Zoukei-Mura Focke Wulf Fw190A-4 1:32 – Rob.R build review

Full Review with Rob Ruscoe

Just before we get started, here’s a look at how it all turned out…

In early 1938, Focke Wulf Flugwerke in Bremen were commissioned by the RLM to design a fighter to operate alongside the Bf109. The technical director, Kurt Tank, planned to create a rugged, easy to maintain aircraft which could operate off the most basic of airfields. To power the new fighter, Tank chose the powerful and reliable BMW 801 14 cylinder radial engine instead of the water-cooled designs that dominated at the time. This eliminated vulnerable radiators and associated pipework which increased survivability. The reduced drag benefit of having no radiators was normally offset by the increased frontal area of a radial engine. The clever close cowling of the engine coupled with a large spinner and an engine driven cooling fan to boost airflow through the narrow frontal duct meant drag was kept to a minimum. When RAF pilots first encountered the new fighter over France, they actually reported it as having a water cooled engine – so good was the packaging. To further increase survivability, Tank chose electrically powered undercarriage, flaps and trim systems. The balanced controls utilised rods and bell cranks instead of cables. The wide main landing gear and retractable tail wheel were very robust and eradicated the problems which beset the Bf109.

The A-4 variant of the aircraft was developed to cope with the cold conditions experienced on the eastern front. To this effect, the fixed cooling air slots behind the engine exhausts were made controllable and the tyre sections of the retracted undercarriage were given folding doors.
976 A-4s were produced out of a total production run of almost 24,000 FW190s.

The Kit

Having recently built Zoukei Mura’s superb Bf109G, I was looking forward to a similar pleasurable experience with this offering. The kit comes in the usual sturdy box which is crammed with beautifully moulded grey styrene. Not a hint of flash anywhere on the eleven sprues. The kit also comes with both inner and outer canopy masks and a single decal sheet with options for three aircraft. The instruction manual is up to ZMs usual superb standard.

There are three options provided:-

• Fw190 A-4 White 4, 1./JG1, W.Nr.0601. June 1943
• Fw190 A-4 White 3, 1./JG54, Russia, Summer 1943
• The same aircraft, Russia, Winter 1943.

The first option is in the standard mottled pattern with black and white chequered cowlings. The second option is painted in the three tone camouflage pattern adopted by JG54 “Grunherz” on the Eastern Front. The same aircraft had a white patterned overspray added in the winter months. This complicated pattern certainly presents a nice challenge to replicate and being a glutton for punishment, was the one I decided to go for.

The Engine…