Revell 1/72 Junkers G-24
| KIT #: | 4299 |
| PRICE: | $ |
| DECALS: | One option |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: | 1991 release |
| HISTORY |
The increased German air traffic in the 1920s led to a requirement for a larger passenger transport aircraft. The G 24 was an enlarged development of the F 13. It was originally designed by Ernst Zindel as a single-engine aircraft. Under the restrictions imposed on aircraft in Germany by the Treaty of Versailles, only low powered engines were allowed. So the Junkers company designed their large G 24 airliner to be single-engined, but built it as a tri-motor. With three low powered engines the G 24 could fly, but was not a viable airliner. The plan was to sell the tri-motors to airlines outside of Germany, who would then install a single, high-powered engine (e.g. 450 hp Napier Lion) on the nose, and simply remove the wing center-section plugs that carried the other two engines. However the Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control declared the G 24 design to be a military type aircraft, and outlawed it.
Junkers then resubmitted what was essentially the same design, but under a new designation: Junkers G23. The Allied Commission ultimately allowed Junkers to build the G23, even in the single engined version, because it was clearly an airline type. The plane was always marketed under the G 24 designation.
Junkers continued to build the G 24/G 23 as a tri-motor, because the ruse to circumvent the Allied restrictions also had the benefit that the plane could fly, and even climb, with one engine out. In 1925 most airliners were single-engined, since one big engine will usually be more efficient than several small ones. Twin-engine types could not maintain altitude with an engine out, unless they were so overpowered that the airlines could not afford to operate them (similarly to how twinjets were impractical on long-range routes before the 1980s, and how trijets were used instead). A tri-motor did not have to be so grossly overpowered, to be able to fly with one engine out.
| THE KIT |
Revell molds this kit in both silver and black plastic as the floats and struts and engines are black on the real deal. It comes in a large, long box with the larger pieces separated from the sprues in order to get the sprues to fit. The sprues were all loose in the box. Molding is very good and show Junkers' corrugated surfaces well.
Both the cockpit and passenger compartment have the seats molded to the floor, so no little fiddly seat bits with this kit. The separate bits for the cockpit are two control wheels and an instrument panel, for which a decal is used. Cabin windows are gang joined and fit the slab fuselage sides from the inside. The nose engine is built up before the fuselage bottom piece joins the two side and the top is attached along with bulkheads and the engine.
The tailplanes have separate control surfaces and once joined, struts hold up the stabs and then the front radiator and prop. There are a lot of hand holds along the fuselage side and those are dealt with at this time. Construction then moves to the wing with a lot of holes to open up for the float struts. No wheeled undercarriage is provided so you must do a floatplane.
Next
the wing engines are built up and the ailerons attached. This is followed by
attaching the engines and the various underwing items not associated with the
struts. Floats are then assembled and the job of attaching a lot of struts is
next. I would recommend filling the forward sections of the floats with weight
to prevent the model from sitting back on the floats.
Instructions are well drawn with generic color callouts. There is only one set of markings and that is for a Finnish plane. The aircraft is black on the underside and aluminum upper surfaces. The leading edge of the fin and rudder is also black. Decals are quite matte and I'm not sure if they would still be viable after all these years. A company called Arctic Decals appears to make replacements.
| CONCLUSIONS |
If one is doing a selection of mid-war airliners, this one certainly belongs in the collection. It is a fairly simple looking kit save for the float struts and will take up a fair amount of shelf space thanks to the long wings.
| REFERENCES |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_G_24
March 2025
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