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Fokker D.VII - random choice Revell


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Our local model club has what they call a Krap Kit Kris Kringle each year. In less polite company I have seen them referred to as Build-a-Bitch comps. I am sure most modellers are familiar with them. You select and wrap up a poor, difficult or otherwise awful kit and each member blindly selects one - not their own. You then have a set time to build it - hopefully to as presentable a standard as you feel inclined to.

I chose the smallest one I that was left for my turn on the grounds that less is more - less plastic is more time saved.

My choice turned out to be a Revell Fokker D.VII. I wasn't too disheartened - some of the other picks looked far worse. In fact this isn't too bad a kit at all. I suspect it's more unwanted than poor - somebody has picked up a Roden or Eduard one and dumped this one.

To make life easier I'm going for an out-of-the-box build and colour scheme and let's hope that I can resist mission creep. The boxtop is Berthold's very colourful one - that will do.

39183299881_3871eabde6_b.jpg

 

 

This brings up the first problem...... Berthold's D.VII was a very early one - no cowl louvres and a different exhaust system. The first is easily fixed with some sanding and the exhaust doesn't look too difficult.

 

Another small problem is the colour scheme. Mostly easy enough but I think Mr Revell is having a lend of the modeller with the paint-by-numbers lozenge camouflage.

39156252542_36af76534c_b.jpg

 

I want to do this in less than the allotted month or so but that's a month's work. However another easy fix - I discovered lozenge decals!

 

 

Okay, here's where we are at the moment

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Internal painting, an engine cobbled up from what Revell give you and some scrap plastic, the Revell exhausts removed and new ones begun from very fine solder.

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That looks great!  Like you, I found that the Revell kit yearns for scratch improvements.  I replaced all the struts (all of them, including the landing gear) with thinner, more properly scaled Evergreen strips.  That made a big difference since the supplied plastic is quite chunky.  For this, I made the outer struts first, attached them and the top wing (when appropriate) and then measured and cut each of the 6 pieces for the cabane struts.   You might decide some sanding on the wing surfaces might in order as well.

 

I am looking forward to this!

 

-John

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Now we can join the fuselage halves - I should have taken an earlier picture but the seat, stick, rudder bar and instrument panel are all there. I'll fish out an endoscope and take a later picture!

 

[27602095929_31f5d9844c_h.jpg

 

Add the wings and spray some Model master white primer.

38670868924_0eda24b3c4_b.jpg

 

Mask off the bits to not be blue and find some appropriately blue paint.

38501452125_ea12296eea_b.jpg

 

That's a problem. it's generally supposed that it's the same blue and red as the cavalry regiment from whence came Berthold but I'm thinking any mid-blue will suffice. i don't really want to mix up a colour. The excellent notes on the WW instructions, which are my guide for this build, suggest Hu25 which I don't have. I do have a close match but it's acrylic. I have proved my inability to spray acrylic paint but I guess I'll give it another go.

 

 

 

 

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It looks okay from a distance but will need some tidying up. It seems to brush okay so tidying up may be easier than I thought.

 

24528649197_d20efea962_b.jpg

 

It was only after removing the masking that I see I have done it unequally on the upper wing. The crosses are visible below the paint so I just lightly oversprayed the ones from the alternative kit scheme.

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I built one of these earlier ths year and it turned out a nice little model. It shows its age a bit, but even out of the box, is quite presentable. I didn't need to worry about the lozenge pattern on mine as it was mounted in a picture frame in plane view, so the underside wasn't seen.

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On 12/28/2017 at 12:25 AM, Ed Russell said:

My choice turned out to be a Revell Fokker D.VII. I wasn't too disheartened - some of the other picks looked far worse. In fact this isn't too bad a kit at all. I suspect it's more unwanted than poor - somebody has picked up a Roden or Eduard one and dumped this one.

More fool them, as the Roden one is a truly dreadful experience to build. 

 

I just built one of these myself, more or less, for my two-year-old son, who wanted a biplane. It lasted approximately ten minutes before becoming a monoplane.

 

EDIT: Also, Crocodile Dundee sighting! Now I know this is being built in Australia.

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2 hours ago, Procopius said:

the Roden one is a truly dreadful experience

EDIT: Also, Crocodile Dundee sighting! Now I know this is being built in Australia.

 

Interesting......... I just got an email from a friend offering me some Roden ones cheap!

 

Well spotted - there are often interesting things in the background of WIPs.

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21 minutes ago, Ed Russell said:

 

Interesting......... I just got an email from a friend offering me some Roden ones cheap!

Free is a good price to take them at. It's been a while since I built one, but the main issues are that the engine and cockpit interior don't fit in the fuselage without much coaxing, and that the aperture in the lower wing that's supposed to mate with the fuselage is simply far too narrow to accept it without an immense amount of sanding down. I also recall the struts being unpleasant. However, if you enjoy a challenge, they do (eventually) build up well.

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Some red paint has been applied and the masking removed.

 

39421558831_ed0bf921b8_b.jpg

 

There is a fair bit of bleed but that can be fixed.

The bit of photo-etch and Mustang louvres are just bench untidiness and nothing to do with the build. The grey fuel pump may feature?

 

At the same time the struts, wheel discs etc were painted red, following the WNW instructions.

 

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Don't look at anything that's not red! A piece of strut material has been painted up just in case the Revell struts are recalcitrant but the aim is to make it as OOB as possible.

 

The only picture of Berthold's Fokker does not show all of the plane. However it seems that below the cockpit is not red as Revell have shown it but actually the the Fokker green streaked camouflage pattern. My friend Juanita Franzi sent me a piece of the Aviattic green streak transfer with an admonitin to cut it before application, not after! It looks pretty nice.

 

38713881024_513e12e56f_b.jpg

 

I'll have to have a think about how to cut it exactly.

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How to cut it out.........

1. Use one of those curve replicating template things to get the upper wing curve.

39391703342_505eb78575_b.jpg

 

2. Pencil the curve on the back of an envelope (that's important) and approximate the other dimensions with a micrometer (or by eye)

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Then use trial and error to get it to fit exactly.

 

3. Because you used an envelope you will have two identical templates, one for each side. these can be glued with a glue-stick to the section of decal and cut out.

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You now have a decal for each side. Repeat process for the upper decking.

 

I need to clean or repaint the primer white where it has bled red. Then I need to apply them. Then I need to wait for my lozenge decals.

 

I also need to touch up the blue (nasty acrylic paint) and get rid of that #$%@& mould punch mark which I hadn't noticed before - ahhh cruel pictures!

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

It worked fine - once I figured out the decals had a clear background.

 

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They look very nice - I could be tempted into something that was streaky all over. I wonder if any Triplanes were like that?

 

The underside decals arrived. They look good too - they wrinkle up with decal setting solvent then straighten out nicely.

 

27877581849_295ea9431f_h.jpg

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Coming along nicely! I wasn't aware of the streaked part on the fuselage, I thought all the squadron aircraft were blue/red. Learn something new every day.

 

The tripes were streaked all over, but a lot got repainted! Plenty of options for streaked triplane though.

 

Ian

Edited by limeypilot
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On 12/28/2017 at 6:39 PM, John D.C. Masters said:

It's like the legend a few years back about

the Italieri Caproni Ca.3 in 1/72nd scale...boohoohooo...:fraidnot:

I have the Meikraft one and it WILL be built.....A lovely looking kit, but I haven't checked how accurate it is yet.

 

Ian

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Only just found this - have been occupied elsewhere until recently. Mind if I join at the back where nobody will notice that I am late.

 

Good to see one of these golden oldies being built - I would not call this a beast of a kit as it still assembles well and can be updated to suit any modeller's need. You are certainly making it look as good as any modern offering. The colour scheme and streak transfers are certianly very good.

 

P

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That is a fair comment. The only picture isn't very good and doesn't show the underside. Whether it's right or not, it's the 'accepted wisdom' now. Having ordered the lozenge I was keen to use it so went with the crowd. Picture in this thread too. Looks like he gave up in 2014!

http://modellboard.net/index.php?topic=50001.0

Here's one flying!

I note the WNW research has gone for a streaked blue undersurface. Most builds show it as I have it but if I was doing a 'definitive' one I'd probably follow the WNW example.

Berthold being an ace and the squadron commander could presumably specify however he wanted it.

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9 hours ago, Killingholme said:

did Fokkers really have both the 'streak' AND lozenge coverings on the same airframe?

Yes...it depended on which factory made them, when they were produced and what version of the DVII it happened to be.  From what I have read in the Datafile Fokker Anthology 1-3, the earlier the airframe, the more likely it had factory streak on the fuselage and lozenge on the wings.  It seems like the lozenge eventually won over for the complete covering as the years progressed.  

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