Trumpeter 1/72 01638 Fw200C-4 Condor

Details of Trumpeter 1/72 01638 Fw200C-4 Condor

Basic Specifications

• Brand: Trumpeter
• Item No.: 01638
• Scale: 1/72
• Subject: German Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 C-4 Condor Four-engine Long-range Maritime Reconnaissance / Anti-Shipping Bomber
• Material: Plastic
• Finished Size: Approx 325mm ×456mm

Kit Contents

• Total around 220 plastic parts
• Photo-etched detail parts included
• Clear transparent parts for cockpit, nose, ventral gondola, waist and tail defensive gun positions
• Four Bramo 323R-2 radial engine assemblies and three-blade propeller sets
• FuG 200 Hohentwiel search radar components
• Under-wing and under-fuselage bomb racks and aerial bomb ordnance parts
• Decals & assembly instruction manual
• Unpainted and unassembled kit, paint and glue not included

Product Features

• Accurately reproduced Focke-Wulf Fw 200 C-4 Condor, the first Condor variant fitted with airborne surface search radar
• Faithfully modelled four Bramo 323R-2 radial engines with detailed cylinder heads, exhaust stacks and engine cowling texture
• Fully detailed multi-crew cabin, nose gun station, ventral observation gondola, waist gun emplacements and tail gun position
• FuG 200 Hohentwiel radar antenna array under the nose for maritime target detection
• Fine engraved panel lines and rivet details across long-span cantilever wings and reinforced fuselage
• Optional open or closed bomb bay configuration, complete with bomb racks for 250kg aerial bombs
• Precise tricycle landing gear with detailed wheel wells, heavy-duty struts and wheels
• Replicated defensive armament including MG 151/20 cannon and MG15 machine guns in multiple gun stations
• Separate parts for radar-equipped nose fairing, the key visual difference compared with earlier Fw200 C-3
• Multiple marking options for Luftwaffe KG 40 maritime bomber squadrons operating over the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay

Historical Background

• The Fw 200 C-4 was an upgraded version of the C-3, entering service in early 1942. It was the first Condor variant equipped with airborne search radar, initially Rostock radar and later the FuG 200 Hohentwiel radar.
• The radar allowed crews to locate Allied merchant shipping even in poor visibility, greatly improving maritime reconnaissance and anti-convoy strike capability in the North Atlantic.
• Operated by Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG40), its main missions were long-range patrol, locating Allied convoys, direct bombing attacks and guiding German U-boats to target positions.
• The ventral gondola retained observation window and forward-firing weapon station. Defensive gun layout was revised compared to C-3 for better all-round protection.
• As Allied air cover over the Atlantic improved dramatically from 1943 onward, the Condor’s losses rose sharply. The Fw200 series gradually withdrew from frontline anti-shipping missions and shifted to transport duties. Production of Condor ended in early 1944.