Göppingen Gö 9
| Kit: | AML, 1/72; kit bought in 2008 for about $18. Model finished on 2022-01-23. |
|---|---|
| Aircraft: | D-EBYW, 1940 |
Göppingen Gö 9 was a one-off prototype commissioned by the Dornier-Werke and constructed by Schempp-Hirth. The purpose of the prototype was to test the idea of an airplane with a mid-fuselage engine driving a pusher propeller in the tail, in preparation for the later Dornier Do 335 fighter. The aircraft first flew in 1940 and was generally considered a success. Interestingly, the aerodynamic design of the airframe was based on that of the Dornier Do 17 bomber (reduced approximately to 2/5th scale).
Size comparison with a regular Tamiya paint jar
About Schempp-Hirth
The company Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH was founded in 1935, originally named "Sportflugzeugbau Martin Schempp, Göppingen". It is famous for producing gliders, having only ever built two powered aircraft, both prototype test-beds. Of the pre-war designs, the Gö 3 Minimoa is the best known; the successful post war designs include aircraft such as Cirrus, Discus, Nimbus, and others. The company still operates today.
Construction Notes
I started this project back in 2012, so it took me about 10 years to complete. The AML kit is generally quite nice and accurate, and comes with injection-molded and resin parts, as well as a vac-formed canopy. Scale Aviation Modeller (Volume 11 Issue 9) has a brief review of the kit.
The main problem with the kit are its pronounced panel lines. There is no photographic evidence of any panel lines, and given that the plane was built by a renowned glider maker (ostensibly using similar techniques used with gliders), I doubt there were any noticable panel lines anywhere on that airframe. So those had to go, and generally getting the surface ready for paint took a lot of work.
I also added some other details (such as a "lip" on the ventral air scoop) or replaced kit parts (e.g., nose gear doors which were too thick and also otherwise incorrect). I cut out the tail control surfaces and repositioned them to match photographs. Finally, the vac-form canopy took some effort to get it cut exactly right and attached to the fuselage; the kit comes with two canopies, just in case.
The original aircraft was painted with RLM 05 creme which I mixed from Model Master enamels. I had no idea what color the wheel wells were, so I applied my "when in doubt, use RLM 02" -rule. Tamiya XF-22 was used for that. After some Future acrylic floor wax, decals, and more Future, the whole aircraft was sprayed with a mixture of Testors' Dullcote and Glosscote.
Photographing the finished model - and then looking at the larger than life size images - revealed all kinds of annoying little flaws, most of which I had to fix before declaring this model "done". Note that the model is tiny: Wingspan is exactly 10 cm (less than 4 inches for the metrically challenged).
Surface preparation in progress
All panel lines were filled
It took several go-arounds to get the surface ready
Nose gear doors cut from 15 thou strip
References Used
There is relatively little reference material available of this aircraft, and I have found fewer than 10 photographs. Of the references below, 3 has decent scale plans, and 5 has good detail information. Generally, if you look for material about the Do 335, some pictures of the Gö 9 show up.
- Air Enthusiast Fifty-two
- Do 335 (Smith & Creek); Monogram Close-up 21; Monogram Aviation Publications 1983
- Dornier 335 Arrow (Smith et al); Monogram Monarch Series 2; Monogram Aviation Publications 1997
- Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Nowarra); Schiffer 1989
- Flugzeug Classic April 2002
- Scale Aviation Modeller Volume 11 Issue 9
- http://www.luft46.com/prototyp/go9.html
More About the Model
- Scalemates' entry for the AML kit