DONE (@p.2): the HA-1106, a Spanish Fw 190 in post WWII service

[Dizzyfugu]

Still on the bench, but closing in on completion (varnish phase), this is a short notice "creative response" to AXU's recent build of a Fw 190 in Portuguese colors (http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,43837.0.html).

I like the concept, since some countries kept the Fw 190 in service for a while after WWII, e. g. Turkey or France. The latter (as SNCA NC.900) will play a role in my build/background/inspiration, and the resulting HA-1106 'Alción' (Kingfisher) will become more or less the forerunner of the indigenous Merlin-powered Bf 109, the HA-1112 'Buchon'.

Stay tuned. 

[Dizzyfugu]

First impressions from the bench! Using the Merlin-powered HA-1112 as a benchmark, I tried to make the same (or a similar) stunt with an Fw 190. 
The Merlin with its radiator come from a Matchbox Avro Lancaster, which was pimped with an opened cooler air intake (plus a mesh interior), new, unshrouded exhaust stubs and a completely new four blade propeller arrangement, scratched from a resin spinner for a Bristol Centaurus engine, clipped F4U blades (not the ones in the pic), and a metal axis with a styrene tube adapter.

The build itself is based on an Academy Fw 190 D-9, since I expected a relatively long and narrow nose through the replaced engine, so that the fuselage plug was a welcome counter-balance at the tail.


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


An interesting design experiment... more to come soon.

[AXU]

I'm watching you 

[KiwiZac]

I wish I'd thought of this! Although I'd be keen to tackle a radial-powered A with something American up front, but this is a fascinating concept.

[Dizzyfugu]

This was a bit of a spontaneous idea while checking the spares archive. Initially I wanted to use a resin Merlin for/from an Avro Lincoln (because of its spherical diameter shape), but it turned out to be too massive and large for the Fw 190! Mounting it would have been possible, but it would not have looked good.
Then I found the Lancaster's Merlin power egg, and with its integrated radiator it was a perfect alternative to the Jumo with its annular radiator. It also fits quite well in height and width, even though there's still a lot of rhinoplasty necessary to blend it with the fuselage. Bold design experiment! 

[Old Wombat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Things become more concrete. Pretty Typhoon-esque, isn't it? 


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) -WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) -WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Mounting the engine was relatively easy, since the height was almost perfect and fuselage width and shape differed only slightly. Serious PSR work was still necessary, though. Blending the parts took several turns and step-by-step adaptations, e. g. when the wings were attached to the fuselage.

However, as things evolved I decided to incorporate the Fw 190's cowling-mounted machine guns, integrating them into the Merlin's cowling. Not certain if that's technically possible in the real world, but it looks good and keeps the characteristic, bulged fairings over the heavy machine guns in front of the cockpit.



1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) -WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

However, no beauty is perfect. The Academy kit is basically nice, with fine, engraved surface details, a decent interior and landing gear and good fit. Everything could be a little more delicate, but the overall look is O.K.. The only REAL downer of the Academy kit is the canopy: the kit even comes with two options (the early, low, and the later bulged cockpit fairing with respective windscreens), but BOTH have thick and highly visible sections on the inside at the injection points, which you can hardly let disappear. Who the f*ck creates such moulds? These days? 
If you really want to build a serious model from this kit, you definitively need a replacement, e .g. a vacu canopy. I was lucky to find a spare sliding canopy from an Italeri Fw 190 – with the issue that it does not match the Academy kit a true 100%. Hrmpf :-/

[nighthunter]

Thomas, are you using a A or D body?

[Dizzyfugu]

It's a D, with fuselage plug - but since the original resin engine implant did not materialize and the Lanc's engine is shorter, I had to take it out (hence the PSR sings in front of the tail). 
Actually, an A/F body would have been "enough", but that's how things evolve... 

[Dizzyfugu]

Besides, we are entering the painting stage! The more spectacular part, even though the paint scheme is pretty simple. I used early HA-1112s as benchmark; some wore a light grey finish, some uniform dark green upper surfaces and light blue undersides, and the specimen in green and brown camouflage, too. But the most common scheme was a uniform, deep dark blue. Defining the tone was not easy, because reliable pictures of operational aircraft are hard to find.
There's a blue Buchon on display at Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Michigan, USA, and the tone on this museum piece is very reddish, almost a violet tone. And even though it is a deep and rich blue tone, it is not as dark as, for instance, the USN Sea Blue (FS 15042), which also has a much too greenish hue.


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


I tried to create this unique tone with a 3:1 mix of Humbrol 25 and 106 (Matt Blue and RAF Ocean Grey) as basic color, which appears to be a good compromise to me. The interior kept the German colors, with a dark grey (RLM 66) cockpit and greenish grey (RLM 02) landing gear bays.

After a black ink wash the kit was post-shaded with a lightened shade of the basic Humbrol 25+106 mix (with added 44 Pastel Blue) in order to simulate some sun-bleaching effects.


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Markings and respective decals were puzzled together. The roundels come from a Spanish Mirage III (Heller), the code was created from single digits, actually German WWII Luftwaffe letters (TL Modellbau). The black stripes under the exhausts was also created with generic decal sheet. After some soot stains around the guns and the exhausts and an overall, light dry-brushing treatment with light grey, the kit was finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish.


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Hispano Aviación HA-1106 'Alción'; '71-48' of the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force), 71 Escuadrón de Cazabombardeo; Gando AB (Las Palmas), Canary Islands; 1950 (Whif/Academy kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Olé! 

[zenrat]

Do you have another, more rounded spinner?  I think it's that pointed spinner combined with the chin radiator that makes it look Typhoony.

Colours work together really well.  The red and yellow roundels really set off the blue.

[Dizzyfugu]

The spinner's the best one I could find for a four blade propeller. I actually have some resin Lanc props, but these are three blade only. A less pointed variant would not look good and fighter-like, though. The Centaurus spinner I used (probably for a Brigand) is pretty large, but the diameter is just necessary for the engine cowling, and modifying this further would also have resulted in awkward further consequences. Works fine for me.

[zenrat]

Works fine for me too.  It's just you commented it is Typhoonesque.  Which it is.

[NARSES2]

That combination really works 

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, there was a reason why RAF Typhoons and Tempests carried ID markings (similar to invation stripes) on their undersides, because AA gun crews could hardly distinguish between the British types and the Fw 190 from below. This little experiment makes things even worse! 
But the combo works surprisingly well - almost has an air racer touch?