Pitfalls of the Roden Fokker Dr.1 anyone know how to do the internal framing correctly?

[Beardie]

Hi all,

 

Well I started out building this as Encores' version, the F.1 of Werner Voss but I ran into problems with fitting the internal framing and, as I wanted to make sure I did Voss's machine correctly and had a Dr.1 kit in the stash I decided that this would become the Dr.1 of Josef Jakobs and swapped it out with the plastic of the Encore kit. I hadn't used any of the resin yet and the eduard PE is a pretty good swap for the PE in the encore kit.

 

The problem I had was that the internal framing of the cockpit seemed to take up too much space meaning I had to trim the cross pieces to fit and also cut the corners of the rear bulkhead in order to get it to fit behind the tubular framing also the ammunition bins and fuel tank were a little 'uncertain' as to exactly how they should be located. Is it between the top frame tubes or butted up below the top tubes?

I build reviews I have noticed that some of the reviewers removed the projecting part which butts up agains the area of the fuselage with houses the spar of the bottom wing which would bring the whole cockpit assembly a couple of millimeters forrard. Is this correct or is the positioning dictated by the intact frames correct?

 

I addition I also found that the bulkhead behind the engine sits to high unless I trimmed off the parts that butted up against the bottom of the fuselage. After that was done the bulkhead fitted into place very well.

 

[FZ6]

I can't comment on this kit as I haven't started mine yet but I have built Roden kits before and trimming to get things to fit is par for the course really. My experience is that Roden kits take a bit more effort but good results can be achieved.

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[Beardie]

It kind of looks as if the internal frames were designed without checking the internal dimensions of the fuselage halves. Perhaps they had originally planned to have the framing molded on (There is a 'woodlike' framing molded into the fuselage halves in the empennage which peters out just where it is indicated that the seat bulkhead should go and there is also a 'lip inside the top of the fuselage forard of the cockpit which pushes the upper part of the internal frames inward and I am guessing this is what meant I needed to trim the crosspieces of the frame. I am guessing that, if I trim these inner edges on the fuselage halves of my other kit the frames will fit nice and squarely.

[Killingholme]

could you massively thin the fuselage sides for a more scale thickness?

[Beardie]

I think that I can, at least, remove enough of the lip at the top of the fuselage halves that everything will true up. Sadly it is too late for the one I am working on as the frames are firmly glued in place with CA and I have now buttoned it up so none of the problems I encountered are visible any more but, on my next one - Werner Voss' F.1 I will be taking the neccessary steps to make it right. I am guessing as well that, as the Fokker D.VI from Roden is, I believe, made pretty much from the same molds, I may well have to do the same for it although it might not be a problem as the fuselage halves should be slightly different.