The latest Collector Plane for the IL-2 series is out and I’ve had a bit of time in the last 24-hours to fly the new aircraft and get a feel for it. This is just a first impression and I’ll be doing a complete review in a few weeks once I’ve really had a chance to dig into it. In the meantime, here’s how its feeling on first glance.

Focke Wulf at heart

Somewhere along my last two decades of WWII combat flight sim experiences I developed a bit of a soft spot for the Focke Wulf Fw190. Between it and the Bf109, I always found the Fw190 to be a little more compelling as a combat aircraft and as I tended to fly more fighter-bomber missions flying the Fw190 became more my go-to when flying on the Blue team.

The very first impression I got after spending about 30 minutes flying the Ta152H and doing my initial tests with it is that it is, unsurprisingly, still a Fw190 at heart. It has some unique performance and handling characteristics that I’ll mention later but even there I recognize it by its personality. This is a fast, sharp handling (though dulled slightly), Fw190 with longer wings. That’s what it is and so I think if you’re making a decision right now on if you want this Collector Plane the easiest purchase point I can make is this. Do you like the Fw190? If yes, you’ll probably enjoy the Ta152H. If no, then you may not find this any more enjoyable than any other Fw190.

But wait… there’s more to say!

Not so uber

I’ve now done several QMB and AQMB battles that I flew versus the AI and the Ta152H proved to be a formidable aircraft. But it’s not “uber” and its not going to upset the apple-cart when it comes to late war fighter dominance. What do I mean by that?

Back in the IL-2 Forgotten Battles days we had a term: “uber plane.” This was an aircraft with performance attributes that made it superior to most or all competitors and made it difficult to combat. The Ta152H is sometimes described (somewhat erroneously in my estimation) as a super fighter that outpaced its opponents and was stopped only by its lack of production numbers and available pilots. Well… It doesn’t feel that way right now to me. Instead, we have a Fw190 that is clearly very capable at extreme high altitudes but that will often find itself fighting at lower altitudes and performing roughly as well as the other late war Axis fighter types. Very good, very dangerous, but not inherently better in every attribute.

For example, during my initial combat tests I engaged in a high speed chase with a P-51D and found the aircraft to be roughly evenly matched. Not able to chase the P-51D down but also able to prevent it from getting away as the same time. It was a stalemate in imperfect combat conditions rather than a true drag race but I hope you get the idea. This was at medium altitude, around 3000 meters, and not at high altitude where the Ta152H has the potential to be the superior fighter.

I promise in my full review to do some performance comparisons but for now we’re just going on feel.

Combat time

Despite often not fighting with the aircraft at its maximum potential, the Ta152H is still quite a potent fighter. It feels fast and its extremely well armed with two MG151/20 cannons in the inner wing position and a MK108 30mm in the nose. Pull the trigger and targets ahead of you tend to melt pretty quickly like most late war fighters.

Keeping the aircraft fast and at energy advantage makes it a very dangerous foe. The lengthier wings appear to give the aircraft a bit more of a rate fighting capability too, relative to the Fw190D-9 anyways, with the ability to pull in behind a target and briefly out rate the enemy and pull lead for a shot.

On the other hand, this is still a Fw190 and pulling tight turns is not something that it’s going to do well. The longer wings do change the handling and make it’s infamous snap stall a bit less viscous but its still there and a sudden stall can bleed an awful lot of energy very quickly.

Roll rate is surprisingly high though obviously diminished from being best in class to being just very good. Handling remains sharp and direct though not quite as sharp as it is in earlier versions. If you’re used to the Fw190D-9, you’ll find the Ta152H has its own quirks but they will be familiar quirks that you can adjust to.

There are limited combat options for the Ta152H with no air to ground loadout and only a gyro gunsight available as a modification. This is a purpose built interceptor and that’s what it is.

Adds a bit of spice to the mix

I already like the addition of the Ta152H as it adds a little extra variety to the mix. Like any good addition to the Collector Plane Series. Yes, its a rare airplane and the rarest that the series has done but it did have a limited combat record.

Some may question why they made it and I think it comes down two things. First, despite detractors, late war aircraft have a lot of general appeal and they tend to sell well so a late war German fighter is probably going to recoup on any costs of making it. Second, costs are going to be pretty low because despite this being a somewhat unique airplane, its still a Fw190 at heart and so this isn’t a reinvention of anything significant.

The Ta152H fits in is in this rarefied air together with the P-51D, Bf109K-4, Spitfire XIV, Tempest V and Fw190D-9. It gives us an additional option in the mix but if my initial impressions are true… it doesn’t really alter the balance. It just adds variety to the mix.

If you’re bouncing a fast moving German fighter at 15,000 feet in your P-51D or Spitfire XIV… the approach you’re going to take is the same here though you may want to watch out for the longer wings enabling a sharper snapshot capability.

A few issues

There are a few reported bugs with the Ta152H. In engine boost mode its unclear if the engine boost is working exactly as it should. Particularly in GM-1 mode (at extreme high altitude) although even in MW50 mode I was noticing only small bumps in power. That may be accurate but enough people have mentioned it on the forums that it may need a second look.

The other issue is more obvious with the artificial horizon being off and not aligning properly. This looks like a straight bug that slipped through testing or made it in at the last minute. It’s already been noted and set for a fix soon.

Final thoughts

This should be a fun airplane to spend some more time with. A full review is forthcoming but I wanted to get this initial impressions piece out right away. I’m legitimately interested and excited about spending more time with this plane but at the same time I acknowledge that it’s simply not for everyone and that’s absolutely ok. I think it’ll be a strong seller, I think folks who buy it are going to like it, and I suspect everyone else will see it as another Fw190 in the mix.

For those hoping for more unique options, I direct you towards the IAR80 which was last plane in the series that I reviewed. That was a very unique Axis fighter and fighter-bomber option that I also quite like. We’ve also got the I-153 biplane to look forward to which I think will help answer the call for more early war options. I think that’s going to be fun too!

If you want to buy the Ta152H it’s available with a small launch discount on Steam and on the IL-2 store.