Focke-Wulf Ta 152C-1
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Kit Review
I reviewed the C-1/R14 version here and this kit just basically reproduces the type without the ETC 504 rack and LT5f torpedo. The cockpit is well detailed with raised details on the side consoles and instrument panel plus decals to put over these. From the start you have the option of the etched rudder pedals instead of the plastic ones, but unless you are really going to look hard you cant’s see them once the interior is assembled and painted RLM 66. Seat belts are also supplied as photo-etched, although I admit I used the new Eduard 'Super Fabric' ones for Luftwaffe fighters, just because they are so much easier than working with etched. The rear section of the engine is included up inside the main undercarriage bay. Once again I replaced the cowl and wing root gun barrels with lengths of aluminium tubing from the Albion Alloy range. The supercharger intake was assembled, but left off until final assembly, because it just clips into place for the painting stage, as the two locating pins are quite a tight fit. I also left the exhaust stacks out until final assembly, painting these silver first, then misting on a very weak mix of black and a red-brown, before picking out the outlets in black and the edges and seams in a brown shade. Leave the little etched deflector plate (#PE4) off until you are doing the exhaust staining towards the end, otherwise you just keep knocking it off. The pitot was replaced with the interlocking aluminium tubes from Albion Alloy. The tread pattern was re-established with a JLC saw once the two halves were cemented together and the resulting seam sanded smooth. The landing flaps and ailerons are separate, but I secured the former in the up position and the latter in the neutral position prior to painting. The later hydraulic retraction jacks are correctly depicted for each main oleo and you also get the inner doors as well, On the fuselage underside there is the DF loop, which is actually square in cross-section of the loop itself, so snip it off and replace it with a suitable diameter of brass wire. You can also replace the IFF rod antenna (#D3) with a similar length of larger diameter wire. Although the ‘Morane Mast’ for the FuG 16ZY is included in photo-etched (#PE10) or plastic, I went for the latter as it looked OK once painted.
Colour
As only ten C-1s were ever built, the scheme depicted is that applied to the C-1 prototype, VH+EY, which was a combination of late D-series fuselage, with the Ta 152 style tail and revised wing. In this case the upper scheme is RLM 75/83 with RLM 76 underneath. The exception here is that a large section of the wing underside is left unpainted, this being the section aft of the front spar to the hinge line for the ailerons and flaps. All the colours used came from the Gunze-Sangyo Mr Aqueous Color range, although to ease mottling, this was done with the Xtracolor equivalents (I have always found enamel a lot easier to mottle than acrylics). The underside unpainted areas are Alclad 2 'White Aluminium', with shading done using 'Jet Exhaust' from the same range.
With all the colours on, the model was sealed with Johnson's Klear and once that had dried overnight, the panels received a Dark Wash from the MIG Productions range, with the excess removed after about 30 minutes. The only other real weathering was exhaust staining on each side of the fuselage, done with Alclad 2 'Jet Exhaust', and a little dirt on the sidewalls of each main wheel using pastels fixed in place with MiG Production’s solution. The whole model was then sprayed with Xtracrylix matt varnish , as I had learnt my lesson with the C-1/R14 where I used satin varnish and it was too shiny to my mind.
Final Assembly
The various bits and pieces were attached, the canopy and headrest were assembled and then secured and then each tip light was recreated with a mix of thin Gator Glue and Tamiya Clear Red or Green. The final detail was the addition of the front and rear aerial lead attachment points, made from fine wire, which were superglued into pre-drilled holes in the canopy and vertical fin leading edge. Then a length of fine rigging material from Uschi van den Rosten was tied to each end, with a similar length at the mid-point going down into the fuselage. As the canopy did not have the aerial lead tensioning system installed, this was left to hang loose on the rear fuselage side (the Uschi thread is great for this, as it naturally hangs properly)
Verdict
Just like the C-1/R-14 version, this one is just so straightforward it really was a joy (no filler at all was needed). The completed model looks great and for me, that is the real test of any kit.
Highly recommended to all Luftwaffe modellers, regardless of experience, it is that easy to build.
Paints used;
Alclad II
White Aluminium
Jet Exhaust
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Aqueous Hobby Color
H65 RLM 70 Black Green
H69 RLM 75 Grey-violet
H70 RLM 02 Grey
H417 RLM 76 Light Blue
H423 RLM 83 Dark Green
Tamiya Color
X-1 Black
X-25 Clear Green
X-27 Clear Red
XF-64 Red-Brown
Xtracrylix
Matt Varnish
MIG Productions
Dark Wash
I reviewed the C-1/R14 version here and this kit just basically reproduces the type without the ETC 504 rack and LT5f torpedo. The cockpit is well detailed with raised details on the side consoles and instrument panel plus decals to put over these. From the start you have the option of the etched rudder pedals instead of the plastic ones, but unless you are really going to look hard you cant’s see them once the interior is assembled and painted RLM 66. Seat belts are also supplied as photo-etched, although I admit I used the new Eduard 'Super Fabric' ones for Luftwaffe fighters, just because they are so much easier than working with etched. The rear section of the engine is included up inside the main undercarriage bay. Once again I replaced the cowl and wing root gun barrels with lengths of aluminium tubing from the Albion Alloy range. The supercharger intake was assembled, but left off until final assembly, because it just clips into place for the painting stage, as the two locating pins are quite a tight fit. I also left the exhaust stacks out until final assembly, painting these silver first, then misting on a very weak mix of black and a red-brown, before picking out the outlets in black and the edges and seams in a brown shade. Leave the little etched deflector plate (#PE4) off until you are doing the exhaust staining towards the end, otherwise you just keep knocking it off. The pitot was replaced with the interlocking aluminium tubes from Albion Alloy. The tread pattern was re-established with a JLC saw once the two halves were cemented together and the resulting seam sanded smooth. The landing flaps and ailerons are separate, but I secured the former in the up position and the latter in the neutral position prior to painting. The later hydraulic retraction jacks are correctly depicted for each main oleo and you also get the inner doors as well, On the fuselage underside there is the DF loop, which is actually square in cross-section of the loop itself, so snip it off and replace it with a suitable diameter of brass wire. You can also replace the IFF rod antenna (#D3) with a similar length of larger diameter wire. Although the ‘Morane Mast’ for the FuG 16ZY is included in photo-etched (#PE10) or plastic, I went for the latter as it looked OK once painted.
Colour
As only ten C-1s were ever built, the scheme depicted is that applied to the C-1 prototype, VH+EY, which was a combination of late D-series fuselage, with the Ta 152 style tail and revised wing. In this case the upper scheme is RLM 75/83 with RLM 76 underneath. The exception here is that a large section of the wing underside is left unpainted, this being the section aft of the front spar to the hinge line for the ailerons and flaps. All the colours used came from the Gunze-Sangyo Mr Aqueous Color range, although to ease mottling, this was done with the Xtracolor equivalents (I have always found enamel a lot easier to mottle than acrylics). The underside unpainted areas are Alclad 2 'White Aluminium', with shading done using 'Jet Exhaust' from the same range.
With all the colours on, the model was sealed with Johnson's Klear and once that had dried overnight, the panels received a Dark Wash from the MIG Productions range, with the excess removed after about 30 minutes. The only other real weathering was exhaust staining on each side of the fuselage, done with Alclad 2 'Jet Exhaust', and a little dirt on the sidewalls of each main wheel using pastels fixed in place with MiG Production’s solution. The whole model was then sprayed with Xtracrylix matt varnish , as I had learnt my lesson with the C-1/R14 where I used satin varnish and it was too shiny to my mind.
Final Assembly
The various bits and pieces were attached, the canopy and headrest were assembled and then secured and then each tip light was recreated with a mix of thin Gator Glue and Tamiya Clear Red or Green. The final detail was the addition of the front and rear aerial lead attachment points, made from fine wire, which were superglued into pre-drilled holes in the canopy and vertical fin leading edge. Then a length of fine rigging material from Uschi van den Rosten was tied to each end, with a similar length at the mid-point going down into the fuselage. As the canopy did not have the aerial lead tensioning system installed, this was left to hang loose on the rear fuselage side (the Uschi thread is great for this, as it naturally hangs properly)
Verdict
Just like the C-1/R-14 version, this one is just so straightforward it really was a joy (no filler at all was needed). The completed model looks great and for me, that is the real test of any kit.
Highly recommended to all Luftwaffe modellers, regardless of experience, it is that easy to build.
Paints used;
Alclad II
White Aluminium
Jet Exhaust
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Aqueous Hobby Color
H65 RLM 70 Black Green
H69 RLM 75 Grey-violet
H70 RLM 02 Grey
H417 RLM 76 Light Blue
H423 RLM 83 Dark Green
Tamiya Color
X-1 Black
X-25 Clear Green
X-27 Clear Red
XF-64 Red-Brown
Xtracrylix
Matt Varnish
MIG Productions
Dark Wash
