When the SG-38 elementary training
glider was designed by Rehberg, Schneider and Hoffmann, its constructors could
not have guessed just how famous it would become. This glider very soon became
a standard training machine for the NSFK (Nationalsozialistisches
Fliegerkorps or National Socialist Flyers Corps) which was mass produced by several factories and it could
also be home-built from drawings sent by post. Production was not restricted solely
to Germany either and the basic design
went on to be built throughout the world, making it the most widely used
training glider ever known. The type was built within most European countries
under a variety of different designations and amongst them was Slovakia which began production during WW2 and in
post war years they continued to be built for aeroclubs in Czechoslovakia
as the ŠK-38 Komár (Gnat) where they were
used alongside some original ex-German SG-38 aircraft.
It is no wonder that we chose to
make a model of this famous glider and a few years ago we bought a 3D design
from an outside contractor who promised to
combine flawless design with a faithful scale reproduction of the real machine, just like the earlier Grunau
Baby II and Piper J-3/L-4 models which he also designed. Therefore we bought
the 3D design of the SG-38 kit but unfortunately
it failed to meet expectations and this became apparent before we started to make
the mould. Upon double checking this 3D
design carefully by comparing it to the real glider and also for the fit of the
projected model´s parts it became apparent that it fell short of expectations
on both counts. Our checks highlighted so
many mistakes (including issues
concerning the wrong wing cross-section, wrong dihedral, ailerons lacking the
correct twist, some parts not matching etc) that a decision was taken not to
use the original 3D design which we fear
may have since been passed on to another company even though we had already
paid for it. Instead we opted for a
completely new design instead. This time we selected a different 3D design contractor with much more experience
in this field and we were able to visit the German
Technical Museum
in Berlin in order to precisely measure some
parts of a real airframe, plus the owner
of another example residing within a museum in the USA also allowed us extensive
access to his machine. In this way we were able to create an extremely detailed
and precise 1/72nd scale model which is
right on the edge of technological possibilities and it surpasses the original
design in every way possible.
The new 3D design and mould has been
manufactured by our contractor in Asia using high-quality
steel by means of EDM, or Electric Discharge Machining. By using this
technology, a perfect fit of all parts with
excellent surface detail is assured, without any trace of the scratches associated
with a milling machine. The model can be built with one of two styles of
optional fuselage nacelles, or with just the basic fuselage framework exposed. For each of the nacelles, a different landing
skid is also provided and the first of these new kits will be available during
late January or early February. Each model will contain two complete sets of
sprues, a decal sheet and instructions. Price will be 10,- Eur.
A top-quality model is always worth
waiting for but the wait for this one will
only be very short.
We would like to wish you a very
happy New Year in 2015
|
Just
like the real SG-38, there is an opening around the fuselage in the wings
undersurface |
|
aerodynamically
twisted ailerons |
|
slight
dihedral which was in reality controlled by a set of flying and landing wires |
|
note
the tiny details such as the lightening holes in the seat support frame and the control cable pulleys |
|
The
less common style of nacelle which has an opening in the rear that allowed the
control cables to pass through. This landing skid is different to that of the
standard SG-38
|
|
the
wing undersurface with correct cross-section, also note the details |
|
the
tailplane surface is also highly detailed |
|
complete
sprue offers either a fuselage without a nacelle or two different types of the
nacelles |
|
highly
detailed surface with the aileron hinges, attachment points for the wing wires
and also the handles |
|
the tailplane surface is also highly detailed |
|
The
most common style of fuselage nacelle |
Comments
Post a Comment