1/72 Roden Gotha G.V

by Gabriel Stern

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Roden kits are already well known. The parts are delicately molded, their models are fairly detailed and the plastic is easy to work with. In this particular case the fit of the parts was not very precise, the fuselage was a little bit flimsy and alignment wasn't the best. The instructions are good in general, but I committed a couple of mistakes (in the fuselage subassembly) misguided by / misinterpreting them. The level of detail in general, as said, is really good, I would say exquisite, and some parts are just amazing, like the machine guns. The engines are very well depicted, but the fit inside their pods was vague.

Click on image on below left to see larger image

You have to correct as per instructions a couple of the kit parts in order to adapt them for this particular version. A little bit of clean up has to be performed due to the presence of  flash in a few parts. Be careful removing the parts from the sprues. Some of them are tiny and very fragile (should I tell that...well, better not). I used a few extra parts from a photo-etched set (Extratech EX72133) that as usual with these kind of parts challenged my skills as much as my patience.
Strut placement (with the usual minor adjustments) and rigging (see below) took most of the building time.
The kit recommended colors were used to airbrush the model with acrylic paints. A base color was applied, and then lighter shades were laid down chordwise and across the fuselage in quick airbrushed narrow strokes. Retrospectively I would have liked more contrast between the light grey (struts and engine pods) and pale blue (airframe).
This kit comes with a wonderful set of lozenge decals, but I opted for the cleaner (and easier) version in pale blue (which also has a simpler undercarriage). I couldn't confirm a reaction to decal solutions. Be aware that one of the decals, the lettering that goes on the side of the fuselage, will become separated in individual subjects. This was the case in only one of them, the other (for the other side of the fuselage) had a complete carrier film. Go figure.

I ended up with a nice model, but a few, not very notorious alignment problems are there. Partially could be my fault, but the lack of positive locking of the parts didn't help at all.
Rigging will need the assistance of higher powers. As usual with these kind of models, is a chapter by itself (did I say a challenge by itself?). For this task I normally use monofilament, the thinner I can get, and cut some pieces about a foot long. Pressing the filament against a plastic surface with the broad tip of a black permanent marker, I slowly slide the whole length to get it "painted". I attach one end to the desire location and thread the rest trough, if possible, as many wing struts or points I can. At the final end, and carefully and slightly tensioning the filament, I attach it with cyanoacrylate again, trimming the spare (after a few minutes) with the sprue cutter. I try to do this at the proper stage of building. One picture is included that shows the rigging of the cables that control the tail surfaces, with the engines already installed. Don't do this. And leave the machines guns, undercarriage, tail skid, propellers and everything that can get in your way until you are done, if possible, with all the rigging. I deal with the task in stages, taking my time in between. As the keen eye may notice, I cheated a bit by making tiny holes at the near end of the struts to thread the filament. Also, I skipped some of the rigging, in a somewhat fruitless intend to keep the rigging/sanity equation in balanced terms .
Transparencies, although good, were not used. Their locations were filled with Testors' window maker instead.
The Gotha is a detailed, complex kit, that will require the best of you and will reward largely all the efforts you may spend on it.

Gabriel

Click on images below to see larger images

Photos and text © by Gabriel Stern