Hasegawa have released a combo of two FW-190 A-8s. These are the same kits many of you would have built already having been around now since the 1980’s but with a few nice new bits thrown in. They are enclosed in a box that features some very well rendered ‘profile’ style artwork for two of the four aircraft you are given decals for. 

The Hasegawa kit still stands up well in 2010 as having all the basic ingredients detail wise with good parts break down and method of construction. 

The markings options you get with this kit, as described in the instructions are: 

• 1.         JGr.10, Summer 1944 

• 2.         JG2, Kommodore, Major Kurt Buhligen, France, June 1944

• 3.         6.(Sturm)/JG300, Unteroffizier Paul Lixfeldt, Germany, November 1944 

• 4.         IV.(Sturm)/JG3, Unteroffizier Willi Maximowitz, Germany, June 1944

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Hasegawa provide two additional small parts bags: 

MC017-1 & 2 which is the 5mm plate armour applied to the fuselage either side of the cockpit on Sturmgruppen 190’s. The parts are thin photo-etch style pieces with an adhesive backing. They are intended to be applied on Markings Options 3 & 4 and feature fine engraved detail. 

UR1 & 2 are small resin castings of the barrels and fairings for the 30mm MK 108 cannons – the highly destructive “pneumatic hammers” – and are designed to replace the standard cast-on wing armament on Markings Options 3 & 4. 

I have taken a few shots of the Hasegawa 190 parts next to Revell’s very detailed 190 which is probably the other leading 190 in this scale. Hopefully they will be of some use to readers who are trying to decide the best option to go for. The Revell kit has much more engraved and raised detail and extra bits in one boxing and shows a very in depth effort to capture as much as possible for the modeler. The Hasegawa version sticks to the basic engraved panel lines without much in the way of rivets, hinges etc. 

The Revell model has some forgivable over detailing but also inaccuracies in the engine cowling profile. Revell have also cast the aft part of the rearward sliding canopy onto the fuselage so your only option in this regard is a closed canopy. That’s a shame because of the nice cockpit detail they have included. 

But I won’t digress any further as there are some excellent articles online with more information than I can provide here. The Hasegawa FW-190 A-8 is a fine and dependable kit which has seen several releases over the years. It has adequate detail for the 1:72 scale. The FW-190 series are good candidates for these two in one box packages as this great fighter had many very attractive markings. And it is flat out one of the best looking fighters of all time (IMHO). So to avoid hard choices the more you buy the happier you’ll be… 

This kit can be purchased here:  http://www.hlj.com/product/HSG01904 

My thanks to HobbyLink Japan (http://www.hlj.com/) for providing this review sample.

Nick Moore

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