Eduard Fokker D.VIII - Profipack Edition

[Viking]

Fokker D.VIII - Profipack Edition (8085)

 

Eduard 1:48

 

 

The parasol winged Fokker D.VIII was the last of this companies aircraft to enter service before the end of the Great War. Originally designated the Fokker E.V. it was an agile little machine with a parasol wing and rotary engine, much like some of the early machines from the start of the Great War. It might have had greater success, had it not suffered from poor manufacturing standards. After barely two weeks service in August 1918, The E.V. had to be withdrawn due to failures causing the wing to disintegrate in flight.

Badly made wings and poor materials were found to be the main cause. Examination of several sets revealed such things as incorrect wing spars, and nails that secured the plywood skinning completely missing the ribs it was supposed to attach to. Redesigned wings were manufactured under more stringent quality control, and the aircraft resumed production with the new designation of Fokker D.VIII.  Surviving E.V.s were retro fitted with the new wing, and it seems were also then referred to as D.VIII's. Re-entering service in October, it did not much have much time to prove itself before the 11th November armistice brought the conflict to a halt.  

 

The kit.
Not a new kit, as It has been issued before, but it is making a welcome return. Inside the box are three plasic sprues, one etched fret of details, a sheet of pre-cut masks, two decal sheets, and a full colour instruction booklet.

The cockpit is well detailed, with the typical Fokker steel tubework well represented by finely moulded frames. Smaller details such as throttle and compass are provided, with the option of using alternatives from the pre printed etched fret. The seatbelts also come from this fret, and interior lozenge is provided on the decal sheet.

 

The fuselage halves are closed around the completed cockpit unit, and the forward coaming attached to form the basic fuselage. The Etched sheet contains the forward underside panel, which helps to enhance the look of this area. The instructions show it being fitted after the wing is on, but personally I would fit it before.

The little Oberursal engine also gets enhanced with an easy to fit 'spider' of push rods, to add to the finely moulded crankcase/cylinder unit.  For most finishing options it will probably be best to leave the engine & cowling off until final painting and decalling is done.
Various little etched footsteps, rings, filler caps etc are offered, all of which go to enhance the final look of the model. The Spandau machine guns can be fitted as solid plastic items, or you can remove the cooling jackets and replace them with finely etched alternatives. This is always worth doing as the slotted etched versions are far superior.

 

Two wings are provided, which at first look may seem odd. The reason is that one is provided with a perfectly smooth finish, whilst the other has a lightly 'rippled' look that D.VIII's sometimes showed. The choice of which to use is up to you.

 

Fitting the wing requires care, but is not as difficult as it may look at first glance. After painting or decalling the fuselage, clean out the locating points for struts C2, C6, C7, C10 & the pair of C31's on both the fuselage and wings. A fine drill is best for this. Glue the forward pairs of C2+C10 and C6+C7 first, and check that they dry fit and locate correctly into the upturned wing. Let it dry overnight, and then attach the wing to the strut ends. Add the C31's at this point and leave it all to set. This whole task is easier to do with the wing and fuselage upside down.

Finishing off sees the undercarriage attached, along with control horns (etched or plastic), cable exits (etched only) and struts for the tail group.

 

Decals
Five options are provided. Four of them are D.VIII.s, but I assume that the Jasta 6 example dated August 1918 is an E.V.

Two decal shhets are provided, the larger of them holds all the individual aircraft markings and is sharply printed with good colours and minimal carrier film.

 

 

The second sheet contains a full set of upper and lower four colour lozenge fabric, applicable to four of the five options. Lozenge colours are always controversial, and personally I think these are on the bright side.

 

I would tone them down after application with a brown 'glaze' as was often done in real life. Tamiya X-19 'Smoke' lightly airbrushed is ideal for this. Others may prefer to replace them with their favoured aftermarket brand. The instuctions show the wings being painted in Fokker 'streaky olive drab', which may well be the case. However it is now thought likely that they were painted in brown & green on top, with blue & violet undersides.

 

Conclusion.
This is a lovely little kit, I have already built two of them from previous releases. The moulding is very fine and free of flash, and all parts fit together with precision.
There are no problems with its construction, the wing strutting is actually easier to do than most biplanes and there is virtually no rigging. Eduards 1:48 First World War
aircraft are the best you can get in this scale, and this one deserves a place in any collection.

 

Recommended.

 

Review samples courtesy of

 

 

 

 

One I completed a couple of years ago from a previous release of this kit;