V.L.E. Models' Gotha UWD in 1/72nd Scale Vacuform Kit

History

The Gotha UWD was a floatplane version of the Gotha G.1. These aircraft were characterized by their top wing's attachment to the fuselage and the bottom wing supported by struts below: the engines sat on the lower wing's upper surface. The UWD was a large biplane with a wingspan of more than 20 meters and a fuselage over 14 meters long. Its design foreshadowed those of later years: for example the Handley Page Heyford in the mid 1930s, which had a similar wing and fuselage configuration.

Designed by Oskar Ursinus, the UWD was produced under license to Gotha. The sole Gotha UWD was assigned number 120 (see kit decals) and after initial testing was accepted by the German navy in February 1916. The UWD was used as a reconnaissance and a bomber aircraft, participating in raids on South East England. Its period of active wartime use was fairly brief with the German navy writing it off in October 1916.

Kit Contents

The kit comprises a large vacuform sheet; a large number of soft white metal pieces for the struts, engine parts and the Parabellum gun; resin parts for the engine nacelles, fuselage interior seats, floor, instrument panel, steering wheel, engine grilles, propellers and gun ring: four lengths of metal rod; and a set of decals to represent 'Number 120', a profile of which can be found on the back of the Gotha G.I Windsock Datafile 83.

The vacuform sheet is decent with a high level of detail produced by a female mold, however it has a few flaws that will need to be cleaned up: a few little divots here and there and especially on the 'Corrugations' around where the engines are seated. Regarding the latter, I think they could be sanded down and replaced with appropriately sized and patterned plastic card.

The resin seats are a little thick so the more particular modeler may want to replace them with some sort of generic aftermarket photoetch or even scratch build replacements. Similarly, one might want to replace the gun: easily done via the aftermarket or spares box routes. The struts all look decent and will require only the usual amount of cleanup required for white metal parts.

The decals are simple black affairs, comprising eight large Eisernen Kreuzes and four small ones; and a couple of '120' decals for the fuselage sides.

The kit also contains a three-page instruction manual with assembly instructions, color scheme recommendation, and some drawings that contain indications of which kit parts should be used for each of the various struts. This model has a large amount of struts: struts between the wings, struts between the engines and wings, and of course, the float struts, all of which makes for a complex assembly requiring considerable thought and planning.

A letter accompanying my review copy of the kit contains information about some of the kitís limitations, termed 'liberties with the model for simplified manufacture and/or ease of construction.' - these include the shape of the forward fuselage, which is slightly at odds with the available drawings, and marginally over-sized struts so they could be cast in white metal, though they look decent enough to me.

Summary

This kit presents a unique opportunity: I am aware of no other kit in this scale for this particular subject. I believe a Gotha G.I kit has been issued in 1/72nd scale but converting that to a Gotha UWD would be a major undertaking: for instance, the fuselage length of the UWD is 14.20 meters compared to 12 meters for the G.I - other fundamental differences abound.

The kit has a few rough edges, but I feel these can be solved given some skill and patience. Due to the size and complexity of this aircraft, this is a kit for modelers with some experience building vacuform models. This should not be your first vacuform model but if you build it, it probably won't be your last either since it has the potential for a spectacular model.

The kit represents a far more ambitious project than prior VLE releases and possibly as a result, the quality is slightly below VLE normal level of excellence. Nevertheless, the kit is still of reasonably high quality, and is definitely worth the US$23.50 plus postage and packaging. I recommend this kit for modelers with some vacuform building experience.

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Bob Wheeler of VLE Models for the review copy. Note: the site does not contain information on the Gotha UWD yet but it is available for purchase.

Reference

• Grosz, Peter M. 'Gotha G.I: Windsock Datafile 83.' Albatros Productions, Ltd. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, Great Britain. 2000