In Bag Review of Airmodel Vacuformed 1/72nd Scale
German Dornier Do-23G Bomber
Kit no. 124
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
I paid $4.95 for my kit from Squadron Shop years ago.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
I paid $4.95 for my kit from Squadron Shop years ago.
HISTORY:
The Dornier Do 23 was a German medium bomber of the 1930s.
The earlier Do 11 had exhibited several problems, so two initiatives were launched to address those shortcomings. The first resulted in the Do 13. The second effort was a more extensive rework which resulted in the Do 23.
Several of the handling problems were thus corrected, but performance of the Do 23 was still considered mediocre, and it saw limited service life, being phased out of front line service by the late 1930s. It was replaced by aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, but it did go on to serve and see action in World War II in the Czech branch of the Luftwaffe.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Variants: Do 23F : Initial production version, Do 23G : Improved version, fitted with two glycol-cooled BMW VIU piston engines.
Operators: Luftwaffe, Hungarian Air Force
Crew: four
Length: 18.80 m (61 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 25.60 m (84 ft)
Height: 5.40 m (17 ft 8½ in)
Wing area: 108.0 m (1,163 ft')
Empty weight: 5,600 kg (12,346 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 9,200 kg (20,282 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × BMW VIU liquid-cooled V-12 engine, 559 kW (750 hp) each
Maximum speed: 260 km/h (140 kn, 161 mph)
Range: 1,500 km (810 nmi, 932 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,200 m (13,779 ft)
Wing loading: 85.2 kg/m² (17.4 lb/ft')
Power/mass: 0.12 kW/kg (0.074 hp/lb)
Armament: Guns: 3 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns (nose, dorsal and ventral positions)
Bombs: 1000 kg (2,205 lb) bombs carried internally.
Related development: Dornier Do 11, Dornier Do 13
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era:Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow, Junkers Ju 52
The Dornier Do 23 was a German medium bomber of the 1930s.
The earlier Do 11 had exhibited several problems, so two initiatives were launched to address those shortcomings. The first resulted in the Do 13. The second effort was a more extensive rework which resulted in the Do 23.
Several of the handling problems were thus corrected, but performance of the Do 23 was still considered mediocre, and it saw limited service life, being phased out of front line service by the late 1930s. It was replaced by aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, but it did go on to serve and see action in World War II in the Czech branch of the Luftwaffe.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Variants: Do 23F : Initial production version, Do 23G : Improved version, fitted with two glycol-cooled BMW VIU piston engines.
Operators: Luftwaffe, Hungarian Air Force
Crew: four
Length: 18.80 m (61 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 25.60 m (84 ft)
Height: 5.40 m (17 ft 8½ in)
Wing area: 108.0 m (1,163 ft')
Empty weight: 5,600 kg (12,346 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 9,200 kg (20,282 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × BMW VIU liquid-cooled V-12 engine, 559 kW (750 hp) each
Maximum speed: 260 km/h (140 kn, 161 mph)
Range: 1,500 km (810 nmi, 932 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,200 m (13,779 ft)
Wing loading: 85.2 kg/m² (17.4 lb/ft')
Power/mass: 0.12 kW/kg (0.074 hp/lb)
Armament: Guns: 3 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns (nose, dorsal and ventral positions)
Bombs: 1000 kg (2,205 lb) bombs carried internally.
Related development: Dornier Do 11, Dornier Do 13
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era:Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow, Junkers Ju 52
THE KIT:
This kit comes in a clear staple-bound cello bag. It contains 3 large chalk-white vacuformed sheets of parts and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a single sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages in 8 1/2" x 12 1'2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a 1-paragraph history of the Do-23G, over a black and white photo of the model made up.
The bottom of the page has written assembly instructions.
Pages 2 and 3 have a 3-view of the aircraft in overall light-gray (RLM 76) with black fuselage code 32+A25 and swastika on rudder is on a white circle on a wide horizontal red band. No other markings are shown.
Page 4 has an exploded drawing on it for assembly purpose.
The first chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds: the fuselage and elevator halves, one half of a main wheel, a support beam for inside the wings, and halves of one of the landing gear legs. (8 parts)
This kit comes in a clear staple-bound cello bag. It contains 3 large chalk-white vacuformed sheets of parts and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a single sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages in 8 1/2" x 12 1'2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a 1-paragraph history of the Do-23G, over a black and white photo of the model made up.
The bottom of the page has written assembly instructions.
Pages 2 and 3 have a 3-view of the aircraft in overall light-gray (RLM 76) with black fuselage code 32+A25 and swastika on rudder is on a white circle on a wide horizontal red band. No other markings are shown.
Page 4 has an exploded drawing on it for assembly purpose.
The first chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds: the fuselage and elevator halves, one half of a main wheel, a support beam for inside the wings, and halves of one of the landing gear legs. (8 parts)
The second chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds: one wing half, 3 main wheels, another landing gear leg's half, rudder and elevator halves, engine halves, and the central upper wing panel (16 parts)
The third chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds 3 more wing halves.
No clear parts are provided or decals.
Airmodel never provides the decals. They chase modelers to after market decal manufacturers for these,
This is very poorly detailed kit, with just the flaps indicated with faint engraved lines.
There are no panel lines present.
Airmodel never provides the decals. They chase modelers to after market decal manufacturers for these,
This is very poorly detailed kit, with just the flaps indicated with faint engraved lines.
There are no panel lines present.
Not Recommended.