Focke-Wulf Fw-190 A-6

My real passion, when it comes to building Luftwaffe aircraft, is by far the Focke Wulf Fw-190. Of all the great airplanes of the Luftwaffe, the Fw-190 has a special line of purpose and aggression that just can't be beat.

Designed by Kurt Tank, technical director at Focke Wulf, the Fw-190 was introduced into service in the summer of 1941. The plane showed great promise from the start, however, severe engine over-heating problems threatened to shut the project down. Kurt Tank would have none of it. Changes were made with haste to solve the problems, and keep the "Butcher Bird" alive, and as a result, the 190 would go on to be one of the best and most feared fighter planes of the war.

This replica represents an Fw-190A-6, as flown by Oberfeldwebel Anton Rudolf Piffer, with 2/JG1, in Deelen, Netherlands, summer 1943.
Piffer was credited with 35 kills, including 26 4-engined bombers on the Western Front by the end of the war.
Sadly, he was killed in action over Normandy, in a dogfight with P-51 Mustangs, June, 17th, 1944.

The paint scheme on this plane is rather unique, even a bit rare. Few Fw-190s had such colorful noses as this one does. As a result, it stands out rather strikingly against others of it's type, and, in my collection.
This example was built to 1/48 scale from a Hasegawa kit.