Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 I> JG. 2 Sorau (Early Production)

Hi, sorry for the lack of more and better pictures, this is not a proper WIP, but I really enjoyed the kit and my progresses were so quick that I didn't have the time to stop and take them.
At this point I can only give my impression and humble advice if you are willing to start this kit: it is a "new generation" kit, with excellent fitting and stunning surface details like Eduard's Fw. 190A or SH Bf. 190E: mating surfaces have to be clear from thick paint and filler is needed only in a couple of spots.
I only had to trim the supercharger intake to fit the corresponding recess in the starboard fuselage and use some Tamiya liquid surface primer were I sanded it a little too much, and I will use it again at the wing root trailing edges and bottom wing to engine connection.
I am building this first one from the box, but I painted most plastic and PE parts before using them because it saved me some time from masking, especially in the wheels well area.
I had to brush paint some RLM66 on the IP and side consoles decals after their pose, because the decals has an incomprehensible black background: strange mistake for a kit so well studied and conceived...
Lots of small PE parts HAD to be used, they are not just optional as in other kits: gear legs scissors, some small levers in the cockpit, rudder pedals, seatbelts, the small flap to avoid exhaust gases to go inside the air intake and, most important, nearly half of the wheels well! Here I found easier to revers the instruction sequence and, for port wing, started with part PE-38, then PE-32, PE-22 and last PE-27 (please refer to the corrected Instruction on IBG website): I replaced the MG barrel cover inside the structure with a metal tube of suitable size and will add the proper barrel at building finished.
I reduced to barely visible all the lines representing the fabric tapes on the flying control surfaces and cut the pitot tube from the wing, to be replace later with some metal needle.
Here is some pictures of the model at this moment, I am not quite happy about  

The instrument Panel decals behave well, I used Micro Set and Sol and helped to conform with a Q-tip, but it is not easy to place them right.
I don't understand why they didn't print only the dials on a clear background, at the moment is the only criticism I can move to IBG..
It is NOT an easy kit, anyway: all the main parts are very thin, nearly scale-size, and one has to be very careful to glue them without warping or misplacing: I had a small gap at the port wing root and I think it is because I didn't glued the bottom engine cowls perfectly aligned (maybe for 0.3 mm. !!!) 

I think I have an answer to the strange black IP background: watching closely at my picture, I noticed that the dials are dark gray! IBG made some mistakes in the instruction leaflet and published an addendum on their website, because some parts number and colors were wrong or reversed...
Probably, hurrying for the delivery date, they gave Techmod the wrong, reversed color for background and dials...  

Camouflage done... not my best mottling but I will do better next one!!!
 

Reich defence band painted and glossed!
All the small stencils are on by now, it is time for the main insignia... 

Surface details are unbelievable for this scale, in my humble opinion IBG set a new standard with this kit and I sincerely hope that they keep on this track!!! 

Wheel well as from the box: you could always add more details in it, but it looks great already 

Stardboard side, with the scratch I inadvertently made with my nail...  

small bits parade! 

Decaling and glossing phases finished, now I am heading to the oils steps: paneling, filtering, oil dots rendering and repeating them and not necessarily in this order, interspersed with flat and clear coats again... 

I have reached this point nearly ten days ago, but had to stop for a series of non modeling-related things.
Now I am finally back at the workbench! 

I have taken this and the next closer pictures just to highlight the kit`s surfaces details!
I hope you like them 

 

 

 

I thought this could be of interest: at first I enhanced all the movable and opening panel lines with some thick black oil wash and cleaned when dried, then started to apply some appropriate thick oil colors washes on the rivets and remaining panel lines, mixing and messing here and there.
Here I am halfway, greens and browns done, till need to take care of the yellow and white band and the light blue-green side and undersurfaces.
Hope it will end like I imagine... 

This is the first step end: the results are quite subtle and difficult to take with the cellphone camera, you have to trust me... 

on the side and the undersurfaces is even more subtle and difficult to photograph but it will be more obvious after the next steps. 

 

This is where I am now: after the previous step I gave three or four flat coats, followed by some careful sanding down most of the clear thickness I built earlier; in this way I smoothed all the surfaces to a very plain finish and in the same time reduced the steps where the decals carrier film shows more and made the rivets less obvious.
Then I finally started with the Oil Dots Technique, using the appropriate oil colors to the background ones.
Now I will wait a couple of days, just to be sure the oils are completely dried, and will airbrush a satin coat ready for the next steps  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished tonight, propeller is only dry fitted for these few pictures, better ones in the next days with more comments.
I hope you liked it 

Now it is really completed, I forgot the navigation lights and the small retraction cable for the tail wheel on the starboard undercarriage leg.
Now all that it should be on, it is on it. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures, I will write the last comments later on.
Thanks for looking!