1:48 Fw 190 D9

The long-nosed version of the Fw 190

The Fw 190 D-9 came about by converting the proven fighter to a liquid-cooled Jumo engine, which called for lengthening the nose as well as the rear. The annular radiator ahead of the engine meanwhile left the silhouette looking radial at first glance, so Allied pilots identified the type badly at first. It went into combat in the autumn of 1944 and the machine proved the best the German fighter arm had at low altitude.

A blown canopy on rails

Above the pilot's head sits a one-piece blown canopy which slides back on a pair of rails and in an emergency is blown off by a pyrotechnic cartridge. The shape is deep and clear, so seen from the side you see the front and the rear frame at the same time and a sheen of paint on the inner edge would immediately give away that the masking was done only from outside. That is precisely why this set contains two sets of film, one for the outer and the other for the inner surface.

What the delivery includes

• a mask of the framing for the outer as well as the inner side
• one mask for spraying the national insignia
• metal muzzles for a pair of machine guns of 13 mm caliber

The inner film is laid first, before the fuselage is glued, because once it is assembled a hand cannot reach the space under the canopy. The metal weapon muzzles belong in the troughs in the cowling ahead of the cockpit and are fitted only after the painting is finished. Many machines had the cowling above the weapons marked by smoke stains, which can be suggested with a very thinned dark paint drawn back from the muzzle. It is applied in several light passes, because a single heavy coat looks like a smear and cannot be corrected except by repainting the whole panel.