This is the first
1/48 model kit release from Hippo
Models and is sure to
please the WW1 modellers. This is the Gotha G.V German Heavy Bomber
injection molded kit with the addition of a photo etch fret.
The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I.
The Gotha G.V
entered service in August 1917, but due to it's heavier weight as compared to
the Gotha G.IV, it operated at a lower altitude than the earlier model Gotha
bomber. The Gotha G.V
has a crew of 3 that includes a nose gunner, pilot and rear gunner (that operated
either the top side gun or bottom side gun). This lower rear facing gun
was an innovation for this bomber and removed that blind spot. The Gotha G.V
had two Mercedes D.IVa inline engines that produced a total of 520 hp (2 x
260 hp) and gave it a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph). A wing span of 23.70
m (77 ft 9 in) made this quite the large aircraft. Germany did use it's
bombers to cross the English Channel and bomb cities in England as well as doing
tactical bombing missions. A total
of 36 of these lumbering giants were produced before the Armistice was sign thus
ending The Great War.
Click on
images below to see larger images
This kit is comprised of:
- 4 sprues of dark tan coloured injection molded
plastic
- 1 photo etch fret
- 1 sprue of clear
styrene
- 1 decal sheet
- 8 page instruction book
The quality of the kit is
quite nice with well done ribbed
detail on the flight surfaces. The kit box states this is suitable
"For experienced modellers only!!!!" and it's safe to say this isn't a
new release Tamyia quality kit. So be prepared to go slow and test parts for fit
before you haul out the glue. The parts also don't have any locating pins,
which shouldn't be an issue for most modellers that use liquid glue and go slow
when joining parts to make sure everything is lined up.
The
upper and lower wings have tiny holes to mark where the struts should go, which
is a much appreciated feature. The struts are the correct airfoil
shape, yet bulky just like the real plane. There are 3 machine guns
included in this kit although the instructions don't show the lower gun at all,
but I was able to find photos on the net that showed the placement location for
the lower gun. The guns are nicely done and have well detailed separate
round ammunition magazines and photo etch gun mounts. The rigging is shown well in the instructions
as well as the external control cables that run the length of the exterior of
the fuselage all the way to the tail control flying surfaces. There are a
nice selection of photo etch parts for the external control cable mounts that will show these off
beautifully.
Although this is a bomber, there are no bombs included and no bomb racks
either. So if you're building this kit with a bomb load, you will have to source the
bomb racks and bombs elsewhere.
The propeller blades have a
wonderful shape to them and will look excellent once given a simulated wood
grain finish.
There is only one decal option
for a light blue/grey machine with a thin green snake running down the length of
the fuselage, which is an attractive option and reminds me of WW2
Luftwaffe aircraft on the Russian front during winter operations. This is
a limited release kit and I do not know if future releases of this kit will
contain different decal options as the Imperial German Air Service did have some
wonderfully colourful camo patterns during the 14-18 war.
I'm impressed with
what I see in this first kit offering from Hippo Models. The addition of the photo etch parts really makes the critical
detail stand out. You should definitely buy this kit sooner rather than
later as it is only being produced in limited numbers and there is no doubt this
big Gotha G.V in 1/48 will make an eye catching centre piece to your WW1
collection in your display case. I expect this kit to sell well and sell
out quickly.
You can purchase
this and other
fine products directly from Hippo
Models.
I would like to
thank Hippo
Models
for
providing me with this review sample.
Steve
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