Platz 1/144 Fw 190D-9 1945 Germany Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The Fw 190D series was a development of the successful Fw 190A/F series powered by the air-cooled BMW 801 radial engine. To answer a requirement for a high altitude interceptor, Kurt Tank realized that the radial engine was going to have cooling problems operating at combat power in thin air. The answer was to adapt a liquid-cooled engine and his first choice was the Daimler Benz DB603, but was forced to use the Jumo 213 instead. While retaining the appearance of an air-cooled engine (and a long one at that), the new cowling housed the V-12 engine with a round radiator occupying the entire face of the cowling intake.

The first full-production of the 'Dora' series was the Fw 190D-9, armed with a pair of MG131 13mm machine guns above the engine and two MG151 20mm cannons in the wing roots. The Dora was a formidable fighter, though it came too late in the war to make a significant impact. Many of these aircraft were lost to pilot inexperience coupled with the aircraft's stability in certain flight regimes (especially at take-off and landing).

Here is a beautiful little kit. Actually two complete kits in one box. This is Platz Models' Fw 190D-9 in 1/144 scale. Molded in light gray styrene, this kit is presented on two parts trees, plus a single small clear tree containing the canopies. With two kits in the box, there are six trees plus two clears.

Considering the petite size of the model, this kit is rather nicely done. The cockpit detail is limited to the pilot's seat and choice of two armored headrests that go under the one-piece canopy and in this scale, that is quite fine. There are two types of canopy offered in the kit, one is the early streamlined type and the other is the blown canopy.

Assembly is quite simply with the fuselage going together around the pilot's seat and the plastic disk inside the nose to retain the propeller. The gun hood is molded separately so there might be a blank hood offered later on to represent the Fw 190D-11. The wings and horizontal stabilizers go together and complete the basic airframe. The landing gear is petite and the instructions clearly show how to set the angle of the gear to get the correct angled-in appearance

Markings are provided for three aircraft:

• Fw 190D-9, W.Nr. 211934, 2./JG 26, 1945
• Fw 190D-9, W.Nr. 210003, Black 1, 14./JG 26, 1945
• Fw 190D-9, W.Nr unknown, Black 11, JG 4, 1945

The decal sheet includes a nice set of maintenance stenciling as well as the primary markings. The decals are nicely printed and even include full swastikas as well as the politically correct two-piece swastikas.

This is a nicely engineered kit of the Fw 190D-9 and will be a nice addition to the small-scale modelers' flight lines. With two complete kits in the box, you can have two distinctive examples to enjoy for one small price.

For more information about this set and the other releases from Platz Hobby, visit their website at http://www.platz-hobby.com.

My sincere thanks to Platz Hobby for this review sample!