Focke Wulf Fw190 w/ Blohm und Voss Bv 246 Hagelkorn by Revell-Germany

1/72 scale
Kit No. 04169
Retail: $15.00
Decals: Two versions – both Luftwaffe (printed in Italy by Revell AG)
Comments: Engraved panel lines, boxed in wheel wells, two-piece canopy

History

During World War II, the Focke Wulf Fw 190 — which first appeared in 1941 and might have replaced the aging Messerschmitt Bf 109 but for Willy Messerschmitt’s influence within both the Nazi hierarchy and the RLM (German Air Ministry) — proved to be the most versatile single-engined fighter in the Luftwaffe inventory, and the best piston-engined fighter in Luftwaffe service during the war (with the possible exception of the Dornier Do 335). During the course of the war this superb aircraft was deployed as a day fighter, fighter-bomber, torpedo bomber, and two-seater trainer. In addition, the Fw 190 was increasingly used for testing new weapons systems at Luftwaffe proving stations. Various versions came to be used for the Blohm and Voss Bv 246 Hagelkorn (“Hailstone”).

The BV 246 Hagelkorn (Hailstone) was a German air-to-surface glide bomb originally developed to replace the Fieseler Fi 103 (better known as the V-1). It used guidance systems developed for other missile and guided-bomb projects, and was to be released by a carrier aircraft at a safe range, whereupon it would glide to its target. Among the mother ships considered for what would today be called a “stand-off weapon” were the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Heinkel He 111, or the Junkers Ju 88 and Ju 188. The Fw 190 was initially intended simply for the testing phase; the other aircraft, all of them twin-engined, were intended for use if and when the weapon was actually deployed.

Stability was attained by a gyroscopic autopilot, while in some versions guidance was to be provided by a radio beam transmitted from the mother ship or by an RF homing device in the nose of the bomb. The wings were made of magnesite cement, formed around a steel spar, and were easy to construct without the use of strategic materials typically used in aviation construction for Luftwaffe aircraft.

The high aspect ratio of the wings provided a very large 1:25 gliding angle which permitted a missile release as far as 210 km (130 miles) from the target, with a release altitude of 35,000 ft. The Junkers Ju88 A-4 was reportedly redesigned as a transporter which would carry up to three of these machines into action.

In July 1943 the Karlshagen proving station received an order to test the Bv 246 which started with the Ju 88, and continued with the Fw 190 once the Ju 88 test aircraft was lost. Production was interrupted several times, but between July 1943 and July 1944 a total of about 238 Bv 246 glide bombs were tested using different control systems. During these trials, while the bomb had good gliding qualities due partly to its elongated wings and double tail, the various guidance systems tested failed to give the bomb sufficient accuracy, and the program was ultimately cancelled. Finally, only a limited number remained, serving as target drones for anti-aircraft gun crews. All testing came to an abrupt halt at Karlshagen when the remaining 29 Bv 246’s were destroyed in an Allied air raid. A total of about 1,100 of these weapons were built.

The Kit

Revell-Germany’s Focke Wulf Fw 190 F-8/A-8 with Bv 246 Hagelkorn is injection molded in the brand’s trademark pale grey-green plastic and consists of 61 parts, four of which are clear plastic, representing two different versions of the two-part canopy. Modelers have the option to build either the A-8 test aircraft, which includes the Hagelkorn guided bomb, or the standard F-8 day fighter which can be built in a clean configuration or carrying an iron bomb on set of centerline brackets.

While the windscreens appear to be identical, there are two distinct canopies. The one for the A-8 version of the Fw 190, the test aircraft for the Bv 246 Hagelkorn, is a bit more streamlined and the canopy molding incorporates a centerpiece portion of the canopy frame that extends a bit more than a third of the way along the canopy spine, from front to back. The canopy for the standard F-8 fighter has a higher, slightly more bulbous canopy whose molding incorporates a centerpiece portion of the canopy frame extending all the way along the canopy spine.

This Fw 190 is an unusually detailed kit for 1/72 scale. It features engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail, as well as recessed sections of its control surfaces. The cockpit includes a diminutive main instrument panel that nonetheless bears raised detail for at least a dozen dials; the pilot’s seat is painstakingly engineered to include integrally molded seat straps as well as a seat cushion, and there is a separate headrest together with a detailed control yoke. The cockpit tub features both raised and engraved detail on the integrally molded side instrument panels.

The wheel wells are boxed in and again, quite well detailed for this scale, with above average main landing gear and wheels featuring radial tread; the main gear doors are similarly detailed. The Bv 246 Hagelkorn itself consists of seven parts and is attached to the belly of the aircraft by means of a detailed, rather large four-piece bracket.

Markings

The kit provides details for two aircraft, and the kit markings appear to be of excellent quality, manufactured in-house by Revell-Germany. The first version of for the Fw 190 A-8 carrying the Hagelkorn guided bomb during flight testing in the Winter of 1943. It bears a camouflage scheme of RLM 74 Grey-Green and RLM 75 Grey Violet over RLM 76 Light Blue, with the spinner painted RLM 70 Black Green. Most of the fuselage sides are RLM 76 with mottled splotches. The Hagelkorn is painted in the standard RLM 02 Grey.

The second version, the F-8, is a fighter-bomber and the squadron commander’s aircraft for an unknown unit in April 1945. It bears a camouflage scheme of RLM 75 Grey Violet and RLM 76 Light Blue over RLM 76 under surfaces, with the rudder painted RLM 25 Light Green. The spinner is painted in a black-and-white spiral pattern.

Conclusion

This is a highly detailed kit of an experimental Luftwaffe test aircraft, unusual and interesting in that it almost qualifies as a Luft ’46 kit — but for the fact the Hagelkorn actually got off the drawing board and had been tested by the time the war ended, albeit with disappointing results. Highly recommended for its historical interest.

References

• Kit instructions
• The National Air and Space Museum ~ https://airandspace.si.edu
• www.landmarkscout.com