Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 Engine Compartment

1/32 Scale

J. Rutman

HyperScale is proudly sponsored by Squadron.com

Reviewed by Brett Green

Jerry Rutman has an obvious affection for the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9.

His range of 1/32 scale accessories already include a swag of detail, improvement and conversion parts for both the Hasegawa and Revell Dora kits. The recent replacement wing for the Hasegawa Fw 190D-9 (reviewed elsewhere on HyperScale) addresses the most serious shortcoming of this hybrid kit. Rutman's most recent release catapults the kit to a new dimension of detail.

The title of J. Rutman's "Fw 190D-9 Engine Compartment" set does not do full justice to the contents. This set includes almost every detail required to complete the engine compartment, cowls, firewall, cowl guns and even the wheel well.

Around 50 parts are supplied in pale yellow resin. The casting quality is excellent. A few of the parts including the engine cowlings have tiny pinholes on structural detail of the inner surfaces, but these will be simply dealt with during cleanup. Once the kit cowl has been cut away, only the kit cowl flaps will be required - the resin parts are total replacements for the kit nose and main undercarriage bay.

The basic engine block is supplied in a single resin casting. Separate parts are supplied for the supercharger, coolant tank, radiator, cowl ring, exhausts and so on. These combine to deliver a very authentic replica of a Jumo 213 A. The only additional details required will be spark plug leads and some plumbing for the supercharger and the back of the engine.

The cowl covers and bulkhead parts are equally impressive. All cowl parts feature accurate interior structural detail. This will save the modeller a great deal of time and effort.

The wheel well parts include a replacement lower wing centre insert that accurately depicts the shell ejector arrangement for the Dora 9. The main wheel well part is open in the centre section to permit a good view of the rear of the engine from under the model.

The instructions are summarized on two sheets of letter-sized paper using line drawings. Part numbers are quoted but the parts themselves are not labelled. Although the instructions include four-view placement guides for the engine block, some aspects of construction are still not entirely clear. A good reference will be essential for a totally authentic result (photos of a Jumo 213 A engine fitted to the U.S. Air Force Museum's Dora may be seen by following this link to the Reference Feature here on HyperScale).

I have already test fitted the cowl ring with the radiator and several of the engine parts. The fit has been faultless so far.

The engine compartment set will be best used in conjunction with the Rutman resin replacement wing in order to ensure consistently high quality for the entire model.

Although the cost of the kit, the engine compartment and the replacement wing will cost in excess of USD$100, there is little doubt that a skilled modeller will be able to produce a large and remarkably detailed Dora from this combination.

This engine compartment set is engineered reasonably simply without compromising detail, but its size and  relative complexity makes it most appropriate for modellers who are confident working with resin.

This new release really lifts Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 to a new dimension of detail.

Highly Recommended to anyone experienced modellers willing to make a serious commitment to their Hasegawa 1/32 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 kit.   

Thanks to Jerry Rutman for the review samples.

The full range of J. Rutman's kits and accessories may be viewed and ordered from his new website at http://jrutman.playnet.com/

Review and Images Copyright © 2001 by Brett Green
Page Created 06 November, 2001
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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