Focke-Wulf Fw Flitzer

This is Planet Models' Focke-Wulf Flitzer. Construction was basically straightforward, but the wing roots didn't quite match the fuselage stubbs, so a little work was needed blending them in. The tail booms are probably the most critical part of the build to get right - they have no locating pins, so I added short lengths of brass rod to give some support.

The cockpit was dressed up with a few etched details and I replaced the telescopic sight with a rough approximation of a EZ-42 gyro gunsight. The canopy was a bit of a problem, as it's definitely started to yellow while in the Stash, and I think this is likely to get worse with the model on display. I made a cast of the original before fitting it, so there is the option to mould a new canopy one day, if necessary.

The wheel covers were very thick as supplied, so I thinned the nosegear ones considerably and made new mainwheel covers from styrene sheet, with a few internal details added to all of them. For an extra bit of fun I decided to go for a varnished wood effect, like some Fw 190 flaps, to represent components constructed without critical raw materials. In retrospect, I should also have added brass pins to the undercarriage legs, because the joints proved very weak and have needed repairing on numerous occasions.

Camouflage was painted with WEM Colourcoats using an Iwata TR-O. I based the camouflage and markings loosely on German desert schemes, but with a "Luftwaffe '46" twist to things I used RLM 83 for the mottle. Decals were scrounged from a variety of spare sheets - the Flitzer's long nose seemed to invite a chevron.

I couldn't resist a bit of digital fun, using the model for my first attempt at compositing over a stock royalty free background photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net., all blurred slightly to look "in action".