Great work Andrew. I can't wait to get one of these.

Mark

Might fine indeed Andrew !

Andew, you are in the home stretch. . .be your most cautious self. It always seems the slightest inattention at the end can have harsh results. The voice of experience here.

Hi Andrew:

That is one impressive model and you have really done it justice. Your comments about the rigging are most appreciated. If you have another 1/32nd kit you could place near it for a size comparison, that would be net just to get a sense of the size of the airplane.
Looking forward to more updates.

Best

Mark

A really impressivive and beautiful build so far

Mikael

All of you WWI builders really take these kits to a whole new level! Thanks for the inspirations Great stuff, keep it up.

Hello Chris. Pick up a kit and come on out to play with us. These early aviation subjects are really satisfying when you finish one.

Thanks for the comments and following along everyone! It's finished. A few small bits of detail painting here and there that i've noticed after looking at the pics...but nothing that will require new photo's. The sun even came out today to help me.

The final assembly brought with it one of those angry moments. I hate those silly little mudguards behind the wheels! Very tiny attachment points and they kept sticking to my fingers the bench and anywhere else except where they were meant to be. Finally got them on, but they're not perfectly straight- very flimsy. Someone with the motivation would be better making up the mudguard mounts using some brass wire and solder.
Surprisingly the rest of the undercarriage is very sturdy and i was able to actually sit the model on the landing gear whilst the glue set to make sure that it all sat correctly. Same goes for the wings- much sturdier than the wobly SE.5 and LVG wings

I left off the ammo drums for the machine guns. The official reason is that i just decided i want them to be shown unloaded. The real reason is that i've never been quite able to work out how they are really meant to mount!

So overall this is one of the great model kits, in my top 5 ever for sure. Fit is excellent, in fact i think it goes together easier than the other 3 WNW kits that i've built. It could really use some photo etch around the bomb racks- just look at pics of the real ones to see what i mean. I have a funny feeling that the later special edition will include exactly those items. The forthcoming special edition kits actually don't interest me all that much...but maybe i'll make an exception and get the Gotha version. I think there is just enough room in the cabinet for another one.

One problem with WNW's that has ironically sprang from their excellence is the dreaded "Fanboy" syndrome. Even the slightest critism towards one of their products can result in you being the centre of a barrage of hate. "Fanboys" are, in fact, of no more use to anyone than their opposites- those annoying people that whine about absolutely everything a manufacturer does. I'm going to risk the wrath of the Fanboys by sayiing that i've come to really dislike the computer gen graphics style they use for construction sequences. It all looks pretty, but for me it's way to easy to miss little parts that get swallowed up in the overall picture. For example the engine nacelle guages which i left out until the very end, until i noticed them sitting in the bottom of the box! So a very annoying 30 minutes with a pair of tweezers and lots of words with four letters in them followed. And the cowled engine obviously has no guage as it's now impossible to put it in. I've had incidents like this on each WNW's build and it rarely happens with other kits. I'd prefer more traditional clear line drawn assembly sequences mixed in with their current photo's and colour painting callouts. But no one else ever seems to have an issue with this, so it could just be the break neck speed that i always like to work at. In the end it makes no difference as i'd still buy all their kits if they stay exactly as they are now.

It even fits in one of my cabinets! Well the rudder has to be turned slightly- luckily i used EZ line for the control cables.












The End

Andrew

Andrew,

She looks just awesome, I wouldnt have patience or space for a beast like this but do love how you've done her.

I have to agree with your point about WNW's instruction booklet, yes it's fantastic but yes its so easy to miss a part, I too like the old exploded diagram type. I never follow construction sequences anyway so often fall foul of this too but on the more complex or or critical stages I've taken to marking the parts on the diagram as I have done them...and circling those I've left off till a time when fitting them seems more sensible.

Fanboys well...... I say how I feel, some might take hump at that but if a products good I say, if I feel theres grounds to critisize I do so in the hope the maunufacturer takes on board my comments and others are made aware of issues.

Before I caught stringbag flu (for which theres no cure apparently...only constant doses of building eases the symptoms) I used to more armour and still do a little, the blazing ladyslapping on forums over different manufacturers fanboys and haters used to drive me crazy...yes I want the best reproduction of a subject but no something isnt garbage because hatch catch A is the wrong way round or sits .5mm too low..etc. To some degree we are saved that here on this forum as the range of subjects and manufacturers are spread a little more.

It's good to see this one reach completion and moreso that you pointed out what you think issues to help those modelling behind you. I for one believe to do so is right and if someone takes humbrabge then thats their narrow mindedness not yours.

Cheers Keith.

That looks very nice and the colour scheme set it off a treat. First one of these I've seen completed as well, an excellent job.

I too agree regarding the instruction books, I'm on my 4th WNW build now and the previous 3 I've had issues that I don't believe I would have had with "normal" instructions, they look nice but can sometimes be confusing, the kits can't be beat though.

Hi Andrew, I agree with everyone else, it's gorgeous! I've been following your build with interest and will use it for inspiration and tips when I start my kit, which arrived from NZ last Monday….cheers Brad

Great build. Thanks for paving the Gotha path for the rest of us. I am sure your thread will be as valuable to others as it will be to me.

I have missed a few parts on my first Albatros build, nothing on my LVG or SE 5a. I really don't mind the instructions, I just need to pay attention. I do see your point in that some of the parts are well camoflauged.

I think Mr. Gotha is calling me now.

Just went through the whole thread. Impressive build of an inpressive kit! Well done! Beautiful work!!
RAGIII

Truly magnificent!!!

She looks so real I want to climb into the cockpit to look around.

Hi Andrew,
Congrats on a superb piece of work, a real inspiration for me as I progress my own Gotha.

regards David

Beautiful done Andrew ! Just outstanding

That is one stunning Gotha

That's an epic build, nicely done from nose to tail. "breakneck speed" is right, but also very detailed.

Ted

Great Job Andrew, and thanks for setting some of the other a/c around it, it sure is a big one. I too agree with your assessment of the WNW instructions. They are attractive, but I would prefer a more traditional instruction sheet. I found the lack of clairity for some of the part placement a bit offputting, especially on the SE5. One has to really study the plans, make notes and dry fit, but other than that, the reference photo's and the drawings are great.

Best

Mark

Beautiful build! Gee that's a big model...!

Truly magnificent..!

Thanks everyone, i'm glad people seem to like it. It's an outstanding model kit, one that any fan of early aviation should get even if they're not going to build it. In 15 years it's going to be one that everyone is trying to find on EBAY most likely, and regreting they didn't get it now. And for anyone in Australia, buy it whilst the A$ is still worth more than the $US- you just know our economy is going to collapse eventually and it will then cost you 30-40% more!

I'll probably be back later with another build thread. I'm not scale-ist (is that a word?) or manufacturer aligned...so i'd like to do another 2 builds this year to cover all three major scales and all three of the main manufacturers of WW1 stuff.

Next i'm thinking about the 1/72 Profipack Fokker E.III that i have- about as opposite to the Gotha as you can get.

Andrew

Andrew – a beautiful and very impressive build – congratulations on finishing (and finding a place for it in the cabinet)

Best Regards

Mikael

Andrew, Most impressive! Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful job, Andrew. She's huge and gorgeous. So Amizonian. I want one, but alas, no room.
Cheers,
Bud