Focke Wulf F19a "Ente", 1/72nd Planet Models resin, with tweaks

 (This is the construction article, for the completed model please go here:
https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2019/12/focke-wulf-19a-ente-modified-planet.html

In a very welcome turn from its usual choices, some years ago Planet Models released a number of civil kits. I have built (and they are in this blog) their delightful Monocoupe and Focke Wulf A16.

I have also acquired their Lockheed Air Express, their passenger-carrying Messerschmitt M.20b-2 and their Focke Wulf F.19 "Ente" (Duck, or "canard" -French in turn for duck- as the configuration is mostly known), the type that occupies our attention today.

 The contents of the box:

It makes me smile that many modelers and aviation enthusiasts find the Ente and similar planes "weird", when the truth is that the canard formula was prevalent at the beginnings of aviation, and even today is used with some frequency (Rutan's designs, Saab Viggen, JAS 39 Grippen, XB70 Valkyrie, Dassault Rafale, among many others).

For years I have been gathering reference material on the F.W. Ente, feeling attracted to its unusual, yet elegant lines.

There were two Entes, 19 and 19a. In the earlier 19 the support that holds the fore plane was slim and completely faired. In the 19a that support changed into a complex multi-member exposed cabane structure. The 19a had added downward-pointing vertical "fins" on the main wing. They had different propellers and engines (Siemens SH11 the 19 and SH 14 in the 19a), as well as changes in color in the metal surfaces and in the marks applied.

The 19 flew in 1927, eventually killing its pilot, non other than Georg Wulf, one of the founders of the firm.

The 19a flew in 1930.

You may find of interest this downloadable NACA pdfs on the type:

19:

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930090641.pdf

19a:

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930090260.pdf

And here is a link to a newsreel, courtesy of Getty Images, showing the -predictably- so called "tail first" aircraft:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/coming-or-going-kent-eng-the-vice-versa-bird-visiting-news-footage/1080308752

An excellent reference in the very interesting and well-informed German ADL site (in German, unfortunately):

https://adl-luftfahrthistorik.de/dok/focke-wulf-f-19-ente-entenflugzeug.pdf

There is such an abundance of readily available reference material and photos on the Net that ignorance while building this kit is inexcusable.

Kits in 1/72 have been previously released by Lüdemann (resin) and Airmodel (Vac+resin).

I have not seen them first hand, so I can't comment on their particularities.

A number of modelers feel certain reluctance to build resin kits, being that because of the general lack of locking devices, the annoying pouring blocks and casting webs many parts come with or in, the toxicity of the dust produced during sanding, the fact that there is little or no adjustment time if using CA glue, their dislike of the alternative (for certain parts): epoxy, or just because their price tends to be high due to different fabrication processes (that is more of the manual type).

I have built a large number of them, as well as vacs, so to me they are, in a way, the same.

As there are differences between injected plastic kits, there are also differences between resin kits. Some are despicable blobs full of blemishes and air bubbles, bent parts and dubious shapes, and some are exquisitely mastered and cast.

Personally, I find Planet Models kits somewhere in the middle-upper range. They are not subtle or have delicate detail, they feel -and are- chunky and heavy, but they can render a nice replica with a bit of care.

Planet Models' Ente is not a new kit, I believe it was released about 2005, so it has certain things that will need correction, if you are the type that takes pleasure in provide some fair degree of accuracy to your models.

The kit has been reviewed in the Flugzeuge-Modell Journal (3/2007) where the reviewer points out to a few areas that need care, and builds a magnificent model, but, as usual, read everything, but trust only photos of the original. 

Material is provided for you to cut your own clear parts:

 The surface detail:

 The rattling bag of delicate parts, what could possibly go wrong:

 The parts:

 The "curly" detail parts for the foreplane are not very accurate, more on that later:

 Detail on the engines:

 Other detail parts (rudder pedals, control column, inst. panel):

 Some of the more delicate bits broke apart:

 Fortunately, after cleaning up, no banana fuselages as in all Dujin resin kits I ever built:

 All parts separated form their pouring blocks and cleaned up:

 Substitution of some not so good items begins:

 Notice somathing?

 Do you notice now?

The two issues are now fixed: hole for one of the the struts in the proper side, and replacement of weak resin axle for a metal pin:

 The mudguards were a bit chunky to my taste, so new ones are vac-formed over slightly bigger wheels:

 

The first thing I do before starting to build a model is checking the kit against references.

I don't do that in the spirit of trying to find faults or defects, which I find rather mean, petty, and quite sad, but in the spirit of finding the truth, of discovery, for the pleasure of research, and the joy of encountering things that have been not spotted yet, and, if applicable, use them to make the model more accurate.

In this case, again to my joy, I have found so far three things:

a) There was a legend ("Focke-Wulf") painted on the belly of the plane at some point

b) The nose wheel well was not the shape described in all 3-views and the kit, but a rather nice complex shape that allowed the wheel to transit its arch (its movement was linked to the rudder)

c) All renditions that I have seen so far of the details on the fore wing were not really accurate.

The kit's wheel well box and a drawing of how it should be. The wheel was braced by two forks, not one as in the kit:

The "Focke-Wulf" legend on the belly, that I have never seen described or added to plans anywhere:

The detail on the foreplane:

A thorough wash with mild detergent and lukewarm water. In the past I learned that resin kits have a persistent mold-release agent:

 It would have been smarter if Planet would have integrated that bit of rudder with the rudder:

 The bits are separated:

Then glued together and in turn glued to the rudder, where they can be later blended-in much comfortably:

Helping the manufacturers:

Many times, for whatever reasons, manufacturers can't get all the details, and occasionally make some mistakes.

They can't do everything for us, so we are left with the task of doing some checking and refining.

Many of us are just content (and nothing is wrong with that) with building the kit as it comes and just enjoy the assembly. Others like to go a bit deeper and enjoy research and adding a thing or two.

Do as you please, and have fun, whichever way is your way.

I personally enjoy finding details and correcting things a bit, when and where it seems appropriate (and fun).

-The wheel caps had two small holes (the kit's wheels have none)

-The kit is missing what looks like little vertical fairings covering instruments (mirrors?) for the pilot to see, ahead of the pilot and to the sides of the windshield

-There were louvers on the engine fairings, absent on the kit

-The very small clear areas ahead of the pax windows could use some little enlargement

-There are no indications on the kit for the wing tip nav lights, seen in photos

-The kit has as surface detail in the fuselage properly scaled pane lines and small rivets.

But, if it is correct that the areas depicted were aluminium panels, rivets can be seen in photos only on the nose tip and on the metal-covered areas behind the engines. Other areas, even in good photos, don't show any rivet detail that I can see (but may be it was there). So do not exaggerate that detail! do not apply black washes! subtle is good!

-Apparently there are no photos of the cabin interior, but it is known that it followed the one on the Focke-Wulf A16 (as did the wings), that is: three passenger wicker seats in a limousine configuration, i.e.: one with its back to the front bulkhead leaving room for access through the door, and two side-to-side in the back, facing forward.

-Planet states black for the fuel tanks, I doubt that. More likely a dark metal color.

-A Venturi can be seen in photos under the left wing, between the engine and the vane

-Planet located the fuel caps on the exterior of the wing fuel tanks, but they are on the interior side (see photo)

-Planet missed the metal panels on the wings above the engines, which have noticeable access round holes (see photo)

-The exit of the rudder cables is asymmetric (see photo)

It beats me that all those details can be realized by merely doing a good Internet search and looking at the available photos online. And yet, little attention is paid to them.

Now that I am familiarized with the parts, I would like to mention that the casting looks very good in the sense that I have found no bubbles or unsightly excrescences, or any deformities.
My only nitpicking is that the wings could perhaps use a bit more washout, which was pronounced on the Ente.

I struggled to decide if opening the door or not, but at the end sanity prevailed...and I opened the door:

Next was to correct the too small little windows.
In the case of the left fuselage that small window was entirely misplaced. The pencil mark shows where it should be:

 The right-side fuselage small window is enlarged:

 New little window in place:

 Inaccurate one plugged:

 And now...
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM...
Planet has the windows not aligned, being the right-side fuselage ones too far ahead:

 Which produces this:

Now, I immediately went back to my references and checked all photos and clips that show the plane from the side, and I can see that, opposite to what the kit has, they are aligned, which also makes sense structurally.
So, what do we do now....
Both sides are actually a bit displaced, but it's easier to fix the left fuselage side:

The frames are restored with thin styrene strip, and the small window is relocated:

The instrument panel is a sort of half-circle, but the area it goes in is oblong:

 The cockpit parts are glued on and the structure for the cabin is made:

 I may use spares bin chairs for this one:

 The nose wheel well is re-contoured:

 Engine pods on. Their location is marked on the wing and the fit is very good.
The vertical stabilizer is ready for priming after the minor surgery:

Locations for metal pins are drilled:

 The door is made:

 Some base colors are painted. Notice the added ceiling, used to cover the seam between fuselage halves at the top. May be I will put a "light" there too:

Some dry-runs with the interior:

 The windows are added as well as short lengths of structural tube seen in photos.
After making the new nose wheel well box the fuselage can be glued together:

Building the substitute for the inaccurate wheel well:

 Ah, Planet Models cheeky monkeys!

I realized now why the wings have those little inaccuracies!
Remember I wrote that the Ente used the Focke Wulf A16 wings?
Well, so did Planet Models. Thus the wrong position of the fuel tanks filling caps, and the absence of the metal sheeting on the wings in the engine areas.
I mean, good for you if you can recycle a master and make another kit, we all benefit, and we can get a beautiful Ente (wish it had the right windows alignment, though), but may be it would have been wise to spend 10 minutes in the computer looking at photos of the real thing online, and another 30 minutes re-scribing the details, right?
Nothing that can't be corrected in a very short session, though.
Still....
But whilst I out the inaccuracies of the kit, I should as well praise the good things, and it just happened that I looked closely at the seat and it has the detail of a wicker molded in rather nicely, considering the medium and the scale.

By the way, do not be mislead by models on the Net that have two chord/length black bands; photos and newsreels of the real thing show that there was no such bands, only the fuel tanks in that dark hue (not black either).

Once again the sign of someone sleeping at the wheel at Planet Models.
You need six registrations: one for each fuselage side, one under each wing (right and left) and one over each wing (idem).
The hyphen is missing for the tail lettering, and according to the cited kit build in Jet & Prop, the decal are anyway the wrong size.

 You will have to fabricate two exhaust pipes in the case you show the engine uncovered.
For the covered engine (the shield is provided) you will need to fabricate a very convoluted exhaust arrangement, not provided or even described in the kit:

The fuselage halves are glued together. The fit is good enough, but not perfect, so a modicum of putty/filler will be needed:

Since the momentum in respect to the center of gravity was short, the area of the vertical stabilizer had to be comparatively large.
Here that part was added, and the fuselage prepared for the not so amusing puttying/sanding/priming/repeat session:

If I would have to give a single piece of advise to modelers seeking an accurate model, it would be: "Look at photos, as many as you can". Because plans, 3views, drawings, etc. are very welcome and important, but are seldom accurate. I have a few plans/3views of the Ente, and all, invariably, either miss or misconstrue details. Again, I highly value and am grateful for them, but it is wise to go the extra mile and compare them with photos.

Planet helped with the location of some of the rigging items, but missed those related to the extra wing fins (and rudder leads):

 Planet also missed two small fairings that seem to wrap either instruments or mirrors:

 Planet also missed two very small cabin cross-ventilation airscoops (one facing the front on the left fuselage side, ahead of the first window, and the other opening to the back on the right-hand fuselage side, after the aft window). These scoops are present only at certain time of the life of the plane (I am modeling the plane as it flew in England for demonstration): :

 The location for the scissors is unmarked, and surprise! Planet's plan is not to scale. So it's up to you, again:

 Missing too are the attachment points for two lengths of rigging that unite the front plane to the fuselage:

 Holes are drilled on the engine area metal plating as per photos, and new fuel caps are added -on the right locations- again as per photos:

Two louvers are fabricated for the engine nacelles:

 The little inaccurate appendixes of the connecting parts are removed:

 The U-shaped parts are glued to the elevators and four control horns are re-installed.

The kit's raw clear part provided, while it's good for the windows (I didn't use it, though, preferring my own kind) is not adequate for the windscreen, being too thick, so one is made from thin clear plastic:

 The many location holes (8) and details on the stab are in progress:

 The absent exhausts are made:

Some primer to catch blemishes on the fuselage and to build up a "metal plate" on the engine area is applied, as well as some paint on engines and door:

The inaccurate nose wheel yoke is modified to look more like the real thing:

 A Venturi (absent in the kit) is prepared:

several sessions are necessary to get a decent surface:

 The wings are glued to the fuselage. It would perhaps have been more practical to have the whole wing in one piece in the masters for the kit. It would have made life much, much easier. Then the fin and then rudder (the latter as one piece). The break down on the kit doesn't lend itself to an easy build:

Color starts to be applied in some parts, another coat of primer is airbrushed on the model:

Even after some shaving and sanding the resin struts for the fore plane were a bit out of scale, so I made new ones from Strutz (Thanks John and Andrew!):

 The new fore struts are glued in place.
The elevators are added to the fore plane, not an easy task, so my hat goes off to those that have done it before:

Ailerons are glued on, and other parts are painted:

The Schwartz props that the Ente used at the time it is being represented -depending on the time other types are seen in photos- had white dots, two and one respectively at either side of the hub. I haven't been able to find out what their function was. The Schwartz logo are leftovers from a sheet from Arctic Decals for my Darmstadt D.18 that used the same brand of props:

More details: the front wheel hub was black:

 Two windshields are made:

And now, things are ready for the airbrushing of the main parts. Four tones can be discerned: an overall aluminum hue (which in German planes of that era is sometimes associated with a grayish tinge), shinier metal parts (nose cone, gondolas), dull metal (top of wing in engine areas) and dark metal fuel tank covers:

A coat of gloss white is airbrushed as a base:

The different hues are applied:

"Metal" areas masked:

The silbergrau is on and the masks off. After convenient drying time, a light coat of varnish will follow in preparation for the decals:

 Nose wheel on. Several lengths or rigging and control cable are added:

If this kit is ever re-issued, they better correct the many flaws of it.
I just added the landing gear. Even knowing that the kit is iffy regarding precision -to say the least-, I didn't check the positions already marked in the fuselage and engine gondolas for the various elements and ended up with something that only vaguely resembles reality. The "V" that attaches to the fuselage should be about 5mm back (if you pay any attention to photos, which the designer did not, apparently) and the "V" is also short in span, making the oleo legs lean-in. So the whole geometry is off, something you realize after painfully gluing everything with superglue (it's resin).
Why, thanks once more, Planet. Yank everything off? nah, will break the parts, mar the finish and force to come up with even more creative expletives.
I mean, as modelers, we know that  most kits will need some help here and there to render the model we desire, but to check and modify almost every part is asking a bit too much.
Sigh....

The engines, aileron control leads and windshield are added. The front struts and cockpit coaming are painted:

 Nav lights from the CMK set are separated:

 Little breathing tubes on the fuel tanks are added, mudguards and nav lights are on:

Now we wait for the decals.

The decals arrived!
They are gorgeous! Even the prop logos are included. Now completion of the model can proceed!

Decaling begins. The carrier is wonderfully thin and the decals behave fantastically.
Unbeknownst to some modelers (and all manufacturers) there was a lettering present on the belly, associated with the decals presented in kits:

 The sheet even provides the rectangular meshed air intakes at the top of the nacelle:

 Work progresses steadily thanks to the quality of the sheet:

With all decals applied without a hitch and set, the ancillary parts can go on (props, exhausts, door, rigging):

 The model is ready, but the weather now doesn't favor outdoors photography.
When conditions are right, I will do the usual photo session and post the results as a completed model thread:

To be continued....