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TOP FLITE FOCKE WULF FW 190D-9 Also see Part I - Construction and Part III - Fiberglassing and Painting.
The Top Flite FW 190D-9 Gold Edition kit is designed and marketed as a stand-off scale sport model. Many modelers are not interested in "maxing out" their scale R/C models, and for them the Top Flite FW 190D-9 built straight out of the box is probably close enough. But what about the modeler who likes to give more life to his creations through details or, better yet, is interested in getting started in scale competition? How well does the Top Flite FW 190D-9work for these people? Located on pages two through five of the Top Flite FW 190D-9 instruction manual are references to scale competition and what the modeler needs to do in order to compete with his Focke Wulf. I was pleased to see this information included and decided to build my Focke Wulf with Scale Masters competition in mind. Can it be competitive? We'll see. Preparation Knowing that I was building the kit with competition in mind, I expected to make a few changes to enhance its outline and appearance. Most .60 sized warbirds are designed with some compromises between scale outline, flight characteristics,and ease of construction, so those limitations need to be worked around. A good set of 3-view drawings are mandatory. These drawings will be referenced again and again during the construction. Everything you do to change the outline of the kit should be based on your 3-view drawings. Having a full scale subject to model before you start building is a good idea. I chose an FW 190D-9 that flew with 5/JG26 after seeing a decal set for plastic models produced by Eagle Editions Ltd. Eagle Editions' decal packages provide a color fuselage profile as well as color top and bottom views of the aircraft. After receiving my decals from Eagle Editions, I learned that photos of the aircraft were published in the book "Focke Wulf Jagdflugzeug FW 190A, FW190 Dora, Ta 152H" by Peter Rodeike. Between the 3-view drawings, the decal package, and the Rodeike book, I had all of the documentation needed to proceed with the project. Tail Section Each control surface will need to replicate the originals as closely as possible. Control surfaces of the full scale FW 190D-9, with exception of the flaps, are fabric covered. Impressions of the control surface frames show beneath the doped fabric covering on the full scale aircraft, so accurate control surface frames need to be built for the model. When the model is weathered, the control surface framing will be apparent. Three-view drawings were used to set the location of the elevator ribs. The supplied elevator components were modified with additional ribs placed as needed before being covered with 1/16" balsa sheet.Again, using the 3-views, the openings in the elevator frame were traced onto the model's elevator balsa sheeting. Elevator frame openings were rough cut with a hobby knife and then shaped with a cordless Dremel tool equipped with a small sanding drum. (See Photo #1.)
To enclose the elevator linkage a common control for both elevator halves was fabricated using a 1/4" diameter birch dowel. A center point between the elevator halves was measured and a #51 bit used to drill a hole perpendicular to the elevators. A 2-56 x 1 Allen head machine screw was then threaded into the hole and tightened with a jam nut for use as part of the control horn,the screw was trimmed for length using a fiber cut-off wheel and a Dremel. A small piece of aluminum rod was drilled, tapped, and filed to create the second part of the control horn and was threaded onto the 2-56 machine screw.Sand the leading edge of the elevators until the shape is half round. Great Planes Pivot Point hinges are recessed into the leading edge until the hinge pivot is at the same depth as where the half round starts. Using a homemade sanding fixture, a 1/64" deep depression was sanded into the top and bottom trailing edge sheeting of the horizontal stabilizer, a 1/64" lite ply cover was fit into the depression and glued onto the trailing edge sheeting. The ply cover was trimmed to protrude 1/4" past the stab trailing edge, and eliminates the stab/elevator hinge gap and give the assembly a better scale appearance(See Photos #2 & #3.)
Vertical Fin and Rudder The rudder as built per the kit is much too large chord-wise. Measurements were taken from the 3-views and a new rudder outline drawn over the existing plans. It was a simple matter to adjust the materials until the rudder matched the new shape. Additional ribs and framing were required to better duplicate the full scale rudder. After sanding the rudder to shape, the balsa sheet between the ribs was removed to create an open framed part to reduce weight. Top Flite did a nice job designing the vertical fin, the shape closely matches the full scale fin. No changes were required other than adding the 1/64"ply hinge gap covers. Rudder hinging was performed the same as for the elevators.(See Photo #4.)
Fuselage After framing up the fuselage and installing the horizontal stabilizer and elevators,the control rod for the elevator was run. I used the control rod, sleeve and bushings supplied by Top Flite for the elevator linkage. A series of holes were drilled through the fuselage formers for the control linkage.A section of the gray control rod sleeve was threaded through the newly drilled holes, then secured into place with 6-minute epoxy. A wire control rod was cut to length and bushed using the supplied materials. A 2-56 clevis was threaded onto the elevator end of the control rod and connected to the elevator horn. After the elevator clevis was connected, the concealed part of the elevator linkage was complete. The location of the tail wheel per the plans is fine, but the shape and appearance of the tail wheel yoke must be improved. First, the wire was straightened and the nylon bracket was removed; next the wire was re-bent in a more scale-like fashion. A bearing for the tail wheel wire was made from brass tubing glued into a basswood block; the basswood block was epoxied onto the ply tail wheel mounting plate to complete the mounting fixture. A straightedge was placed on the last fuselage former and a spacer block at the rear of the fuselage crutch to closely estimate the angle of the finished fuselage. A Williams Bros. 1.5" smooth contour wheel was placed onto the tail wheel wire. The wire was slid into the bearing until the height matched the tail wheel down position on my 3-view drawings.A mark was made on the tail wheel wire to indicate the correct depth, then the wire was removed. Brass sheet was used to make a steering tiller, then the tiller was silver soldered into position at the mark made on the tailwheel wire. (The tail wheel tiller is cut short enough that it can be completely concealed within the fuselage.) The tail wheel wire was notched on the topside of the ply tail wheel plate and a retaining collar installed using a setscrew and Loctite. (See Photos #5 & #6.)
I used the center position of the fuselage servo tray for the rudder and tailwheel servo. A control rod was installed for the tail wheel with the same method used to install the elevator control rod. The rudder/tail wheel servo uses a straight oversized control arm that has adjustable rudder pull-pull clevises at its outer positions and the tail wheel clevis at one of the inner connections. Attaching the tail wheel clevis inside of the rudder clevises limits the tail wheel travel to a few degrees less than the rudder. A Williams Bros. 1.5" smooth contour tail wheel was permanently installed and the tailwheel yoke assembly built up to replicate the full sized yoke using aluminum tubing, plastic, and a slurry of epoxy and micro-balloons. At this point, the tail wheel ply mounting plate is permanently installed in the fuselage and the final connection of the tail wheel control rod clevis made. After the tail wheel installation, two pieces of the gray control rod sleeve are sanded and glued into place for pull-pull cable guide tubes. Balsa blocks were installed around the guide tubes to shape the rear of the fuselage.The guide tubes allow for easy installation of the pull-pull cables after the model is finished. When the model is complete, simply tie off the cables to the rudder control horn, stand the fuselage on its nose, then feed the cables into the holes and down to the servo. (See Photos #7 & #8.)
The plastic parts supplied with the Top Flite FW 190D-9 are its weakest point in the scale accuracy of the kit. Replacement of the plastic parts is the biggest step in making the Top Flite FW 190D-9 a competitive scale model.All of the plastic parts were replaced with parts of my own manufacture. When mounting the fiberglass cowl, it was important not to have any of the attaching hardware visible. A wood dowel is used to position the cowl and two captured 4-40 Allen head screws secure the cowl to the fuselage. (See Photos #9 & #10.)
Making the fuselage gun hood removable is an excellent way to hide much of the radio gear, switches, air tank filler, etc. The sheeting was cut away from the fuselage down to the cockpit deck. Fuselage former F5 was trimmed away leaving a large open area. Much of the remaining cockpit deck was opened up to provide even more area for mounting the retract valve, servo, and radio receiver. The custom gun hood was trimmed according to the 3-view drawings and the fuselage opening adjusted to accommodate the shape of the gun hood. The gun hood is aligned with tabs and secured with a captured 2-56 Allen head screw through a scale opening in the front of the hood. (See Photos #11, #12 
.)
A plug and mold was made and a set of resin exhaust headers cast for the Focke Wulf. Exhaust dimension measurements were taken from the 3-view drawings and scaled up to the size of the Top Flite FW 190D-9 model. The cast exhaust were glued into a box created from the 3-view measurements. An opening the same dimensions as the "exhaust box" was cut just below the main center longitudinal crutch stringer. The box was recessed into the fuselage opening, giving the exhaust the desired effect of depth. (See Photos #14, #15 & #16.)
Canopy & Cockpit I wanted the model to have a retractable canopy, so a simple slot and guide system was used. After shaping the turtledeck, hold it in place on top of the cockpit deck. Draw a line across the canopy deck to represent the turtledeck's closed position. Calculate the position of the turtledeck at its maximum open position, move the turtledeck to that position and draw a line across the cockpit deck. The slot for the turtledeck guide must be behind the line representing the open position of the turtledeck. Mark out the slot and cut the opening. A guide/hook was cut from 1/8" aircraft ply and recess fit into the turtledeck. A receiver hook was made from scrap ply and glued to F8 inside of the fuselage. (To hold the canopy closed, a rubber band is attached between the turtledeck guide/hook and the F8 receiver hook.) Test the travel of the slot and guide. The turtledeck should move back to the rear canopy deck line and should move forward to the front canopy deck line. (See Photos #17, #18& #19.)
The canopy was divided at the windshield/canopy line. After dividing the canopy and windshield, the canopy was taped into place on the turtledeck. Some trimming was needed in order to get the windshield to fit correctly to the fuselage and canopy. Framing was added to the canopy and the windshield using balsa sticks and 1/32" ply. The balsa sticks and the plywood were covered with .010" styrene to give the framing a smooth finish for painting. Two small guide pins were added to the canopy frame and matching holes were drilled in the windshield frame to ensure correct alignment when closing the canopy. Before permanently attaching the canopy to the turtledeck, headrest armor was built into the turtledeck and canopy frame. Balsa sticks and .010" styrene was used for construction of the headrest armor. After painting the headrest armor, canopy framing and windshield framing with Model Masters enamel RLM 66, the turtledeck/canopy was ready for final assembly. After gluing the canopy with Pacer Formula 560 canopy glue, the canopy was taped and clamped into position and allowed to dry. After the canopy glue had dried, it was taped into place on the fuselage. The windshield was glued and taped into place after ensuring a good fit to the canopy. Canopy and windshield exterior framing as well as other details were added last using .010" styrene. (See Photo #20.)
The cockpit was built from the vacu-formed kit designed for the Gold Edition FW 190D-9 by Top Flite. First step in installing the cockpit was trimming the instrument panel to fit. After the instrument panel was fit to the fuselage, the bottom section of the instrument panel was cut from the top section. The instrument panel sections are separated to enhance the perception of depth between the panels. Using a cordless Dremel, the gauge face openings were cut from the instrument panels. Gauge bezels were made with a combination of styrene plastic, brass tubing, and aluminum tubing. The instrument faces supplied with the Top Flite cockpit kit were used and attached to a .010" styrene plastic backing. A piece of .010" clear plastic was placed over the gauge faces to simulate gauge glass. The gun sight, levers, switches, and lights were made from aluminum, brass, plastic, and wood. All of the parts were painted with Testors Model Masters enamel paints and installed using Formula 560 glue. (See Photos #21 & #22.)
Wing Wing changes were done in the areas of the ailerons and flaps. The ailerons were scratch-built using the same outline as those in the kit, but modeled to replicate those of the full scale aircraft. Focke Wulf 190's use Friese type ailerons so the leading edge of the aileron slants back from the bottom to the top. The hinge line on this type of aileron is set as low as possible and back in from the bottom leading edge. To cover the large gap on the top edge of the aileron, a 1/64" ply strip was added to the wing top trailing edge. Aileron controls are attached through the top of the wing at the inboard location of the aileron. This connection is not difficult to make but it does require modification to the factory-designed servo mounts. Aileron control re-location is a great scale enhancement to make to your Focke Wulf. (See Photos #23, #24, #25 & #26.)
The flaps in the kit are nicely done, deviations are made from the suggested installation to hide the hardware and to get the hinging set up closer to that of the full scale aircraft. After building the flaps and sizing them to the openings in the wing, drill the hinge holes as close to the bottom of the flap as possible while maintaining a solid anchor point. Set the pivot point of the hinge approximately 3/8" back from the leading edge of the flap to keep the flap from making contact with the wing trailing edge when deployed. Experiment with the depth of the hinge until the flap moves freely with no contact. To actuate the flaps I used two Hitec metal geared mini servos. These mini servos have nearly as much torque as a standard servo with only half the weight of a standard servo. The control rod from the servo horn to the flap horn is very short and is made from the control rod material supplied with the FW 190D-9 kit. Control horns for the flaps are made from 1/8" aircraft ply. The horn is trimmed for height to allow the flap full movement without the horn making contact with the upper wing sheeting. Cut a slot in the wing trailing edge directly in line from the servo horn to the flap horn. The slot will need to be elongated vertically to allow for the control rod's movement. Using this set-up, the flaps can be deployed to any angle with no binding. (See Photos #27, #28 & #29.)
The belly pan, if built from the kit, was too pronounced and would have given the model a pot-bellied appearance. I eliminated BP-2 and ran the stringers to the center high point of the wing bottom to achieve the correct look. The stringers were then sheeted with 1/16" balsa sheet. Looking at the Top Flite plans, the wing should be deep enough in the wing saddle to accommodate the BP-2 former. Test-fit your parts and check your results. The lines from the front of the fuselage, past the wing, to the rear of the fuselage should curve gently with no depressions or bulges. (See Photos #30 & #31.)
Retracts In the past a major problem with building a Focke Wulf 190 model was the retracts. The retract mechanism needs to be approximately 74 degrees to get the slanted strut look so distinguishable to the FW 190. I chose to use Spring Air gear because of excellent past experiences with their retracts. I picked up the new #709 retract body and the new oleo strut for the Top Flite 190 to use in my model. After making some measurements of my 3-views and comparing them to the length of the struts, I found that the struts were too short compared to scale measurements. This is not an error in the Spring Air strut, the struts are the length called for by the kit. There is a reason for the struts being shorter than scale, a shorter strut will keep the model's mass closer to the ground which will help its ground handling. I assume that Top Flite made the compromise in strut length to make the model as easy to handle on the ground as possible. My past experience with .60 sized FW 190D-9's proved that the ground handling with the FW 190 is very good, so I decided to modify the struts to the scale length to get the correct look for the model. Two aluminum extensions were made on a lathe to lengthen the struts. After talking with Bill Watton at Spring Air, I discovered that the strut extensions were not necessary because he would make strut lengths to a customer's specifications if given some lead time for a custom order. Even with the longer struts, the retracts will fit between W4 and W5 without any modifications. Using struts longer than "stock" should only be done if you absolutely need to have your gear scale. Ground handling will suffer somewhat with the longer strut. Gear door brackets were made from pieces of brass tubing silver soldered together and tapped for 2-56 machine screws for mounting the gear doors. The gear doors were made from 1/32" ply, 1/64" ply, and 1/8" balsa. This landing gear set-up does not require the gear doors to be removed for flight. The wheels are Williams Bros. 3.75" smooth contour wheels. The familiar German cross tread was added using a Dremel and a thin #409 cut-off wheel. Simulated rim bolts and other scale touches were added to the hubs to help add to the scale appearance of the wheels. (See Photos #32, #33 & #34.)
Drop Tank The full scale 190D-9 that I modeled used an ETC 504 drop tank rack and the late war "cigar" style drop tank. The rack was built from balsa and two 1/8" birch dowels were used to attach the rack to the wing. The drop tank was built using 3/32" balsa formers, 1/8" balsa stringers, and 1/16" balsa sheet. Balsa blocks were used for the nose and tail pieces. A piece of aluminum tubing was glued to the tank to represent the fuel pick-up and also functions as the tank retainer. The aluminum tubing slides into another aluminum tube mounted in the rack, the tank is secured using a 2-56 flat head machine screw that goes through both tubes and into a threaded insert. The tank stabilizing arms are made from brass sheet and are connected to the rack with 2-56 Allen head machine screws. (See Photos #35 & #36.)
This concludes the construction phase of the project. The finish will be applied next. Also see Part I - Construction and Part III - Fiberglassing and Painting. Reprinted with permission.November, 2002 R/C Modeler Magazine Editor: Patricia Crews HOME |
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