Goffy Model from Prague, Czech Republic offer resin sets for armor models, dioramas but also for aircraft kits. Reviewed here is their cockpit set for Italeri 1/72 scale model of German WW2 flying boat Dornier Do-24.

The set is packed in a small cardboard box with a label attached to the lid with a picture showing painted cockpit parts attached inside the model fuselage. Inside the box is a single heat sealed plastic bag with resin parts inside and one page A4 size instruction sheet. In instructions construction steps are described in text and three b&w photos are provided - one is the part numbers index, other two show location of parts in assembled cockpit. Given in instructions are also some basic painting guidelines and 109 issue of Replic magazine is suggested as an additional reference.

The set contains 17 parts molded in cream resin. It is called "interior set", but it only contains cockpit and radio operator's compartment details. Two biggest parts form these two compartments - each part includes the section of the floor and a back bulkhead of the compartment with some details molded on. Radio operator's table is molded on the wall of rear compartment. The third bulkhead, installed between the cockpit and front gunner's compartments, is a separate part. There is even a separate door piece, which can be attached open, but no parts for the gunner's compartment are provided. Door leading from radio compartment to the back of the plane are molded closed. For both compartments we get side panels with wiring, ribbing and some equipment boxes on them. The only additional pieces for the radio compartment are two parts of operator's seat, but for the cockpit we get more: separate pilot's and co-pilot's seats, yoke columns, yokes and instrument panel.

My only source of knowledge about Do-24 is the excellent http://www.dornier24.com website. It contains some photos of the Do-24K cockpit. I compared those pictures to Goffy set parts and they show that the layout of parts in the set is generally accurate, although there are many differences in details. Instrument panel is completely different and radio boxes also vary. I'm not able to tell if differences are a result of different variant of airplane being represented by Goffy set, or should they be considered inaccuracies. I hope pictures included in this article would help those of you with more knowledge on the subject to form your own opinions on the accuracy of Goffy product.

Molding quality of the set is flawless - no air bubbles were to be found and amount of flash was minimal. One part was broken - tiny arm support fell off one of cockpit seats, but it was still in the plastic bag, so could easily be reattached. Rudder pedals molded integrally with the floor of the cockpit were a bit warped in my set, but it should be correctable (e.g. after heating the part in hot water). Removing most parts from resin pouring blocks should be easy, with one exception: almost the whole rear bulkhead of the cockpit is attached to a pouring block. Modeler has to sand this whole block away to restore correct thickness of the bulkhead and open the hatchway to the rear compartment. As there are no details molded on this bulkhead, I think it is much easier to scratch replacement bulkhead from a piece of sheet styrene than to try to remove pouring block from resin part.

FINAL VERDICT

In case of this product I cannot offer many valuable final comments, as I do not have Italeri kit and I don't know almost anything about Dornier airplanes. I have not seen Italeri plastic model parts, so I don't know how much improvement resin parts offer, but it seems obvious that there is no way such nice details could be molded in plastic, particularly in this Italian manufacturer's product. The molding quality in Goffy set is high and details are crisp. Assembly seems to be simple - at least according to the instructions, as no modifications of kit parts are needed, except for removal of kit's cockpit locating lugs and sockets - so the set can be recommended even to less experienced modelers.



Many thanks to Petr Zatrepalek of Goffy Model for the review sample!

Goffy Model products are available from Modelimex Online Shop. For other sources, contact Goffy Model at [email protected].