Combat Models Go-229: 1/32 Vacuform OOB Review

[U-boater]

Combat Models 1/32 Go-229 (a.k.a. Horten Ho-229) is an all vacuform kit
produced by ROBERTS MODELS.

Where do I begin...?

First of all,the kit provides a fairly accurate "shape" to work with.I should advise all potential buyers/builders that a tremendous amount of time, effort,research,and resources will needed to produce a good looking
replica.Scratch-building skills are necessary.Definitely not for the faint of heart.

I'll begin by addressing the kit's inaccuracies.

1:Missing main landing gear "hump" on the bottom of the fuselage.

2:Inaccurate panel lines and access panels.

3:Shallow nose/cockpit area.

4:Mis-shapen intakes and engine shrouds.

5:Missing "V-shape" on the nose landing gear bay door area.

6:Oversized wheels.

7:Undersized main landing gear bays.

8:Inaccurate cockpit parts (looks like an FW-190 cockpit).

9:Inaccurately shaped canopy (I call it,"The transparent tad-pole").

Combat Models even made a valiant (but failed) attempt to provide a pair
of vacuformed Junkers JUMO-004 jet engines.The kit also provides a series of mysterious "lumps and bumps".

Jeff Roberts,owner/operator of ROBERTS MODELS produces a detail set for the Go-229 which includes the following resin and white metal details.

Resin details include...

1:Finely cast resin landing gear wheels (Me-262? )
2:Resin intake turbines.
3:Assorted resin cockpit details.
4.Resin nose landing gear strut.

White metal parts...

1:Main landing gear struts.
2:Nose landing gear retraction assembly.
3:Foot pedals.
4:Gun barrels (X4),and...
5:A REVI 12 gunsight.

In my opinion,be prepared to do a lot of scrounging for after-market details.Would I (personally) use these detail parts? Probably not.

The bright side,is that with patience,skill,and creativity,you'll be able to produce a truly unique piece of work.

Overall dimensions....

Wingspan: 20 3/4"

Nose to tail: 8 3/4"

[Heavy Melder]

oh you poor bastard.

In my model club Combat models are usually mentioned in the same sentence as relish trays....

[Gunnie]

No one I know even says "Combat Models" out loud...

[spinning around in dark room] Combat Models, Combat Models, Combat Models... [/spinning around in dark room]

Arrrrrgh...

[captain az]

Picked up some fans there, Uboater!

[adama]

I've laid hands on the real one at Silver Hill, and would LOVE to see this as a "real" model in 1/32nd scale (like this one from Radu Brinzan: http://www.largescaleplanes.com/revi...34B/Ar234B.php I have it and LOVE it! )

You're a braver man than I to work with that model above - godspeed!

[U-boater]

Originally Posted by adama

I've laid hands on the real one at Silver Hill, and would LOVE to see this as a "real" model in 1/32nd scale (like this one from Radu Brinzan: http://www.largescaleplanes.com/revi...34B/Ar234B.php I have it and LOVE it! )

You're a braver man than I to work with that model above - godspeed!

You touched the actual Horten!?

Radu's BLITZ is a mighty sweet piece of work.I too would like to see
more German jet projects in styrene or resin.

I should point out that ROBERTS MODELS acquired the vacuform masters
from COMBAT MODELS after the owner passed away several years ago.

Jeff Roberts is currently working on the masters for several new vacuform
kits.I can't make any informed remarks about the quailty of his projects,
but I can say that Jeff is exceptionally knowledgeable in the field of aircraft (and really interesting to talk to as well ),and I'm certain it will show in his kits.

On a personal note,I'd really like to see the original COMBAT MODELS molds get an extensive re-working.

As far as this particular kit goes....

Fortuneately,Luft '46 aircraft lend themselves to a great deal of "artistic
license".My plan is to produce the (or my version at least) production
version which may have been hunting Allied bomber formations in the skies over Germany in August of '45.