EDUARD BIG3882 Big Ed set for the Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII.

[Viking]

BIG3882 Big Ed set for the Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII.

Eduard 1:32

 

 

Newly released from Eduard is this 'Big Ed'package containing three of their previous sets for the Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII.
They will be applicable to all four of the D.VII releases from Wingnut Wing (32607 Fokker D.VII early, 32011 Fokker D.VII, 32027 Albatros D.VII, and 32030 OAW D.VII).
The individual sets are as follows.

 

32914 Fokker D.VII 1:32

Presented on an 8 x 7 cm brass sheet there are 42 distinctly numbered. Many of them occur multiple times, such as 17 part 7's (hinge details), 15 part 11's (turnbuckles) and others only once but using multiple parts, such as the throttle unit. There is no colouring or pre-painting as all the items (save the bezels) will be fitted before the model is primed.

A number of bezels for to place over the instruments once the decals have been applied. (The best way to attach these is with Johnsons Kleer or clear varnish).

There is a very finely etched throttle quadrant consisting of five parts. This should build up into a very nice little unit that will be better than its injection molded counterpart in the kit.

The engine gets wiring from the magnetos to the distribution tube, and leads from the tube to each individual spark plug. The magnetos also get a surrounding strap. There is some detailing for the carburetor unit, a circular plate around the crankshaft, and a pair of 3D etched data plates that go on the crankcase. These should look really good with kit decals applied on top.

The fuselage gets some small fittings for the control cable exit points, and some brackets where the lower wing mounts. These details are already molded on the kit fuselage halves, so will need scraping off. The idea is that the etched replacements have much sharper detail.

 

Similarly there are inspection covers and scuff plates for the wings, and again the moulded kit items will require scraping off before the etched items are attached.
There are also some extremely fine hinge details to fit on aileron and elevator hinge points. I'd suggest that Johnsons Kleer or white glue will be the best medium for attaching these. They are so small that cyano may well grip and lock them in place before you have had a chance to move them properly into position.

 

There is very little rigging on the Fokker D.VII, but what there is gets some extremely fine little turnbuckles. These are for the fixed wires on the tailplane & undercarriage, and the control wires to the ailerons and elevator. Fortunately there are a few spares provided.

The propeller boss gets new plates, front and back. Again, these will require that the existing kit detail is scraped off.
The wheels are given new valve covers, in real life a small canvas flap that could be untied to give access to the tyre valve. Fokker, Albatros, and OAW all built the D.VII and each one had a different style of valve cover. These look like the Fokker version, so before you scrape off the valve covers, check that you have the same shape one as the etched part.

 

Finally, the two LMG 08/15 Spandau machine guns get cocking levers, sights, a couple of brackets and etched jackets and front plates. These last two items are already supplied in etched brass in Wingnut Wings own kits. But they are not wasted,I recently trashed one of mine when rolling it to shape (I forgot to anneal it, and it split), so these make very useful spares. The Wingnuts MG's can be a little fiddly to assemble, but these ones look like they could be easier to do. You cut the muzzle from the barrel (kit part D13), assemble the etched jacket (part 1) & front plate (part 13), and then re-attach the muzzle to the front plate.

 

33176 Fokker D.VII seatbelts 1:32

 

All the Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII kits come with a set of etched brass seatbelts, but they are unpainted, plain brass. It is up to the modeller to prime and paint them. I don't have a problem doing this, but given the choice, I would go for a set of pre-painted belts as I simply cannot hand paint them to anything like the same standard.

 

 

Eduards set provides the standard four point harness in a buff colour, with stitching detail and metal parts picked out in black. Simple, and perfectly done.Very often German Aircraft of this period were photographed with the two shoulder straps hanging outside the cockpit, ready for the pilot to climb in and strap up for a quick getaway. If you want to depict your model like this, then these will be far better than anything you can hand paint. I notice that the lap belts are different to those in the kit, in that they are anchored between the cushion and the side of the seat itself. This arrangement is actually photographed in the WNW instructions showing the Memorial Flight Associations D.VII, which is a very high standard replica. The kit has them anchored to the seat support frames, so both methods are likely correct.

JX205 Fokker D.VII Masks 1:32.

A simple little set of pre cut masks on kabuki tape. The outer 'hubs' of the Wingnut Wings kit come a separate parts, so that you get a nice easy demarcation when you paint the tyre and hubs separately. The inner faces though, are molded with the tyre and it takes a steady hand to get a neat paint demarcation. These masks will make that job so much easier.

Likewise, the small windshield (masks are provided for both types) has a frame around it and requires a very steady hand, and any paint straying onto the glazed are will be very noticeable. This neat little set takes care of both those problems.

 

Conclusion.
Purchasing these very useful sets in one package makes sense from a cost and convenience point of view, and it provides pretty much everything you could want to enhance your D.VII. Given that the Fokker D.VII's seem to have been one of Wingnut Wings bestsellers, this package is bound to be popular and find it's way onto the many of the kits being built out there.

 

Recommended.

Review samples courtesy of