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Fokker D.VII OAW - 1:48 Eduard Weekend


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Fokker D.VII OAW

1:48 Eduard Weekend

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The Fokker D.VII first appeared over the western front in the late spring/early summer of 1918, as the Great War was entering its final phase leading up to the November Armistice. Much has been written about it, but it was an outstanding fighter often awarded the accolade of being the finest such machine produced by any side in the conflict. It is also well known that it was the only aircraft specifically named by the allies in the Armistice agreement; such was its fearsome reputation as a killer.

The Eduard Fokker D.VII has been around since 2005, and released in all major versions (Fokker, Albatros, and O.A.W). Much of the basic kits are the same but Eduard provides different fuselages on a separate sprue depending upon the version. In fact they supply two complete fuselage halves per kit. Although building the same aircraft, Fokker, Albatros, and O.A.W. each had their own variations, most notably in the front cowling panels and exhaust pipe location. And even within manufacturer, these features could vary, hence Eduard very welcome decision to provide two fuselage types per manufacturer. This is a much appreciated touch, as it makes building much simpler and easier. I find it sometimes irritating with other manufactures where you have to attach so many inserts and panel per version, that it is hard to get a neat airframe with everything flush, so full marks to Eduard here.

I built this one from the Royal class boxing a few years ago.

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This latest release is a ‘Weekend’ edition which gives you a basic kit without the etched brass fret or kabuki masks of the top of the range ‘Profipack’ or ‘Royal Class’ kits. The simplified box art shows Jasta 19’s Wilhelm Leusch’s well known ‘Dragon’ scheme, and a side profile of Franz Meyers attractive MFJ III scheme.

Lifting the box lid reveals the four familiar sprues, all of which are still as sharply moulded as ever and show no sign of flash or sink marks. The only change I noticed was that the usual olive coloured plastic has been replaced with a medium grey colour on three of the four sprues.

Sprues A and B hold the wings and tail surfaces, with nicely defined rib detail. Also present are some interior parts and the Mercedes DIIIa engine. A selection of 4 propellers are provided, covering Axial, Wolff, Heine, and Niendorf types.

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Sprue C holds all the delicate parts such as struts, seat mountings, control column, rudder pedals, compass etc. Also included is Eduard's clever 'stitching' insert that fits in a channel on the fuselage underside, to represent the stitched fabric seam found there. Plus it has the benefit of hiding the fuselage join.

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Sprue D offers the manufacturer specific fuselage halves, other boxings have the Fokker and Albatros versions, but here we have the O.A.W ones along with the appropriate radiator and exhaust pipe. The Meyer machine uses halves 1 and 2 (with the semi-circle cooling gills) while the Leusch version uses fuselages 3 and 4 (with the long cooling gills).

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Meyer fuselage;

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Leusch fuselage;

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All the fuselages beautifully represent the fabric covering over the steel tube skeleton. There are subtly defined 'facets' of each section down the sides, which really need to be seen close up to fully appreciate.

Decals.
Most previous ‘Weekend’ kits I have seen offer only one decal option, but unusually we have two here.

A. Wilhem Leusch, Jasta 19, October 1918.

B. Franz Meyer, MFJ III, 1918.

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The welcome surprise is that a full set of upper and lower lozenge decals are supplied, along with a full set of rib tapes to go over them, in both salmon pink and blue.

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Having built many of these kits in the last 10 years or so, I can offer a few pointers to ensure a happy build;

  • It is important to line up all the internal bulkheads to fit in their recesses in the opposing fuselage half, as the engineering is to very fine tolerances. Common sense really, but double check before committing to glue.
  • Prime and paint the wings in a base colour such as pale blue underneath, and medium green on top. The lozenge decals need a painted surface to ‘bite’ onto and adhere properly. Putting them on to bare plastic won’t work.
  • Glue all four undercarriage struts into the axle wing, and let it set before attaching to the fuselage. You can check right after gluing that the top of each strut finds its mounting hole on the fuselage, then put it aside.
  • Depending upon final colour scheme, if possible attach the forward strut assemblies to the assembled, but bare plastic fuselage. This will ensure a strong join, and if like the two schemes here, won’t interfere with painting the final colours.
  • Lozenge fabric colours are a minefield to wander in to, it seems everybody has a different opinion. I have a preference for toning my models down, just lightly. To this end I usually give lozenged surfaces a very light coat of thinned Tamiya ‘Smoke’, in one or two passes from my airbrush. I like the harmonised and blended look it gives, reducing the harshness of what can otherwise appear as a stark finish. It is however a matter of personal taste, and I offer it here as an opinion rather than a criticism.

Conclusion.
Eduards Fokker D.VII is one of the best 1/48 Great War aircraft kits ever produced. It assembles accurately and easily, and perfectly captures the look of the original machine. There is hardly any rigging (a cross brace in the undercarriage, and a few simple control cables), which further adds to its appeal for those who are put off by it. Stretched sprue will easily deal with this, and even a total absence is not very noticeable.

It is in fact one of my all time favourite kits and subjects, and over the years I have purchased at least one of every release of it, from single kits, through Dual Combos, up to the beautiful ‘Royal Class’ edition.
There are so many attractive colour schemes for the D.VII, many of them offered in the Eduard kits and even more can be found on aftermarket sheets.

Very highly recommended.


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Review sample courtesy of

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Also available is a Wheel mask set

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I don't often reply to my own reviews, but here is a selection of a few of the Eduard D.VII's I have built. All but 'Mimmi' and the 'Swan' are with kit decals.

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I do really like this kit!

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I don't often reply to my own reviews, but here is a selection of a few of the Eduard D.VII's I have built. All but 'Mimmi' and the 'Swan' are with kit decals.

You should have introduced this gallery as "Meet the Fokkers"

Great review John.

Chris

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  • 1 year later...

Great Review with some good hints that will be followed.

Great Collection as well, guess you will never run out of interesting marking schemes for aircrafts like this.

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  • 1 year later...

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