another Airfix A-6 in 72nd -Fw 190 night-fighter of 2./JG 2

Putting the finishing touches to another Fw 190 ... this one is a night-fighting A-6 from the elderly old-tool Airfix kit in 72nd scale, reworked with a few spares from the Eduard and Zvezda kits, including wheels and canopy, a new flat cowl gun cover and a rebuilt cockpit. Reference photos for 'black 14' as yet unpublished. The overall hell-blau-grau 76 finish is roughly over-sprayed over the standard grau scheme. This was done when 2./JG 2 retrained as night-fighters during the summer of 1943 - the scheme extended to the spinner and the cooler fan blades which are also in RLM 76. Balkenkreuze are the simple black outline type. Rudder and lower engine cowl in yellow. As mentioned decals for 2./JG 2 Fw 190s are available from OWL - note the Staffel had a complement of fourteen Fw 190s numbered 1 through 14. Gun barrels and pitot from Master.

Also on this blog;
Airfix new-tool Fw 190 A (72nd) as Klaus Bretschneider's 6./JG 300 FuG 217 night-fighting 'porcupine'

Night-fighting 'porcupines'! Lt. Klaus Bretschneider´s Focke Wulf 190 Nachtjäger of 6./JG 300 - Airfix Fw 190 in 72nd scale

Another new-tool Airfix Fw 190 A in the markings of JG 300 ace Klaus Bretschneider with added FuG 217 aerials (from florists wire) and markings from EagleCals. I haven't tried any of the small scale Eduard 190s yet, but this new-tool from Airfix is probably just as competent and a much easier build.  Bretschneider  flew through the 'wilde Sau' (wild boar) night fighting period with 6. Staffel. JG 300 and his machine was 'Yellow 1 N',  a 'porcupine' as the pilots referred to them - a FuG 217 Neptun radar-equipped Fw 190 A-7.

Above;  'Yellow 1 N', seen at Rheine during early 1944.  Note Bretschneider's victory markings on the rudder and the absence of head armour in the cockpit. The photo above was one of the many photographic highlights of Vol I of the two volume history of JG 300 written by Jean-Yves Lorant and Richard Goyat - the authors kindly sent me a copy as thanks for my contribution to their work. (See my 'wilde Sau und Moskito-Jagd' article in Model Aircraft Monthly, June and July 2014, some details here ) The image depicts  II./ JG 300 mechanic Wilhelm Beissel seated on the horizontal stabiliser. Camouflage netting has been partially unfurled over the forward fuselage and the wings. The ground crew have carefully avoiding covering the antennae of the FuG 217 Neptun radar which are set obliquely across the upper wing surfaces and in the MG cowl cover. The JG 300.de website has the '1' in red and this is obviously not the case for 6.Staffel machine. A few questions though; is there a II.Gruppe bar present on the fuselage band - in yellow? Probably yes -as per the drawings on the Eduard site for their 'Dual combo' Fw 190 nightfighters posted below - although not visible in the photo because the yellow appears 'dark' on the type of film used. I should perhaps have added it, although EagleCals don't - and they were obviously working with the authors who located the original photo of this machine. Did Bretschneider's A-7 feature outer-wing MGs - almost certainly yes, but could the armament have been retained with the aerials in situ? I've also painted the tips of the antennae in red, although perhaps this is not correct.

Below; Fritz Krauze's NJG 10 FuG 217 equipped A-6/7. A well-known photo to help with the placement of the aerials

Above; close-up of the wild boar emblem from EagleCals as seen on this 6./JG 300 night fighter. Note the red letter 'N' for 'Nacht' (or Night) utilised by JG 300 during the wilde Sau period. M. Lorant wrote to say that as it happens he has recently spent some darkroom time on this same image  The original wartime print measured just 2,5 cms x 4 cms (!) and was slightly out of focus. M. Lorant has been able to 'clean up' the photo in good enough quality to be able to identify the Werknummer. Close examination of the digital version of the photo negative allows the viewer to discern the last five digits - 40300. For Bretschneider's A-7 this gives us a WNr. of 340300. The 'enhanced' image is reproduced here courtesy M. Lorant. Click on the image below to see a close-up.

 

Stunning new Tooby Airfix artwork and reactivating a couple of part-started builds, Revell Corsair, Airfix Fw 190, Academy Bf 109 G-14 in 72nd

nice day in the garden again ..and clearing some more part-started builds from the bench hopefully. I'm not that keen on reactivating part-started builds to be honest - I find that working up enthusiasm for them is hard work, but as it's a nice day and I'm on nights later on I'm just looking for something to fettle and tinker with in the sunshine...mind you if I can finish these this month, that will be a record five completions for the month! The Airfix Fw 190 I'm building as a night fighting 'Porcupine' of JG 300 - just adding some wire antennae having drilled out some holes on the wings and fuselage. The Academy G-14 to be finished as Hartmann's JG 53 Kommandeur machine should be a G-6...

Zvezda Junkers Ju 88 G-6 in 72nd scale (4)

Two completions inside a week. Well its been a few months since I was last able to get to a club meeting and since I knew I was going to be able to go to July's I was very keen to take along something new. This is my Zvezda Junkers Ju 88 G-6 night fighter in 72nd scale with the addition of resin Jumo engines, exhausts and spinners from AIMS. The engines feature finer detail and perfectly engraved supercharger intakes. I have built this model as a representation of Eduard Lindinger's machine -see below.

Below; seen here after an undercarriage malfunction on landing at Lueneberg in early 1945 this is 'C9+ET' flown by Ofw. Eduard Lindinger of NJG 5. This 9. Staffel machine is fitted with a 'shortened' 2cm SM installation and single MG 131. Note the cabin roof-mounted Naxos - and the re-located upward-firing SM installation. And I can see now that I've missed the 'old-style' solid fuselage Balkenkreuz. Wasn't expecting that on a late-war G-6!

Lindinger was awarded the Ritterkreuz for 300+ sorties in KG 1 but enjoyed a singular lack of success as a night fighter - he returned no night victories while in III./NJG 5. Lindinger died on 1 September 2004.

..and, below, on the club table for the July meet...

new-tool Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72nd scale build review - finished

A few shots of my finished Defiant  night fighter using my phone camera.The model represents an RAF 151 Sq machine as seen early in February 1941 at RAF Wittering. Pretty pleased with the way the model turned out..the 'Night' finish I achieved more by good fortune than planning - Humbrol 33 on its own looks a bit too 'black' so I 'misted' some schwarzgrau 66 and then some light grey over the airframe until I was reasonably happy with the effect! An overspray of Windsor and Newton Galeria matt varnish really helps achieve that typical 'sooty' Defiant nightfighter look..

This new tool is another neat Airfix kit with no particular problems and plenty of detail. Scroll down the page for the build log. All the major components go together without any difficulty - the cockpit fits into the fuselage perfectly, although beware to get all the bulkheads aligned correctly as tolerances are tight. The wing root and undercarriage fit is perfect. The placement of the undercarriage doors is a little vague though and the head armour needs filing down a little to enable the canopy to sit over it properly. The decals are very good, but one of my serials rolled up on me; fortunately I bought two kits and am about to finish the second in the day fighter Battle of Britain scheme..

new tool Airfix Fw 190 A and Mosquito NF II reissue in 1:72 scale

A quick trip here ....modest and unpreposessing exterior, but inside one of the best cafe/restaurants in Kent, not to mention model shops !...

via this location... always something to look at and pick up cheaply, in this instance a couple of years worth of back issues of Classic Aircraft magazine at 10p each...

and calling in here to round off the day, "The Cat and Custard Pot ", a mile down the road from Hawkinge in the village of Paddlesworth and advertised as a "genuine" 'Battle of Britain' pub, certainly well patronised by all based at Hawkinge over the years from the pictures and memorabilia on the walls..

..there can't be many pubs in the UK with pictures of Jean Demozay  -91 Squadron CO and a leading French ace- on the wall; in fact I always wonder whether the regulars even know who the man was...FWIW my small tribute to this great pilot and Frenchie is here..

to secure a few of these....

I am finding it a little difficult to raise much enthusiasm for a new tool Airfix Fw 190 - I mean their old one wasn't that bad, I've built it a few times along with some 20 other Academy, Revell and Hasegawa Fw 190s in 1:72nd scale...however the kit looks to be very nicely done indeed; detailed cockpit, weighted wheels, two canopys and the possibility of posing them open, detailed exhaust inserts. I'm planning a very quick OOB to get my build tally up for the year. The Mosquito is a kit I've wanted to build since I  was a kid, looks great in its nice red box, as I have a shelf of 'black' aircraft I know which one I'll be doing. You can click on these pictures to get in close...