Good Deal.Based on what I've seen at IPMS show vendor tables this was a bargain.
The original kits (candy apple red, raised markings, dark box with the $1.98
price printed in the upper right corner) go for $40-60. The later re-releases
(white box, green plastic, no raised markings) go for $20-$40. I bought a
re-release last year for $40 from APC Hobbies. If you really want to build this
kit get the re-release version - cheaper and no raised marking lines (for decal
placement) to sand off.
question is is what type of Gotha is this kit. It doesn't match any of
the outlines in the Profile publication on the Gotha bombers. Another
It most closely resembles a GV - The fuel tanks were moved from the nacelles to
the fuselage and wings. The engines stand proud of the lower wings in
streamlined nacelles. The lower wing on the GV differed from the GIV in that the
rear sweep did not begin until after the nacelle struts. On the G IV it began
right at the wing root. This is one of the more glaring errors of the kit - it h
as a G IV lower wing.
While on the subject of dicrepancies, here are some other problems.
The shape of the nose and cockpit is off when compared to photos. It should be
more of a turtleback shape and more rounded in profile.
There should be NO walkway between the front positions and the rear gunner's
position - this was taken up by feul tanks. There was an 18 inch crawlway
connecting the two stations but who could easily fit thru such a thing?
The nacelles are undersized.
The rear machine gun tunnel is flat sided on the kit - on the real aircraft it
was rounded - a conic cross-section and not a rectangular prism cross-section.
The shape of the rudder is off
The shape of the tailplanes is off.
The shape of the wing ailerons is off.
Just about no internal detail.
These are all fairly easy things to correct except for the lower wing and
nacelles.
question is were there any Gothas that carried the Loz camo sceams. I
Yes. The bulk of photos I have of GVs shows them in a "night lozenge" scheme.
This was usually _hand painted_ on the aircraft. Planes from the factory seem to
have been finished either in a white or light blue color. The lozenges were
incredibly irregular. The colors were dark blues, purples, greens, and reds. (I
can get Methuen references if you are really as obsesses with this plane as I
am). I have a photo that shows one of these things being painted.
The other type of lozenge scheme carried by GVs consisted of the following:
White or light blue fuselage with large hexagonal printed fabric on the wings.
The colors were dark grays and blues. Again I have Methuen references.
One other scheme consists of upper surfaces in dark green and undersurfaces in
light blue.
know that Super Scale International has a "Nightime Loz scheme that would
be kinda neat on this goose. However I don't know if there were any planes
The Superscale sheet is "printed lozenge" and not of the type found on Gothas
Americal makes sheets of 1/48th "Gotha Lozenge" (irregular hand painted) and
also hexagonal night bomber sheets.
that carried it. the other consideration is how much would I need to
modify the kit to build up a descent Gotha. I have never seen any other
1/48 scale Gothas on the market, so I suspect this is the only game in town.
Only one in 1/48th.
Anyone out there ever build one of these things? Let me know how you went
about building it. I don't think that this one will work straight out
of the box. ANy help would be appreciated.
My next major project is going to be converting the Aurora GV to a GVb. I have
been collecting material for a year and will hopefully start building the thing
later this month.
If anyone wants to trade Gotha info let me know! I love this thing. (Talk about
Teuto-Mania).
--Jesse