Roseplane 1/72 scale Caudron G.3
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Introduction
When World War One began, one of the few French aircraft in full production
was the Caudron G.3. This 13.4 meter wingspan sesquiplane first flew in
May of 1913 and was a stable and easy-to-fly aircraft but observer and
pilot view of the ground left something to be desired.
More than 2500 of these aircraft were built and they were flown not
only by French forces but were purchased by Italian, Russian, and British
forces as observation platforms. The Americans, among others, also purchased
them as trainer aircraft.
All of these color and marking possibilities make the Caudron G.3 a
great candidate for a model. The pot has been sweetened recently by the
release of the Windsock International Datafile on the aircraft and Roseplane's
newly revised mixed-media kit of the Caudron G.3 A2/E2.
The Kit
 The
Roseplane release is based on their well-known vacuformed kit and many
beautiful G.3 models have been based on it. Their new kit includes the
same vacuformed sheet but replaces many of the vacuformed parts with crisply-molded
resin parts for the main cockpit tub, interior pieces, wheels, tail surfaces,
engine and cowl. In addition to the main vacuformed sheet and resin parts,
Roseplane includes three feet of airfoil-shaped plastic and three feet
of plastic rod for making struts.
The parts compare well to the Datafile drawings though the the stab/elevator
is too thin in chord by 1/8" and the rib locations and orientation
on this piece are wrong. There is variation in stab/elevator shape among
the many G.3s produced during the war but none that I've seen show such
a high-aspect ratio shape.
This model cries out for a detailed interior and Roseplane really helps
the modeler by providing detailed flooring, instrument panels, and seats.
 This
is a builder's kit, however. There is no material supplied for the main
frame that connects the wings and tailplane. The full-size G.3, had main
booms made from wood with a square cross-section and the modeler needs
to supply material to create these structures. In my view, the modeler
must also supply material for the struts as the supplied plastic is undersize
relative to the wide G.3 struts. One solution to the main boom parts is
the photo-etch boom set sold by Rosemont.
The kit comes with an instruction sheet describing basic assembly and
there is a very useful isometric drawing showing part placement. No decals
are supplied, though color and markings are shown for French, Italian
and Finnish aircraft.
Conclusion
While not a kit for a new modeler, this kit is well-done and anyone
with experience working with vacuformed parts and a bit of scratchbuilding
experience will be able to create a stunning model.
Rosemont Hobbies
4317 Howertown Road
Northampton, PA 18067 USA
Fax/Phone 610-502-1137
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