Let Let Let - Warplanes » scale

Fokker E.V 1/48 Eduard Weekend kit 8480

Darko — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:40:41 +0000

The Fokker E.V was a German airplane of the Great War who saw action in summer of 1918. The first production E.V aircraft were shipped to Jasta 6 in late July. The new monoplane was also delivered to Jasta 1, Jasta 19, Jasta 24 and Jasta 36. Leutnant Emil Rolff scored the first kill in an E.V on August 17, 1918, but two days later he was killed when his aircraft’s wing collapsed in flight. After few accidents due to wing failure further deliveries were stopped but were continued in October the same year, when it was too late for this airplane to have some significant impact in aerial combats. Nevertheless this machine had significant role in history of aviation and total of approximately 380 were built. It is considered that the last aerial victory in World War One was conceded with this airplane. Most of the Fokker E.V were destroyed according to the terms of signed peace treaty but some samples were taken as a war trophies by Holland, Italy, Japan, the United States, and England. It is interesting to note that the Poland used few of this captured warplanes against Soviet forces in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920 and the first kill for the Polish Air Force was conceded on Fokker E.V.

Fokker E.V

Theo Osterkamp was born on 15 April 1892 at Düren in Rheinland. He fought in World War 1 as a naval pilot operating over the Western front. He commanded Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffel 2 from 15 October 1917. Osterkamp was to record 32 victories in that conflict. Leutnant Osterkamp was awarded the Pour le Mérite on 2 September 1918. Between the wars, Osterkamp was much involved in the formation of the new Luftwaffe setting up Jagdfliegerschule 1. Theo Osterkamp was credited with 38 victories. He recorded 32 victories during World War 1. He recorded two confirmed and at least four unconfirmed victories in World War 2, all claimed over the Western front. Osterkamp survived the war but died on 2 January 1975 at Baden-Baden.

Building the Eduard kit

When I received Eduard’s kit at the first look I was impressed. Beautiful model moulded in Olive plastic with outstanding and precise details and the choice of colours and markings absolutely wonderful, you got to love this bumble bee looking airplane.
I began building this kit from the cockpit, the level of details provided by Eduard is excellent, some instruments were given as well printed decals and they perfectly fit the matching plastic parts. Wooden surfaces were first painted in Model Master wood colour and after the drying time they were protected with a coat of Model Master Acryl flat varnish that was hand brushed with almost dry brush. After drying time I applied a mix of oil artistic colours in brown shades and at last I drybrushed them with a brush silked in White Spirit thinner to achieve the wood effect. Simulating the wood effect on propeller was done in the same manner slightly changed to achieve laminated wood surface. First I painted the propeller in same MM Wood colour and then masked it with tape stripes to get the layers. After airbrushing the unmasked part with MM Brown colour and removing the masks I used the same method like on cockpit surfaces. All “wood parts” were then sealed with few coats of Klear. Cockpit fits well and once it is finished it looks really great, the only thing I added is a seat belts made of tape.

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Once the cockpit is done fuselage can be assembled, and it went well with almost none putty required, Fuselage details are good there is a nice simulated structure details underneath fabric, and on decal sheet Eduard provided nice stiches that are applied after painting the fuselage. Eduard provided two wings for this kit both moulded well with nice engraved lines. Both vertical and horizontal tail surfaces look perfect with excellent details. Engine parts are really wonderful and the only thing I had to do before painting is to clean some minimal flash that was present. I painted the engine with MM Aluminium metaliser and buffed it when it dried. After a coat of Klear I applied standard black and brown wash and drybrush at the end using Aluminium colour.

Theo Osterkamp’s E.V plane colours are still very doubtful since there is no photo of this machine. I decided to paint the wing using White Ensign RLM 62 colour and to apply streaky Fokker factory camouflage on top of the wing using White Ensign RLM 80. Fuselage and tail sections were preshaded with black colour and then airbrushed using White Ensign RLM 04 colour. After everything was dried I masked areas to remain in yellow vertical stripes and then airbrushed Black.

When all painting was finished it was time to assemble subsections and glue struts to the wing and fuselage. It all went well without any fuss so the kit was airbrushed with few coats of Klear and it was ready for decals. Decals are thin and well printed and when they are glued to the kit they look great and realistic. It seems that Eduard included some decals (mostly stencils) that are not to be used on this kit.
Although there are suspicions that Osterkamp flew just few flights on this airplane opposing to those that believe that he flew on E.V more than that I decided to weather my kit according to believes that Osterkamp flew more than just a few flights on this machine, therefore my E.V kit looks well served.

Rigging was done using the stretched black sprue, and it was done in literally half an hour.

Eduard kit is great and it is a real weekend project, looks great on a shelf and I must recommend it to all fellow modellers that are interested in World War subject. Many modellers (including me) are afraid of rigging, but this kit offers a great result with minimum time and is great to practice your rigging skill. I enjoyed building this kit and I can recommend it to all modellers no matter how skilled they are. You can buy it direct here.

This kit is highly recommended.

Darko Mladenovic

Sample kit is provided by Jan Zdiarsky from Eduard

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Eduard Fokker Eindecker

Srecko — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:51:46 +0000

After three years of development Eduard has released their kit of Fokker E. II/III Eindecker in December 2008. This long time has taken to observe and find all available historic and archive data as well to make design for the parts of the new coming kit. This kit is in the 1/48 scale and its item number is 8156. Kit coming with great number of plastic parts, color printed etched parts, decals for five versions and mask.

Instruction ‘booklet’ is in the top Eduard standard and include on first page brief history of the type with rest pages directed to the same model build. Important to note is that all parts is designed to be build as hi tech profi pack but also as sole cheap weekend edition with plastic parts only, no photo etched. It is important to note that kit coming with various variants of the wings, machine gun as well windshield (or not) so please take care and read whole instruction first before start build. This will avoid any mistake later in parts options. My choice was to build the plane flown by Vfw. Ernst Udet, this is painting instruction C in kit, so I consider in build only the part used for C painting scheme in instructions.

Fokker Eindecker scale model from Eduard in 1/48 scale

As usually al start from the cockpit and this kit is not exception. Basic construction is the floor, rear wall and two fuselage frames, all of this parts are to be cemented inside fuselage halfs. It is very important to make them completely painted as well later this will be imposible. Basic color of the interior is linen which is first to be painted. Use somed cream color, not too much liht, as well this shade on the Fokker Eindecker is know to be darker then on the other planes of the time. Note that all parts noted in instruction as aluminium, have to be made with shiny swirls over it, that was regular manufacturer process of the time.

Other paint which is mention for the color of the metal parts inside and outside of the plane is the grey green. Eduard sugest use of the German RLM 02 color and for this purpose they have sugested Gunze Sangyo color H 70. My personal opinion is that this color is much more green and I have use for this purpose Vallejo No. 090 Reflective Green. Please take this will attention and consider various available source before paint this. But I am sure that there should not be a problem even if you use proposed color by Eduard.

Engine close up detail (Terry Phillips collection)

On the finished basic interior have to be fit various elements of the Eindecker interior such as construction of engine, controls, pump, seat with belts, tanks and very small instrument panel over it. Final of this work section is to close fuselage halfs into one unit. After that many parts related to the metal cowling have to be cement there but you can skip some task and leave it for later. For sure you can place later part C23, as well this is lether cover of the cockpit canopy and as well it differ much in color of the rest of the plane, you can place it on the same end of the build. But what you can not delay is the engine cowlings and they are better to be placed in this stage as well later will be problem to fit it as well wings could make problem.Only front cowling and engine can be placed later.

Exterior is also very complex construction and there is consider effort to make all in place sections like the landing gear construction with all of the number of small parts, many of them in etched parts. One special note- landing gear construction have a lot of rigging inside so do not ut wheels as suggested by instructio, leave this step for the very end of model build. Wheel in this place could make access to very small place very hard and rigging imposible.

Painting…. well, no matter that some camouflage test was made in the very early years, in most cases German planes flew in their natural fabric color. That was the case with the Fokker Eindecker- it is all in natural colors, fabric, wood, metal and some small parts in the protective green color. My choice is Vallejo color, alittle lighter then US tan used in Vietnam. Before I have brushed this color I have spray all surface with flat black spray, to se if there is any issues with surfaces or joints. All right, some corections is made and I have brushed all kit in tan color. When coat is completely dry, I have coat kit with Klear and sanded surface with 3M 2500 grit wet sanding paper to achieve very smooth surface.

Wing detail (Terry Phillips collection)

Next step in finishing is the making of the metal covers. My choice is t use Testors Metalisers and they proof very good in this role. First coat over all metal front surfaces was Magnesium, and after drying I have polished it. Then I have apply a coat of sealer. This is important to fix this coat of metaliser as well this coat is sensitive and there could be problem with work with another coat over it. When sealer was dry, I have make swirls on this metal surfaces with Testors Aluminum metaliser and I have used for this artist sharp round brush 0 size. I did not polish this swirls and I have just coat them with sealet. metal works over!

Two thin coat of Klear was brushed again and next step is the dacls for the the Udet plane. Eduard have provided excellent printed decals and I have firstly set basic national insignia over the wings and vertical rudder. Next to be made is to place Udet markings. I have to note that in kit is provided this decals and they are inclined band in red white- black- color. There will be very important to note that this colors are in many cases depend on the pilot personality. Well known aviation historian Dan San Abott state that the color in the band can not be red but blue. Udet was Bavarian and their color is blue. So please consider this if you have plan to make Udet machine.

After the final decals are set I have spray all kit with protective clear latt artsit lacquer to protect whole machine. I have repeat Klear over some emtal aeas and then I have start to wash all kit with artsit oil color. I used only one, Raw Umber. It is well known that all early engines was very wet and leaks and dispers oil all arround so the surface of the plane was alwasy dirt and with a lot of leaks. If you adc to this dirts and dust whcih imediately set on this oily surface, you can with easy imagine how this airplanes was look like. The same Udet machine is that dirst that on some places it look like it have camouflage patches, but actually it is not.

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Very final step is as we all know for biplane- rigging. You must be prepared form the very start of the build for this and prepare holes in the places where the joint will be. In this small holes have o be placed Bob Bucklets turnbucklets, one excellent product for all who make early airplanes. Plant of this turnbaklets are relatively fast job and moer job and work and skill is required for the wirring of the kit. All of this wires are maybe reason why some modelers does not make any WW1 kits.

Overal view is that this kit is excellent product with great options and excellent future. I will gladly recomend it to everyone interesting in WW1!

You can join disscusion about this kit on LetLetLet Forum , 150 GCT , Burek , 12 O Clock High , Aeroforum, WIX and Aerodrome.

Sample kit is provided by Jan Zdarsky from Eduard.

Srecko Bradic

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Czech Master Resin CMR 157 Ikarus Ik-2 1/72

Darko — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:23:09 +0000

The Ikarus IK-2 was a high-wing, all-metal, single seat, monoplane fighter aircraft designed as a private venture by Kosta Sivčev and Ljubomir Ilić. The prototype, designated the IK-L1, of the design was ordered from Ikarus A.D. in 1934, and was delivered for test in 1935. Captain Leonid Bajdak, a biplane advocate, tested the IK-1 in flight. The prototype first flew on April 22nd, 1935. During a full range of tests on the third flight the aircraft failed to pull out of a power dive and crashed. Bajdak bailed out and survived but claimed the IK-1 was not suitable as a fighter. Investigation of the wreckage disclosed that the failure was due to negligence in sewing a seam on one of the fabric-covered wings, and therefore a decision was made to proceed with the second prototype, designated IK-2. The second prototype had metal-skinned wings and a shallower cooling radiator. The IK-2 was ready for test in June 1936. A new test pilot, Dobnikar, performed the preliminary flight tests, including a mock battle against a Hawker Fury, a biplane, flown by Captain Bajdak. The IK-2 outperformed the biplane in all respects, thereby confirming the hopes of the young designers. Royal Yugoslav Air Force ordered a production batch of 12 IK-2 fighters, which were all delivered in 1937. When German forces invaded Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941, Ikarus IK-2 fighters took part in aerial battles over Yugoslavia. For the rest of the short conflict IK-2s were used for strafing advancing German columns and on several occasions they scrambled in pursuit of German reconnaissance aircraft, but to no effect. At the end of the brief campaign the four surviving IK-2s were overhauled at the Ikarus aircraft plant in Zemun before being transferred by the Germans to the newly formed Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia.

Ikarus IK-2 resin model

Manufacturer Ikarus AD
Class fighter
Armament 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404 fixed forward-firing cannon with 60 rounds in a moteur-cannon installation, two 7.9 mm (0.312 in) Darne fixed forward-firing machine guns in the upper sides of the forward fuselage with synchronization equipment to fire through the propeller disc
Crew Pilot in an enclosed cockpit
Engine One Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs Vee piston engine rated at 860hp (641 kW) at 4000 meters (13,125 ft)
Speed Maximum: 435 km/h (279 mph; 234 kt) at 4000 meters (13,125 ft)
360 km/h (224 mph; 194.5 kt) at sea level
Cruising: 250 km/h (155 mph; 135 kt) at optimum altitude
Range 700 km (435 miles; 378 nm); endurance 3 hours 15 minutes
Ceiling 10500 meters (34,450 ft)
Climb 5000 meters (16,405 ft) in 5 minutes 24 seconds
Length 7.88 meters (25 ft 10.25 in)
Height 3.84 meters (12 ft 7.125 in)
Dimensions
Wing Span: 11.40 meters (37 ft 0.875 in)
aspect ratio 7.22
area 18.00 m2 (193.76 sq ft)
Weight empty: 1502 kg (3,311 lb)
normal take-off: 1857 kg (4,094 lb)
maximum take-off: 1930 kg (4,255 lb)
CMR 157 Kit IK-2.

CMR models IK-2 kit, comes well packed in one plastic bag but all the parts are packed for it self in a separate bag so no damage to crispy Resin could happen. CMR Resin is one of the best I have seen so far and the tooling must be Outstanding since all the details on this kit are wonderfully reproduced. CMR provides a small photo-etched fret with crucial parts on it for detailing this beautiful model, this parts are really great quality and improve the overall look of the finished model. Photo-etched parts are provided for instrument panel and seatbelts inside the cockpit. Cockpit sidewalls are well detailed on fuselage halves. Both wing types are provided in the kit so you can choose weather you want to build second prototype or the production batch model. For sure some cleaning as always when you deal with resin must be done, but that part on CMR IK-2 is minimal. Clear parts are although vac-formed crystal clear and excellent quality and just in case, CMR provided two in case your cutter slips… Instruction sheet and painting guide are provided on nine pages, they are very clear nice drawn and precise.

Decals are great quality very thin and precise; I believe it would be a true pleasure to work with them. Decals are provided for four Yugoslav Kingdom samples and four Independent State of Croatia samples.

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CMR produced an excellent kit, they obviously have high quality standards in producing kits and after seeing this IK-2 kit I can’t resist it and I will certainly get at least one more. Resin kits require for some experience when working with it so as usual rule Resin kits are not recommended for beginners, but if you have build a few plastic models so far and you want to build your first Resin model then this is a choice for you. CMR are a real Masters of Resin.

This product is highly recommended!

Darko Mladenovic

Sample product provided by Petr Buchar from Czech Master Resin

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Eduard Bf109E in 1/32

Srecko — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:36:10 +0000

Eduard big step forward was release of brand new 1/32 model of Messerschmitt Bf109E in February 2009, kit No. 3001. Vesrion they deliver is E-1 but no doubt that much more will to come. Interesting to mention si that 1/32 scale is much growing last time and it is very interesting to note that not much attention is given to this model of plane. Decades ago this type is covered by Matchbox and Hasegawa and great change in the quality of delivered kits make big gap in this sphere. This kit from Eduard is long awaited by model enthusiast and this waht it bring for sure feel best expectations from all of us.

Eduard Bf109E art box

Eduard Bf109E art boxSo what we get when open the box- very large frets with great number of the parts this kit have in total 152 parts of those five are clear. In add to this plastic parts are two metal sheet with pre painted etched parts. Photo etched detail sets provide additional 50 parts which give in total 202 parts. First I have noted is that this set no matter of larger scale does not have more parts then regular 1/72 or 1/48 scale model. Reason lay in the size and in this scale almost everything can be made as full molded plastic part. Etched parts cover some very sophisticated areas and sections and as you guess there is parts for the pilot seat as well instrument panel.

Plastic parts are perfect molded in grey brown plastic and parts are separated on the six frets. As we can espect from that kit all control tabs are given as separate parts so this give very easy way in the arrange fo the final look of the assembled kit. Also engine cowling is given separated so it is easy way to make it open. Best at all is that the same engine is also provided to be build from the kit parts so you have all in one pack for the superdetailed kit. Detail which have to be noted is that engine exhaust are separately made. So if you insist on the features like this you definitely have it with his kit. I have took some measurements in regard to avilable data and find all data good and fit to authentic. Transparent parts are excellent made with correct size and shapeand they could be made in open as well closed position.

Assembly should go very smooth due to the very good made assembly booklet in full color. Every step of assembly is cover in deep detail and easy to follow. Last pages are as ussual left for the camouflage and markings of the kit and there is four machines presented. All of them featured early war campaign with early camouflage pattern based on the RLM 02, RLM 70 and RLM 71 greens with the side and bottom in RLM 65 blue. Very good thing is that decals are printed on two decal sheet, one contain full content of various stencils and labels, while the another have decals for the finishing of the camouflaged planes.

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Overal look and impression is that this is excellent kit with very good features and it will definitely have bright future.

Srecko Bradic

Sample kit is provided by Jan Zdiarski from Eduard.

References:

Official German manual Betriebs- und Rustanleitung Me 109 mit motor DB 601, Messerschmitt A. G.

Official Yugoslav manual TEHNICKI OPIS I UPUT ZA AVIONE MESERSMIT Me-109 sa motorom Dajmler Benc DB-601, Zemun 1940

Model Art Special No. 375 Messerschmitt Bf109B-E

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Eduard mask for ICM kit LAGG-3 1/48 scale

Darko — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:09:27 +0000

The Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-3 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a refinement of the earlier LaGG-1, and was one of the most modern aircraft available to the Soviet Air Force at the time of Germany’s invasion in 1941. Unfortunately LaGG-3 was underpowered and proved immensely unpopular with pilots so it was improved during production, resulting in 66 minor variants in the 6,258 that were built. Experiments with fitting a large radial engine to the LaGG-3 airframe finally solved the power problem, and led to the fantastic Lavochkin La-5.

LaGG-3 cockpit detail

A computer cut mask for accurate canopy frame and wheel hub’s painting is a great addition for building scale model’s. Leader in production of this masks is Eduard who released in October 2008 set EX 257 for ICM kit LAGG-3 in 1/48 scale. Inside small plastic bag you will find neatly die-cut computer cut mask sheet and instruction sheet. Instruction sheet is simple and clear and mask’s are top quality, highly resistant to all types of colors.

LaGG-3 captured and tested in Japan

Eduard set EX 257 contains mask’s for both canopy, landing light reflector and wheel hub. Only thing you should do is use the toothpick to peel off the mask in order to prevent possible color leak under the protective mask. For mask removing you can use wooden toothpick in order not to scratch the canopy, and you’ll get a great result. Landing light reflector has only one piece mask fits perfectly and fully protect it…
Wheel hub’s mask fits perfectly, and the result is outstanding, first step is to paint tires then to apply mask provided in Eduard set using the same method as masking the canopy and then to paint hub’s. Since this set doesn’t fully covers the wheel hub’s it is suggested by Eduard that a modeler use some kind of Mascol when painting the wheel hub.

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The die-cut mask for accurate canopy frame painting of the LAGG-3 in 1/48 scale set No EX 257 is simple to use and saves time and I can highly recommend this Eduard’s mask.
Masking the parts nowadays is easy thanks to Eduard …

Darko Mladenovic

Text and photos- Darko Mladenovic, Archive photo- Nico Braas, Digital art- Srecko Bradic

Sample provided by Jana Sulcova from Eduard

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Ryan Spirit of St. Louis 1:48 scale

Nico — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:13:53 +0000

The Ryan NYP ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ is the plane that gave Charles Lindbergh world-wide fame when he crossed the Atlantic ocean in a non-stop flight from New York to Paris on 20 May 1927. With this heroic flight he won the Orteg prize, established for the first man to make this non-stop flight!

Revell released a kit of this plane in 2006 and although it is not any more taken up in the current online catalogue it still must be available in specialized hobby-shops.

Ryan Spirit of St. Louis

This kit is at 1:48 scale size and as far as I know it is a new kit. Detailing is very good, as we can expect from Revell and the finished kit is an impressive model plane of some 30 cm wingspan. Also cockpit interior of this famous plane is painstakingly accurate. Even the turn-polished plating of the nose section is well presented as a set of decals!

In short, this nice kit will turn into a beautiful model if built, and building must be further very straightforward.

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I was so lucky to purchase this kit for only EURO 3 at a car-boot sale, but normal price in the shop will be some 15-20 EURO!

Nico Braas

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Airacobra P-400 1/48 scale Eduard kit 8471 weekend edition

Darko — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:59:08 +0000

The P-400, essentially the export version of the P-39D with a Hispano 20 mm cannon providing a higher rate of fire in the nose. In addition to the cannon, the P-400 featured 2 .50 cal mgs in the nose, and 4 .30 cal mgs in the wings. The British intended to order 475, and to take over the French order of 200 P-39s after France fell, but early 1941 combat missions over the continent combined with the short range of the Airacobra caused the British to reject the aircraft outright claiming it was useless against the Luftwaffe. The Russians, who did most of their fighting at low level, would prove every one’s wrong about the P-39. The US also had good success with the P-39 once its strengths were properly employed. Below 10,000 feet, the aircraft was more than a match for the early A6M Zero.

Nose detail of the finished kit

The newest addition to Eduard’s 1/48 scale P-39/P-400 family is kit 8471 weekend edition. Kit is presented in a beautiful box with simple but effective illustration of an Aircobra stationed on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal 1942. When you open the box you will find three trees molded in beautiful olive plastic and one tree with extra clear transparent parts. As other weekend edition kits Photo etched parts and masks are not present, but the part I missed the most was ballast to keep the kit sitting firmly on its nose gear that Eduard provides in its other P-39/400 kits. Decals provided in this kit are for one airplane belonging to 67th, 347th FG, 13th AF, Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, 1942 in its beautiful Dark Green/ Dark Earth /Sky camouflage. Unlikely to other weekend edition kits I’ve worked on so far Eduard provided all stencil’s necessary for building one beautiful P-400. Instruction sheet is simple, given on eight pages, but perfectly clear as we used to with Eduard. Surface detail is beautiful, with subtle panel line and rivet detail. Eduard’s moldings are outstanding quality and no sink marks or pin marks are visible.

Cockpit is well detailed; the level of detail is amazing and could be compared with some aftermarket resin accessories. Assembling and painting the cockpit takes time with this kit if you decide to leave the cockpit doors open, because all the details are clearly visible and the extra work pays-off. Area behind the pilot is full of details with beautifully detailed radio.

Nose bay is well detailed with propeller drive shaft passing through the top of nose bay. I added sheet of styrene on top of gear bay in order to hide my cca 20 gr fishing led installed in nose to prevent my kit of being the tail sitter. Main landing gear bays are also well detailed as well as landing gear, Eduard provided choice of round or pre-weighted wheels.

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Kit fits rather well and I only used a small amount of putty on wings-fuselage joint. Canopy is transparent and I must say the idea of molding the car doors in transparent plastic is great avoiding the unnecessary gluing the window to the door. The only tricky part building this kit is propeller assembly, you need to glue propeller blades at 30 degrees angle…

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Fokker Dr.I Eduard kit 1136

Srecko — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:31:58 +0000

Manfred von Richthofen was definitely one of the most prominent person in the WW1. He was top ace and his glory was that great that in his honor aviation unit have his name. So this is no wonder that in many cases first association with some airplane is related to this great pilot. For many famous WW1 fighter designed by Anthony Fokker, Fokker Dr.I is synonymous for the von Richthofen. Manfred was among the pilot who has flight test this airplane in prototype phase, win many bitter battles in the cockpit of the same type and finally find his death in the cockpit of the same.

Fokker Dr.I Eduard kit

In this light Eduard May 2008 release is more then interesting. After long waiting a thousand of aviation modelers is pleasured with their brand new kit of Fokker Dr.I in 1/48 scale. For a years it was normal that new kit coming on market as the sole item but Eduard team used different strategy and the brand new kit of Fokker Dr.I is released as dual set. This set is number 1136 and include Albatros D.V kit in 1/48 and one Fokker Dr.I kit. And all of this dedicated to the Manfred von Richthofen and his brother Lothar. This approach to the brand new item is very interesting and kit is packed with the full decals enough to finish kits in several variants but the specialty is the two resin figures in the 1/48 scale as well one small dog figure which present Manfred pet. Details are so deep that even the decoration was provided for the figures and they are etched metal. Just to note that except of this small features package also include one small copy of the “Pour le merite” decoration and it look nice on dress.

No matter that basic kit idea is the Richthofen brothers I will pay attention of this review to the very new item inside- great Fokker Dr.I. Kit is coming on the three plastic fret and there is also one sheet of the photo etched parts. They make most of the kit parts but also there is small transparent film with the small windscreen as well small sheet of the protective mask for the wheels. The same kit have all parts also in plastic so this mean that in the future release this kit will also appear as the well know and popular Weekend Edition.

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Precision of the molded parts is outstanding but most important feature at all is that selection of the parts assembly is best designed. To better explain this lets back to the origin and way how it was finished. Fokker Dr.I featured streaky camouflage pattern where the green color was brushed over the clear doped linen fabric. As well the parts are separately finished, result was that on the each wing, control surfaces and fuselage it have different direction and pattern. To make this on kit of classic build we should have to make mask over the each section and this make painting job much longer and more difficult. Eduard is for sure think on that and each part is made as sole part and it is possible to make every part complete painted and the at the final assembly join them together. So you could with easy finish whole fuselage and parallel could be finished all other parts with fabric and metal surfaces. Metal surfaces are in plain green color and as well they are also given as separated part they are easy to finalize. In the final appearance when the kit is assembled together this gives most accurate and sharp look. This method of part design is outstanding and Eduard deserves all respect for this great work!

Interior of the early airplanes was Spartan and the same is with the Fokker Dr.I. Most of the surfaces are fabric so major area have to be finished in the pale cream color. Just front part is covered with plywood and inside is visible wood grain and texture. All metal parts are in the grey green color which was basic meal protective color. So if we first day paint all of this parts in their basic color, next day we could fit them together and after that cement together fuselage half’s and in two days get main fuselage works over.

This kit could be build into the two versions. One is the standard Fokker Dr.I model and the other is the pre series model F.I. There are several differences between this two model and parts with the kit cover all of this difference. Starting from the front first to note is the cowling. On the F.I this is partially covered on the lower section. Solution for this is given as photo etched parts which is used as the surface area and for the F.I it is extended and perfectly match the early design of the lower engine cowling. Other difference is the lack of the lower wing tips skid on the F.I model but there are two small holes which have to be filled. Wings include different types of the controls and they are also included as separate parts. Maybe most noticeable is the horizontal tail which have slightly curved leading edge.

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Same build is very straightforward and without any difficulties. As I said if you in the first step paint all of the parts this will make assembly job easy and pleasure. One of the feature I really prefer on this kit is the separate part for the narrow seam which is placed at the central bottom of the fuselage. When cement fuselage parts you will have small gap on the bottom and this plastic seam part perfectly fit inside.

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