Gotha G.1

[dov]

Hallo

This day I will start. The kit ius from WNW. I will go on the version D or E, which is a late one.

Before I start, I have experience on WNW for about 20 kits built. My last one was the Halberstadt.

Now, before starting I will omitt all flaws in the kit as far as possible.

Decals I will rearely use only. The national insigna on the wings I will spray only.

No decals I will use. Masking is easily, by two corcles for one bar of the iron cross.

Wings assembled, tailplane and rudder and rear fuselage will be done first. I think it is easier.

Specially the cramped box will be easier to get a hold on interior parts and engine parts, which need to take care of.

Well, this is now ready on my workbench. I will try to report daily.

There will be no further interuption, since I got my 3rd shot against Corona already.

Happy modelling

[Sercrets07]

Cant wait!

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Bring it on !!

[dov]

Hallo

 

WNW instruction for Gotha G.1

 

Plastic work on the wings finished. Top and bottom. More huge as the AEG!

Rear fuselage plastic work done.

Front fuselage plastic work done.

Rear tailplane and rudder plastic work done.

Weapons all done, MGs and bombs.

Version D I will do.

 

Here are the WNW archive photos:

 

And a few photos to explain the steering mechanism of the rudder.

This mechanism is the clue to understand how this plane worked at all.

In the instruction it is arbitrary shown.

The parts are here, but the installation is not clearly defind in the instruction at all.

I noticed this issue after I got the kit.

Before starting to build the aircraft I wanted to know for sure how it works.

On this photos you see, the cable exit from the fuselage.

Then it enters a sleeve at the tailplane side leading edge.

After that it enters a pulley, gets a 90° turn and goes on the underside of the tailplane to a lever with is attached to the vertical axle of the rudder.

The cable goes to the other side to the opposite jever and rudder and continue all the way, just the opposite side.

Always in front of the control surface of the tailplane.

That is it.

 

 

 

 

As I said, I made the plastic work on the weapons. Bombs also.

The bomb rack is underside, between the landing gear.

A typicall assembling issue, to be done at the last step.

Therfore I checked the position of holes!

Oh my god!

What did I see? The distance of holes is too short! What happened?

I asume, the designer used the arc length, instead the length of chord!

Oh I am lucky, to know the pattern of WNW errors and flaws!

One other field they like to err or to waste time:

To show from rigging wires and control cables the starting and end position!

 

Here at the Gotha, the same, it is  a shame!

 

Now, tomorrow we have a holyday in Austria, so I will proceed on Thuresday with spraying.

Than I will post photos.

I will for sure not use decals for markings, except the number of the plane.

 

Happy modelling

 

 

[dov]

 

 

 

 

Hallo

As you see, some progress.

All plastic parts are done, cleaned, dry fit and drilled for turnbuckles. All! This are approx. 130 of them.

The interior is quite well. The instruction as we know from WNW, has some surprises around the corner.

The most dangerous of them ist the top front fuselage part.

Assamble this part first. Only vertical.

The two fuselkage struts are the next.

Then the side parts of the fuselage.

 

 

As you can see, two big ejection pins are located right there where the bulkhead is located!

This inferior placement I noticed at the right time.

So I repaired this on both sides!

So you get a perfect fit!

I checked all parts through and know what awaits me!

Well, next time I will spray the rudders, tailplane and wings.

As you see, the engine is done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy modelling

 

 

[dov]

Hallo

So far the build was straight on. But at the stage of assembling the engine on the wing two errors became visible. The exhaust pipe does not fit at all. Here I have a cylindrical fit on the engine and a flange on the exhaust. It does not match at all! I checked before, but at this stage the inlet pipes were not on. So I had to repair it somehow, to get it done.

The cooling pipe to the radiator is the other issue. It simple is to narrow or too wide. Depending right or left side.

This causes the strut to be in a wild angle far from accurate and this causes a wave of inaccuracies. Finally the wing will not match with the bracket for the wing main bar. As you see on photos.

Today I have no clue how to repair this.

The instruction is of course no help at all.

Sad, but I cared for all steps.

Happy modelling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dov]

Hallo

Now the hours of getting through all thoughts, how to assemble best are over. There are some issues to think about and find a reliable solution. Not so easy.

·        What first: Eyelets or struts?

·        How to proceed with the wing fuselage connection area?

·        How to check all over in a try fit trial?

To check the wings with the two stubs for the fuselage is a nightmare. Since the stubs are divided and one part comes with the struts. Here I had to unglue this struts and replace it. They are like infill pieces, but the assembly instruction does not say any word about it. This is common to WNW.

If this divided stubs fit together, who knows if they fit in the window? I cleaned them before after the wings were glued without fuselage.

The other thing, eyelets or struts first? Usually eyelets first. Here is a big tension on the wing. And we have a forest of struts. You can not slip them in a hole, if eyelets are here already. And we have here many eyelets on the outer struts, which are glued at the strut basement, where the glue is first, and many of them which are glued in the struts! So I decided for placing all centerline eyelets and fuselage eyelets only. Of course, all holes for eyelets are drilled! Here it is again delicate, because you have nearly no space under the cut out of the rear centerline struts again. Very very delicate. Not at all for a beginner. If you have some kits like easy ones, and some hardcore ones F2b, and Re8 done, you are battle proven already. This is in my case. But I was to think about quitting the build already. Now the model has time to get the glue fastened, at the evening I will turn it, and glue once again all fuselage connections. Until tomorrow. Than I will make turnbuckles. About 50 I did. 80 more I need!

Happy modelling

Merry Christmas, and stay health despite Omicron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dov]

Hallo

Well, Gotha is finished. Before I put the pictures in the RFI, I want to provide details about the further construction.

Before I go into detail, a quick summary of the things where you really have to be careful. So: the radiator pipes don't fit at all. The transverse distances are simply wrong. I had to cut them so that they could be assembled in at all. Otherwise these important struts sit crooked or are under high tension.

The innermost fuselage struts are fitting or infill parts. Finally glue in before putting on the fuselage. Because otherwise the consoles that have to be pushed into the cutouts in the fuselage will not fit. The front ones are very tricky.

For rigging: treat the landing gear separately, and then at the back with the 3 fastening points with eyelets for rigging, which please prepare beforehand. Afterwards nothing works anymore.

The outer struts are shaped strangely. There are lines in the vertical axis, they should either be light cables or Bowden cables. If the latter, then for assembly or disassembly the wing. What I don't like at WNW is that every room is dedicated to armament, but technical details are not discussed at all. This applies to many kits. Model builders are not gun freaks. That is a clear minority.

The control cables: are a real treat for the Ailerons. First vertically down from the middle of the torso and then twice across the left and right.

So I worked on it from December 6th until today.

 

Happy modelling