Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7406 FW-190 F8/R3 Mk.103 30mm cannon-equipped “Tank Buster”

1/48 scale pre-finished Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic. Professionally painted. All markings pad applied for superb results. Cockpit slides open. Comes with a pilot that can be removed. Comes with display stand. Can be displayed with landing gear up or down.

The Fw-190F was developed for short-range battlefield ground attack using modified Fw- 190A series aircraft fuselages. Of the 12 sub types the most numerous were theF-8s developed from the A-8. These first appeared in March 1944 with a modification allowing for increased performance at low levels for several minutes. Because of poor landing field conditions quite often the lower undercarriage doors had to be removed to prevent snow and mud buildup. Many F-8s were used as a test bed for anti-tank armament trials. Some sources estimate as many as 6,400 F-8s were manufactured.

In early 1944 with things not going very well on the Eastern Front, the Luftwaffe found itself in dire need of a heavily armed attack aircraft that could destroy armored vehicles including tanks with something other than bombs. Germany had not developed weapons systems that would allow light fighter aircraft to be adapted to this role. This meant a trial and error method of finding the correct weaponry. One of the trials was labeled the Fw-190-8/R3 that along with the regular machine guns in the nose and wing roots, had two 30 mm Rheinmetall- Borsig MK 103 cannons mounted in under-wing pods. There were only two of this variant produced because recoil of the cannons were so great that it would over stress the wing structure and cause it to break apart.

Specifications Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 Variant Role - Single Seat Specialized Ground Attack Variant First Battlefield Availability - March 1944 Users - German Luftwaffe and RHAF (Royal Hungarian Air Force)

Performance Engine 1 x 1,700 hp (1268 kw) BMW 801D-2 14 cylinder air-cooled radial engine Or 1 x 2,100 hp (1566 kw) with MW-50 methanol/water injection in emergency situations.

Maximum Speed - 408 mph (653 km/h) with boost on Initial Climb Rate - 2,350 ft (720 m) per minute Service Ceiling - 37,400 ft (11410 m) Range Using Internal Tanks Only - 560 miles (900 km)

Weight Empty - 7,055 lbs (3200 kg) Maximum Take-Off - 10,800 lbs (4900 kg)

Dimensions Wing Span - 34 ft 5.5 in (10.50 m) Length - 33 ft 5.5 in (10.2 m) Height - 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) Wing Area - 196.99 sq ft (18.30 sq m)

Armament (2) 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine guns above the engine (2) 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots (2) MG 151/20 or MK 108 cannon in outer wings Plus (1) 3,968 lbs (1800 kg) centerline bomb Or 1,102 lbs (500 kg) SC500 centerline bomb And (2) 551 lbs (250 kg) bombs on wing racks