Hello everyone, this time a troubled work, completed to 99% on last March, after some years, two children and two relocations, to not talk of job changes; more, during one of the moves, it was almost destroyed. Nevertheless, here it is: from Hasegawa and Aires (7043 - Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 Details set for Hasegawa/Academy). I checked its color scheme out on Claes Sundin’s “Deutsche Jagdflugzeuge 1939 - 1945 in Farbprofilen”: my German is very lacking, but English version was not yet available in Italy at that time, while the book is really worthwhile. And it reports the airplane as flown by Major Gerhard Barkhorn, around FEB 1945, when based with all Stab JG/6 in Sorau, Germany.

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I used just some parts from the Aires set, due to my choice to only open up the weapons cowling and some other starboard panels. And the cockpit, of course! I like models where you see all those small details of the instrument panel. Indeed, it asked to me some sanding and smoothing of resin before it fit right within airplane. I also like movements on airplane surface, even if not showing internal details; so I scraped along one side of tail inspection panel (left), to lean on such a rut a thin aluminum piece shaped as the panel. Black internal and ajar give the right feeling (panel is open), without struggle to build real inner parts: too lazy, I know! Mind, the panel is got from aluminum foil wrapping small candles: it is a very multipurpose material you can get for free. 

Now it is time for plumage: on a RLM76 (HellGrau) base used as primary, I added RLM82 (DunkelGrun) washed spots on the airplane's sides and tail than RLM81 (BrownViolet) and RLM82 pattern. Gloss cote to apply decals from Hasegawa, which are good enough; I only excluded it for JG/6 red-white-red stripe I got by masking. Finally, some oil color (raw umber) to highlight panel lines and blemish bottom sides and external tank.

Matt cote seals all together and give it a better look. The end, you could think. Not yet: it looks like once something starts wrongly, no way to get it right. A mistake of mine caused one of machine guns to crack; impossible to fit where it belongs. So I cut some plasticard stripes, engraved and painted them to look like wooden and tied together obtaining a workbench where to leave weapon, on the ground aside the airplane. Everything was finally set down on a small base almost covered by grass: after so much damage, it is time to rest for a small but pleasant model. Last 1% missing ? the propeller’s cone; I left as last detail, to realize at the end I lost it sometime, somewhere … who knows ?

Andrea Pomettini

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