Wing Nut Wings Gotha G.1 (Grossflugzeug) bomber in 32nd scale by Rod Janes

 

no, I haven't built the WnW Gotha G.1 ....but I do know someone who has.  Mr Rod Janes of the Medway and East Kent Scale modellers clubs. His build of this kit was on show at our first club meet of 2023 held at the RAF Manston History Museum.  The Gotha G.1 (G= Grossflugzeug, or 'large aeroplane') was a large (natch!) and somewhat unconventional twin engine bomber type built in small numbers and may even have participated in a raid on Dover during 1916. It was one of the first Gothaer Waggonfabrik bombers and forerunner of the even larger Kampfflugzeug types the company became known for.  The 1914 German Army Type III spec for a Kampfflugzeug ('battle plane') called for a 200hp  three-seater able to maintain 120 km/h for six hours carrying 450 kg of bombs. The kit from the now defunct WnW has well over 300 parts and there's one currently on offer on ebay via 'Mainly Military' at only £199...

Here's Rod at our club meet showing off his large model. At some stage in the future all of Rod's one hundred plus WNW builds will be on display in the museum at Manston. Note the 'neat' transportation aid in the lower photo - the model is placed on household scouring sponges....

first completion of 2023 - another Eduard Bf 109 G-6 Heinz Bartels 11./JG 27

 

now that the house-move and the latest book project are out of the way I can get back to building some models. If only the airbrush would work 'properly'..

Here's my first completion of 2023, another of the 'old' new-tool Eduard Bf 109s, this time in the markings of 11./JG 27 ace Bartels. IV./JG 27 were at Kalamaki, Greece in the autumn of 1943 and intervened over Kos and Leros during October as German forces pushed out the British from these Dodecanese islands following the Italian 'change-of-sides'..

A couple of the images of the finished model show the 72nd Academy G-6 in the 'same' scheme as well, although as Gary Hatcher put it, how can Luftwaffe modellers be satisfied knowing that their mottling is always so 'hit and miss'? I mean all of the known images of this machine show the port side - not one shows the starboard side AFAIK. Upper surface 'saw-tooth' finish was a feature of some Erla 1943 production, re-created here easily enough with a P-Mask mask. The underwing 'R6' MG 151 cannon gondola have been opened up to display the Eduard resin cannon..