Day 9 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build.
Loading a VW-Kübelwagen onto a Go 242 in North Africa ..
Day 9 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build.
Loading a VW-Kübelwagen onto a Go 242 in North Africa ..
Day 8 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build
Step 25 - adding the flaps and ailerons. These all slide into place beautifully, along with the elevator. Only I'm not too sure how to position them. Looks like the Gotha has flaps that are both inboard and out-board of the booms. See the ECPA-D photos below by PK Gremelsbacher. Note Gremelsbacher was KIA during March 1944 so his images are public domain.
A view of Steps 26 and 30 in the instruction booklet - the various PE details to be added to the wings and tailplane. That just leaves the steps covering the landing gear.
Day 7 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build.
Almost finished masking the glazing - no getting away from it, there's a fair bit of work here.
I found that a smear of Perfect Plastic Putty was required around the canopy. Dry fit of the cargo ramp/tail in the open position using metal rod to replace the plastic attachments. At least I can get it to sit open without too much help. I know absolutely nothing about how the ramp door operates. Note in the image of the real aircraft below, the door opens much higher than I have it positioned here. Note too that this image appears to show one of the aircraft on the decal sheet - or finished in a similar scheme. Mottles are brush-painted.
Building the wings. Perfect fit but I still managed to break one of the supporting struts by trying to force it into place - should have drilled open the locating hole. No issues with the tail booms - although the instructions have the boom parts numbered incorrectly. Take care fitting the tailplane - I was not 100% not sure which way is 'up' - although part 'F21' does need to be on the lower surfaces ...
Steps 25 - flaps and ailerons - and steps 26 and 30 - the various PE details to be added to the wings and tailplane - still to do.
Steps 32 and 33 - the undercarriage and skids -can probably be completed once painting and decaling is done.
Another image of a Go 242 seen here at Heraklion on Crete, en route to North Africa. Check out the ECPA-D website (imagesdefense.gouv.fr) for more like this..there are useful images in the DAK 238 file which show plenty of details. I particularly needed to look at the lower forward fuselage window - which in this image appears to be partially over-painted.
Day 6 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build.
Not much to show today. Some work on seams - there is a bit of one on the lower surfaces where the sides fit - and finishing off the canopy masking. Two cockpit decals applied - these are noted in the instructions with the grey inverted triangles. Here's a rear view looking at the internal details with the roof etc cemented in place. Note only two MGs placed - the rear-most two positions can be reached through the open ramp door. I've left the seats out, as ideally I want to show the cargo door open with a Kubelwagen or similar being loaded. It has been suggested that I leave the roof off until painting is completed to avoid breaking the MGs but that would make for a rather fragile structure, like a box without its lid - the Gotha is after all merely a 'glorified' box with wings..
Day 5 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build.
Day 4 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build.
Day 4 of this build has mostly been 're-visiting' steps 5 & 6 from yesterday. I worked out how to fit the frame parts into the fuselage sides - the aerofoil-shaped part slips into the aerofoil-shaped recess - and ultimately this seemed an easier option for joining it all together. The frames for the rear fuselage are also fitted at this stage.
I made another error - as I knew I would - by getting two of the 'open' fuselage 'portholes' the wrong way round so these had to be removed and swapped around. I also looked at the MG 15s as supplied in the kit. Not bad. They are going to have to be inserted into their mounts before the fuselage roof goes on.
Here everything is stuck together and I'm putting it aside to dry.
A quick 'dry-fit' of the roof and the cockpit glazing. Again, a pretty good fit, any gaps you might notice here will disappear when it is all glued down. Next, detailing the canopy. There are etch control levers and the pilots' instrument panel to be inserted inside the cockpit glazing before securing to the fuselage. Note the open section is another gunner's position which can be shown either open - with MG - or closed. There's also a PE harness for this section...
That's it for Day 4. Thanks for looking in...
Day 3 of the IBG Models Gotha Go 242 A kit build
At the end of day 3 the cockpit has been 'detailed' with the kit PE harnesses and I've done a little 'chipping' by scratching the 02. Not really a fan of etch but IBG have done well here with some excellent scale details in etch that is thin and flexible. The forward internal frames have been fitted along with the fuselage glazing.
Thanks to Jerzy (George) for answering the question about the Gotha's MG 15s that we asked yesterday.
Jerzy writes.." a diagram of the MG mountings in the Gotha from a friend. The MGs were mounted vertically, supported from the bottom in boxes - you can see them in the drawing below .."
Step 5
Deals with the fitment of the cargo hold/fuselage lattice-like frame as seen in the manual drawing above. As another modeller appears to have done, I deviated slightly from the instructions which would have you fit these pieces into the side of the fuselage halves - where placement is a little uncertain - to mount them directly on the side of the floor where there are recesses designed to accept them. This method has the advantage of allowing you to concentrate on installing the window/portholes into the fuselage halves.
Step 6
The fuselage halves are finished in a red-brown (doped canvas) not unlike the interior of the Swordfish for example (a build on my modelling blog). It does appear that IBG missed some information about interior colors in the manual. I've painted these areas slightly less red-brown than others - more of a 'filter' over the 02. But the frame is steel rod, so I've picked this out with a silver pencil.
The windows are easy to install being mounted in a frame which appears that it should be of wood - although this may just be IBG's method of ensuring the window fits securely. There are obviously options to fit open windows at the MG mount locations easily identified on the internal framework.