Cutting Edge Modelworks

1/48 Fw-190A "Reich Defenders Part 2" decal sheet

Product # CED48196 for $8.99

Product Article by Steve Bamford on Jan 16 2004

 

 

 

This is a new decal sheet from Cutting Edge Modelworks.  The sheet includes markings for 4 different Fw-190A's in 1/48 scale.  

The Fw 190 prototype first flew on June 1,1939 and production deliveries began in late 1940. Within a year, Fw l90s were making low-level sweeps over southern England in daylight, and outclassing the Spitfire Mk. V.  After a number of engagements between the Fw-190 and the Spitfire Mk. V....the Spitfire Mk.V pilots were told to avoid engaging Fw-190's unless they had the advantage going into the fight.  It wasn't until the Spitfire Mk.IX was introduced that the Spitfire was able to tangle with the Fw-190 on a more or less equal footing.  The wider landing gear track of the Fw-190 as compared to the Bf-109, made the Fw-190 a much more forgiving fighter for the less experienced pilots.

The first plane is a Fw-190 A-3 from an unknown unit.  The paint scheme is a late-war ground concealment paint scheme of RLM82/83 over the original RLM 74/75.  This plane has an RLM 04 yellow rudder and engine chin cowl.  Code numbers on the fuselage are "17" and "71" on the other side.....the #1 is dark blue with a white outline and the #7 is red with a while outline.  These numbers are presented in 2 layers so the white outline decals lines up perfectly with the red and blue number decals.  The spinner is RLM 83.

The second plane is a Fw-190 A-6 flown by Oblt. Georg Schott Staffelkapitan, 1./ JG 1 in September 1943.  The paint scheme is a mixture of RLM74/75/83.  This plane has an RLM 04 yellow engine chin cowl.  Code numbers on the fuselage are white "11" with a black outline, which are applied over a patch of RLM 02.  The engine cowling is covered in a black and white checker board pattern (supplied as black decals with you painting the white) and the spinner is black and white.  The black checker boards come as 13 decals, so this should make installation less stressful that one huge decal you must apply to a round engine cowl. Artwork on this aircraft is a black cat on the side of the fuselage under the canopy.  There is a "Devil Badge" that could have been applied to the left hand cowl of this aircraft and this decal is included if you choose to use it.

The third plane  is a Fw-190 A-5 from Geschwaderstab, JG 1 in September 1943.  The paint scheme is  RLM74/83 on the upper surfaces with RLM 75 mottling on the fuselage sides.  The fuselage sides and underside of this plane is RLM 76.  This plane has an RLM 23 red engine chin cowl.  Code markings on the fuselage are "<- -" , these are black with a white outline.  These codes are presented in 2 layers so the white outline lines up perfectly with the black markings.  The spinner is RLM 83.  There is a red and white unit crest on the side of the fuselage.  A very interesting feature of this aircraft is it's white tail and rudder.

The fourth plane is a is a Fw-190 A-4 of 1./ JG 1 out of Schiphol Holland in July 1943.  The paint scheme is  RLM74/83 on the upper surfaces with RLM 74/75 mottling on the fuselage sides.  The fuselage sides and underside of this plane is RLM 76.  This plane has an RLM 04 yellow engine chin cowl and RLM 04 ring around the front of the engine cowling.  Code numbers on the fuselage are yellow "6" with a black outline.  The engine cowling is covered in a black and white checker board pattern (supplied as

 black decals with you painting the white) and the spinner is black and white.  The black checker boards come as 12 decals, so this should make installation less stressful that one huge decal you must apply to a round engine cowl.  There is a "Devil Badge" that could have been applied to the left hand cowl of this aircraft and this decal is included if you choose to use it.

The decals were flawlessly printed and the clear carrier film is trimmed very close to the crisply printed colored areas, which is always good to see. 

A full selection of stencils is provided so you can complete one aircraft.  Colours are solid and will cover very well.  This decal sheet has a good variety of noseart and colour schemes and those black and white checker engine cowling are impressive looking to say the least.  

Click on images below to see larger images of the instruction sheets

The 3 pages of colour instructions are clear and go into great detail about proper placement of the checkerboard decals.  There is an extra page of text instruction is included with a small bit of info about the 4  planes.

A very nice product and highly recommended.

I would like to thank Cutting Edge Modelworks for providing me with this review sample.

Steve

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford