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Favorite Fw 190 references
Topic Started: Jul 3 2018, 10:35 AM (123 Views)
MDriskill
Hero
[ * ]
To follow up on the rather obnoxious question I tossed at Barry, LOL, only fair that I put my money where my mouth is!

I have been a fan of the Fw 190 for nigh on half a century, and have compiled a fairly shocking quantity of reference material. My current top five:

“Fw 190D Camouflage and Markings,” (2 volumes), JaPo Publishing. As Barry noted, these guys do possibly the most beautifully rendered and best-researched color profiles in the business. These books meticulously trace camo and markings for each of the 4 manufacturers of this aircraft. The first things I’d go for if my house were on fire, seriously.

“Focke-Wulf Fw 190,” (3 volumes), Classic Publishing. Not a chronological history per se, but a fabulous collection of well-researched articles, very well-done color profiles including some quite unusual ones, and exceptional photo reproduction. Unbeatable to just flip through for inspiration, LOL. It’s a crying shame the once-planned vol. 4, which would have concentrated on drawings and technical info, was never done.

“The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D Dora,” (2 volumes), Jerry Crandall. Absolutely fabulous, the writing covers a wide range of topics, superb printing quality, great color profile and lots of them, tons of photos. An even better all-round reference than JaPo, quite indispensable if you like the “hose nose” 190’s.

“The Focke Wulf Fw 190D and Ta 152;” and “The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 - Radial-engine Versions;” nos. 3 and 7, respectively in Valiant’s “Airframe & Miniature” series. I have a love-hate relationship with these—full of errors, and the flip commentary style can grate. But unbeatable for the sheer quantity of info between the covers—history, variants, color, good drawings, great model builds, lists of other resources, and many detail photos. Great books to take traveling, like having half your library in a briefcase.

“Fw 190 D;” and “Focke-Wulf Fw 190A/F;” nos. 10 and 22, respectively, in Squadron/Signal’s “Walk Around” series. Like most S/S books, the GA drawings are awful, but otherwise these are tremendous bargains with a fine selection of photos and detail drawings, and good color work. I think many overlook these, but they are a lot of bang-for-the-buck.

Would love to hear about other good 190 books...or will happily bore you with my second five if anyone is still awake after reading this far!

:)



Edited by MDriskill, Jul 3 2018, 12:29 PM.
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ca-15
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Hero
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Hi,

Most of my favoured references are already listed. My main interest though is the "Dora" models however I don't mind modelling the original radial engined versions.

The only other references I can think of which are specifically on the FW190 that I could really recommend are -

Focke Wulf Jagdflugzeug Fw 190 A Fw 190 "Dora" Ta 152 H (Peter Rodeike) which has lots of interesting photos however the text is German so you lose a lot of information unless you can read German.

While not a technical tome on the Fw 190, I've always enjoyed Eagle Editions - "Green Hearts: First in Combat with Dora 9" by Axel Urbanke, illustrated by Jerry Crandall and Thomas A. Tullis. It's more a squadron history however it has really interesting operating details about the Dora as well as many rare photos and some great art work.

The "Kagero" series of books have some nice photos/plans however I wouldn't consider them a "must"

Cheers

Michael
Edited by ca-15, Jul 4 2018, 08:29 AM.
Michael Louey
Melbourne Australia
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MDriskill
Hero
[ * ]
Thanks Michael! I have both of those and can heartily endorse them.

The Rodeike book is astonishing, with hundreds of otherwise unpublished photos and much good technical info. Being foreign and quite pricey these days, I didn’t put it on my list but it would be my second thing to grab from the burning house, LOL. Even though in German, most of the text is in the form of photo captions; armed with a smattering of aero-technical knowledge and Google Translate, you can get the gist of most of them.

Rodeike did a similar book on the Bf 109, which was re-published in English (and on superior glossy paper to boot) by Schiffer. What I wouldn’t give for “Focke Wulf Jagdflugzeug” to get the same treatment!

I managed to miss the Kagero series entirely, but another good Eastern European set is the three volumes from AJ Press (two on the A/F/G/S, and one on the D/Ta 152). Well-written, good selection of illustrations, and especially good accurate drawings which include some quite unusual stuff (e.g., the “high-altitude” A-3 and C prototypes with extended wings).
Edited by MDriskill, Jul 4 2018, 12:03 PM.
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hobbykiller
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Beast
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Most of my favourite's are here already, I would add:

Green Hearts - First in combat with Dora 9 - Axel Urbanke by Eagle Editions

Modeller's Eye 04 - Focke-Wulf Fw-190D Dora

and if you consider Ta-152 as Fw-190 family (which in fact is nothing than Fw-190 develop):

Monogram 3 - Ta-152 - Thomas Hitchcock by Eagle Editions

Schiffer Military History - Focke-Wulf Ta 152

Mechanic File - Ta-152

and, after all: Fw 190 A-1 to A-9 or D-9 Ersatzteilliste (spare parts catalogue) as well as Handbuch's (manuals) - this is expensive and rather for "experts" but IMHO worth to have (PM me if you like)

also having bauplans (factory plans) would be interesting for somebody really crazy about this plane (yes I am)
cheers, Mark
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MDriskill
Hero
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Mark, thanks, I was hoping you would jump in! It’s obvious from your posts here that you know your 190’s.

I don’t have the modeler’s eye or Schiffer books but will check them out.
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