Fw190a8 outboard gun hatch question.

[Wildsau]

Hi Guys

I'm after some info on why some A8's have this blister and some don't even though there is a gun barrel in situ. Was it for a a parulicular version?

I assume the R2 version had this blister. Hope you can help.

 

[mjfur]

The R2 version had 30mm cannons in the outer wing instead of 20mm cannons, hence the blister.

 

[Wurger]

The blister at the wing tops of the Fw 190A appeared with the A-6 variant when the outboard wing 20mm MG FF cannons were replaced by the MG 151/20E ones and when the 30mm MK cannons became the option. The A-7 and A-8 versions retaind the top blisters usually no matter which cannons were installed. The difference was the bottom access hatch that had the narrow rectangle bulge with the shell ejector slots there for the A-6. Contrary to that the hatch for these armed with the 30mm MK cannons didn't have the ejector slots there. The rectangular openings were made directly in the bottom skin of the wing, next to the hatches that actually were quite similar to the covers used for the A-6 variant but without the openigs there.

Here is an appearance of the bottom access hatch for the MG151/20E cannons. There was a minor difference in shape between the port and starboard hatche. The starboard one didn't have the protruding tube for the shell ejecting. The slot was in the bulge top directly.

MG151/20E

the source the net.

MK108

the source: the net.

 

[Wildsau]

Thanks for that information. Unfortunately there are so many references to A8"s that don't have the top wing blister and I thought that these can't be A8's. Worse still are the kits out there that advertise the variant as an A8 yet are missing key elements, such as the Hasegawa 1/32 old tool.

 

[Wurger]

I see. The requested top blister is unnoticable very often. It is because its size and shape wasn't too large. Secondly , there is a lot of misidentification of the FW 190A. The blister appeared with the standarization of the wing for mounting of either the 151/20E or MK103/MK108 cannons like mjfur said above what almost always indicates the R2 or R3 sub-type with the 30mm cannons. The kind of the wing can be called the universal one.
An example of the incorrect ID .. at the site Americans in a Captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8 - Wings Tracks Guns
you may find a nice image of the Wurger ( W.Nr.670926) stating that it is the A-8 and no top blister seen. But its serial indicates the F-3 version rather. What is more, there is the lack of the small accessing hatch between the long vertical panel line at the fuselage and the fuel intake cap below the slided back cockpit hood. The hatch there appeared just with the A-7 aircraft. So it can confirm that's not the A-8. The F-3 based on the A-5 that didn't have the hatch there. So to sum up .. the top blisters may be or not. All depends on the kind of the wing used for the particular Fw 190A-8.

 

[Wurger]

BTW ... the Eduard worked that out nicely for their A-8 series of 1/72 scale.

 

[Wildsau]

Wurger if you can indulge me, is the FW190 on display at Museum Berlin Gatow an A8, there aren't any top blisters on this plane. Thanks again.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=i7ytEtZBK6A

 

[Wurger]

The exibited Fw 190A is actually the Fw 190 A-8/N. The letter "N" means Nachbau what is the replica in the English. The kite contains a couple of orginal parts of the Fw 190A-8 W.Nr. 682060 that indeed belonged to the A-8 block made by the Fieseler, Kassel. The orginal kite belonged to the 16./JG 3. The exibit is displayed as the A-8/R2 what is ( IMHO ) incorrect. In fact the plane external details indicate the A-8 variant with the standard wing. Let's see ...

1. the most characteristic detail for the A-8 ... the repositioned Pitot tube at the wing tip ...

2. the lengthened fuselage of 15cm what resulted in adding the metal extension to the fuselage at the wing roots and bottom of the engine cowling ...

3. the small hatch next to the fuel intake cap ...

4. the late engine compartment cooling vents and wheel solid rim ...

5. the new longer and more bulged top cover for the fuselage MG 131s ...

6. the wing armament consists of MG151/20E (long barrels).The bottom hatches with the shell ejector slots in the small bulges indicate the guns as well.

To sum up ... all the external details indicate the A-8 variant with 2xMG131 in the fuselage and 4xMG151/20E installed in the standard wing. Therefore no top blisters. But if it would be going to be the A-8 with the universal wing or the R2/R8 sub-type with the outer MK108 cannons (short barrels) the top blisters would be there and the bottom hatches were without the shell ejecting openings. These ejecting holes should be of the quite large rectangle shape made directly in the bottom of the wing skin next to the hatches.

 

[Wildsau]

Thank you Wurger much appreciated.

 

[Wurger]

My pleasure.

 

[weinace]

A brilliant summary