya of Poland has announced a correction set (still in progress) for the Eduard 1/48 scale Fw 190 A-8 and has let it be known that they will issue one for the Eduard Dora in the future as well. A preview of the Anton set can be seen at: http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=9805. It is a pity that by all accounts the molds of the Dragon kits are beginning to deteriorate with the passing of time as they still are the best option in regards to accuracy currently available. Quite su

Hello Neo Just a small point of clarification in that the dual combo that you mention is only for the Fw 190 D-11/13 (8185) and the Fw 190 D JV 44 (1154) kits. The Fw 190 D-9 Late Version Profipack (8189) includes two fuselages, one with the Ta 152 tail and the other with a normal tail but you can only build one or the other. John53, I believe that Tamiya corrected the D-13 wing issue with some of their later releases but the kit still has a large number of accuracy problems aside of that one. Horrido! Leo

Hello John53 Between the Eduard and Dragon 1/48 scale Fw 190 D-9 kits I would have to go with the Dragon kit in spite of its known fit issues if accuracy is what you are after. The Eduard version suffers from accuracy issues with the propeller, gun cowl, underwing and canopy which was quite unexpected. The Dragon version does not include the correct open wheel well of the Fw 190 D-9 but you can use the MDC wheel well correction set for the Tamiya kit (CV043) to upgrade that area. The Tamiya kit has far too many accuracy issues to be a contender in my opinion but it is the easiest to assemble

Hello Abakan Have you looked at the 1/32 scale Luftwaffe code number decals at http://www.peddinghaus-decals.de/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=11&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1 or masks at http://www.modelerswarehouse.com/pages/ger_masks.html? These might help you to be able to model the fighter that you are interested in. Horrido! Leo

Hi richter111 Many thanks for the alert. As soon as I saw your post I went and changed the links to another image hosting service. I just hope that this one does not have trouble with X-rated pop-up ads. I never had experienced that sort of thing with ImageVenue before but now while researching online it appears that this is quite common with image hosting sites. I just wish they would alert their potential users beforehand to expect this so you can decide to use their service or not. Horrido! Leo

Hi Mike Many thanks for bringing my attention to the RB Model barrels. I have to admit that although I had come across mention of this company I had no idea what sort of aftermarket products they offered and never would have known about these barrels if you had not alerted me to them. I was so impressed that I located their web site and discovered that they offer the MG 17, MG 131 and MG FF in 1/32 scale and at far more economical price than either Aber or Master Model. I am certain that these are the sets that I will use and I am very grateful for your input as now I have to option to obtain

Hi guys I have a question related to the availability or lack thereof of any aftermarket MG 17 and MG FF barrels cast in resin in 1/32 scale. I know that Quickboost makes a very nice and inexpensive set of MG 131 and MG 151 barrels for the Fw 190 A-8 and D-9 but nothing in regards to the weapons fitted to the earlier Fw 190 A-series. I know that both Aber and Master Models have the MG 17 and MG FF available in brass and these are by all accounts as good as it gets and most likely what I will end up getting but by any chance are there any of these barrels available in resin as these are quite

Hi guys Many thanks for your comments. With that I think that the best option is to remain with the kit supplied parts if no trouble due to increasing weight appear. I have read that the kit supplied parts are the exact length and the oleos are compressed as they should be so there never was any reason to change these parts except for weight related concerns. If any trouble should arise then I think that the Scale Aircraft Conversions set would be the best option due to their more accurate stance. Many thanks for your advice and comments. Horrido! Leo

Hi guys I am searching for aftermarket main landing gear legs for the Hasegawa 1/32 scale series of Fw 190 kits and have come up with two contenders. The first is the G-Factor set which is cast in brass and which by all accounts is very good indeed and has enthusiastic endorsements. However, it appears to me that the oleos are depicted in the extended position which would not be correct for an aircraft on the ground. The second is the Scale Aircraft Conversions set which is cast in white metal. I have read that these often are merely duplicates of the kit supplied parts and that furtherm

Hi guys Many thanks for your comments. I ended up getting the Wedgetail blades (the last set available for now!) and hope that I made the correct decision. It is sort of a quandary as on one hand the fellow who is possibly most knowledgeable about the type in question states that the kit propeller blades are accurate and yet there are various others who state that they are not correct. I have seen a pair of photographs of a Hasegawa propeller blade next to an example of a Wedgetail propeller blade and the latter has considerably more "paddle" to it. These photographs can be seen at http://s36

Hi guys I would like to ask the more knowledgeable members on this board a question concerning the accuracy or lack thereof regarding the propeller blades of the Hasegawa 1/32 scale Fw 190 D-9. In his review of this kit at http://kits.kitreview.com/fw190d932reviewjc_1.htm Jerry Crandall wrote the following: "The spinner and propeller blades are very accurate and well engineered for assembly." As he literally wrote the book on this type his statement carries great weight for me. However, I have come across some comments on various builds of this model elsewhere that suggest that the kit suppli

Hi guys The Strength Returns on Micheal Holm's site show that the Bf 109 F-4/R3 was the primary single-seat reconnaissance type used by 1.(F)/Aufklärungsgruppe 122 from early 1942 until mid-1943 although Bf 109 E-9, Bf 109 E-9/N, Bf 109 F-4, Bf 109 G-2 and Bf 109 G-4/R3 types also appear. http://www.ww2.dk/oob/bestand/aufkl/b1ag122.html Horrido! Leo

Hi guys Lynn Ritger in The Messerschmitt Bf 109 Part 2 lists the following Bf 109 F-4 reconnaissance versions: F-4/R2: five machines built by Erla fitted with one Rb 20/30 camera, radios removed F-4/R3: 36 machines confirmed built by Erla fitted with one 75/30 camera, radios removed F-4/R4: one machine built by Erla fitted with one Rb 50/30 camera, radios removed F-4/R8: one machine confirmed built by Erla fitted with one Rb 50/30 or Rb 75/30, radios in place He goes on to state that although production figures show only two aircraft fitted with the Rb 50/30 and Rb 75/30 cameras there a

Hi guys Fw 190 D-9 "Red 1" (W.Nr. 210 003) did not have the vertical bar denoting an aircraft of the III. Gruppe nor am I aware of any Dora of III./JG 54 having it. Neither did it have the black and white RV bands as these were associated with JG 26. Regarding the yellow tail he had this painted on while serving as Staffelkapitän of 12./JG 54 for the reasons that Chuck has mentioned. Whether or not the yellow tail remained following the redesignation of III./JG 54 to IV./JG 26 on 25 February 1945 is open to conjecture. It was believed that this was repainted so that only the rudder was yello

Hi guys Dortenmann quite likely flew Fw 190 D-9 "Red 1" (W.Nr. 210 003) on his Bodenplatte mission. He flew this same fighter throughout the final months of the war as Staffelkapitän of 12. and 11./JG 54 and later 14. and 3./JG 26 and claimed his last 18 victories with it. His Fw 190 A-8 "Red 1" was shot down in aerial combat with Spitfire fighters south of Paris on 26 June 1944 so therefore could not possibly have flown the mission. III./JG 54 does not appear to have kept the blue RV band following conversion to the Fw 190 D-9 but IV./JG 54 which attacked Melsbroek together with JG 27 did u