Great Wall Hobby's 1/48 scale Fw 189A-2 (No. L4803) consists of 178 pieces of light gray and clear plastic with a small photo-etch fret and a decal sheet that provides two marking options. The parts are well molded and show remarkable detail.
I went to work removing several large ejector-pin marks. In some cases, the marks were shallow and could be scraped away with a hobby knife and then blended with sandpaper. Other marks were deep and required putty before sanding.
After thinning the flaps, I built up the structure with styrene strip and rod.
I smeared graphite powder on external surfaces to accent panel lines.
A No. 11 blade carved out the panel lines. Deepening panel lines kept them from being lost in later steps.
I softened scratches with 400-grit sandpaper.
A fiber disc in a motor tool polished the plastic.
The interior of the tail wheel well was rebuilt with styrene and wire.
To detail the cockpit, I constructed ammo boxes for the machine guns using styrene.
I painted the interior with a base coat of black-gray, highlights of flat flesh, and a light dry-brushing of medium gray enamel. Gray watercolor pencils added wear and scratches.
The kit's exhausts were not well made, so I replaced them with small segments of styrene tube, thinned with a round file.
Although the kit supplies detailed Argus engines, they are missing details such as the firewall, oil tank and filter, and wiring. To construct the firewall, I used a contour gauge to make a template.
I transferred the shape to styrene sheet …
… and cut around the outline. This was used as a template to construct two complete pieces.
Both firewalls were detailed with scratchbuilt cables and tanks.
Here are the detailed Argus engines, ready for painting.
I painted the motors black and added more cables.
The Uhu is starting to come together.
I scratchbuilt a pair of oil filters with sheet styrene and solder.
Various wires and styrene discs completed the back of the instrument panel.
Footrests dress up the front canopy.
The cockpit's front visor is made of aluminum foil and styrene strips.
After all that detailing the model was masked, and painting and weathering could begin. To continue this story, pick up a copy of the
April 2018 FineScale Modeler and see how I distressed my Fw 189A-2.