Fokker T-2 Coast-to-coast Flight, 1/72 V.L.E Models vac/multimedia

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Another build of a vac from 10 years ago:

 

Fokker is a well-known name even for people not familiar with the field of aviation.

Some of his designs (many not actually his, by the way, but mostly Reinhold Platz’s) are easily recognized (like the proverbial triplane); while some others are not. The prolific family of civil transports that were created by the Fokker industries (like the trimotors) somehow shadowed other unique creations, like the machine presented in this article. It was one more step upward and forward in a long line of designs that made a positive imprint in the aviation collective.

Of the type introduced here only two machines were made commissioned by the United States, the design somehow failed to attract other buyers, unusual for a Fokker. Of the two machines bought by the US, one  was used for the coast-to-coast flight (oval windows) and another was used as an ambulance after participating in a race with the number 43 (square windows). The Fokker designation F.IV was changed to T-2 and A-2 respectively for these planes.

Their story, especially the coast-to-coast flight, is very interesting indeed, but too extensive to approach here. Give it a Google or, better yet, go to

https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/18671/SAoF-0001.1-Lo_res.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

a whole Smithsonian publication on the subject with ALL you need.

 

About vacuformed models in general:

Vacs are a different media, and as such have to be treated. Think about the construction techniques for wood-and-canvas, metal, and composite planes. Each requires its own approach, tools and procedures. Build them with joy, accepting the bit of challenge, and don’t be afraid. It’s worth it.

A few words based on my own experience: some vacuformed parts can be sometimes a bit flimsy and they don’t match as “perfectly” as the injected ones. That’s the nature of the beast. For some brands the surfaces may not be immaculate, and may present little pips and tiny depressions that are the marks of the molding process. You will have to fill there and sand here, yes.

Just know it: it is going to be different. Not better, not worse, just different.

Mark the lines surrounding the parts on the backing sheet with a permanent marker –I use an extrafine Sharpie- it will be a very important reference when cutting, and, most of all, when sanding: it will tell you where to stop! Do not use a pencil, the line will fade and become invisible. Later filling, sanding, priming and painting will make the line disappear.

Vacs demand attention and patience –by the way, any kind of kit does-, but not supernatural powers. They require some planning and pondering, some improvisation too and are excellent trainers for scratch building. They make you learn and advance. Don’t worry, you may –and probably will (I do)- make a few mistakes: glue-etched fingerprints, a furrow or two as the cutter decides to go somewhere else, some bumps and some voids. Nothing to worry about, all can be corrected –I do it all the time!-.

Learn from what it is available to you regarding vacs and then adjust and adapt to your own preferences. Replace things when necessary, be creative!

 

Now, for the real tamale, the model:

You get the vac parts, resin parts, metal parts, decals, clear plastic, and a brief instruction sheet.

Although with blemishes here and there, the overall quality is fair. The thickness of the styrene is good; the molds are not perfect but good enough to work with, some experience is needed to build a good model. You don’t have to be a master modeler, just have some building experience.

At almost 25 meters of original span the 1/72 replica is not a small model, probably not the very first vac you would like to try. The photo sequence will illustrate the steps I took in building the Fokker. The manufacturer approached the wing inventively as two upper and lower halves, a spar (the instructions wisely advise to double it with scrap material) and a wrap-around leading edge. Two images illustrate this. I laid down the spar on the lower half, and carefully dry fitted the upper half a number of times sanding the upper part of the spar until a good fit was achieved. I diverted from the instructions and joined the halves at the “truncated” lipped leading edge which has a step for the “real” leading edge to lock on. Don’t worry, look at the images. Once this was set, I glued the trailing edge which revealed a slight difference in length that was filled with putty. The wing tips required some putty too. I would recommend give the upper wing surface more curvature (just pressing with your fingers) to improve a its appearance. Beware that the upper wing has the fuel caps molded in. Don’t sand them away –or if you do, add them later as small circles.

The fuselage side windows were cut out and a few blemishes dealt with. I had to supplement the area that would be in contact with the wing –see image-, since it is a wee-bit curved in the kit, while the original airfoil bottom was flat (from roughly ahead of the main spar backwards).

I opened a few vents and cut out the top of the fuselage were the wing sits in order to have comfortable access to the interior later. The front pilot area was hollowed next. All this without joining the fuselage halves yet.

Since the T-2 was a distance-duration record plane, it had two interchangeable pilot positions, one outside in the left fuselage front –the engine was aside on the right- and one inside in the left cabin, behind a huge extra fuel tank, so you have too areas that need detail attention. The resin and metal parts cover these two areas to a good degree. You get, among other parts, an instrument panel for the cabin position, but you could scratch the one for the cockpit, although it is located so far at the front and under the cowl that is probably not going to be visible. The reason of such advanced position is to clear the movement of the big control wheel. You may like to add one or two bulkheads to the aft fuselage, which will improve its rigidity when closed, and help with sanding of the seams. The front upper part of the cowling had in the real plane a panel join at the middle, so you don’t have to putty that one, sanding will suffice. Beware that there is also a laced seam at the fuselage bottom, from the cabin end to the tail skid, so don’t putty that area either. I used to replicate that lace a photoetched part.

I opted not to use the resin part provided for the radiator because it was not good, but instead sanded the fuselage front flat and added a scratchbuilt part. Some other left-over photoetched parts were used here and there to enhance the detail overall. As with any other model you can go bananas or make it simple, it is all up to you. Do what makes you happy. The landing gear was glued –it is provided as a metal casting with even three tiny metal rods to detail it-

Once the model was primed I added a few more photoetched parts, handles and fittings, and the cables and levers system underneath the fuselage, control horns. Now painting was approaching. Beware that the wing was ply-covered, light in color, clear varnished and with the grain running chordwise –that is for you fledglings in the direction the planes advances-. I couldn’t get a satin or gloss olive drab for the rest of the plane, so I went with a Tamiya flat one that later was Future-enhanced in order to restore some shine. I never seem to come to terms with Tamiya paints, which gave a lot of trouble in many ways, while the Model Master acrylics behaved properly. Then the controls were rigged and decals applied. Wrong, since the cables on the aft fuselage side have to go through the decals. So you know, first decals and then rigging. While we are on the decal subject I have to say they are superb, but you have to be careful and especially cautious about the golden rims that surround the windows, since if you are too enthusiastic cutting or sanding the windows out, then the rims will be too small to reach the borders. Although they have a good register as a whole, I cut all panels separate. The wing round insignias are of slightly less quality. Clear plastic windows were inserted from inside (remember I cut open the roof of the cabin?) and some structure was added that is visible from outside, as well as the instrument panel corresponding to that section. Although the provided resin exhausts were sort of ok, I made my own ones since it was an easy task (some fine metal filament wrapped around aluminum tube). The long boom for the Pitot tube was made of wood as the original, a photoetched scrap added. It is rigged to the wing by four stays. Little thingies here and there like the two Venturis on the side of the cabin, wing tie-downs on the wing tips, etc. and presto!

 

Three other liveries can be made if you modify the kit: the A-2 ambulance –red crosses on white circles-, the racer –different A.S. number and “43” at least on the fuselage sides- and the same plane which two photos show in plain finish (most likely clear-varnished light-colored wood for the wing and doped fabric for everything else but the fuselage front. Bear in mind that the ailerons were fabric covered, so they should be painted of whatever color you are using for the fuselage.

The main difference is that these versions had square windows in a different arrangement. Other details: the exhaust pipes run up vertically. They had sometimes two wheels on each side of the axle. There are also a few minor details like the stirrups and changes in the cowl vents and bumps.

On a research note page three in the above-mentioned Smithsonian paper seems to erroneously describe the plane in the photo on page 3 as the T-2 used in the non-stop flight, but, given its squared windows, cowl details and vertical exhaust it is probably A.S. 64234, the A-2 painted with #43 for the 1923 St. Louis Air Meet.

Oh man, this one was fun.

That’s all, folks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New replacement exhaust pipes are fashioned:

 

You need to eat your spinach to be strong like Popeye, if you want to build your vacs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pheonix]

The sign of a good worker or artist is that they make what they do well look easy. You do so every time Moa - and this is no exception. What you write about vacuforms is good sensible stuff - and the kits do offer a range of subjects which wouold not be offered by larger manufacturers. I completely agree that they are a step towards scratch building (albeit one which I did not take), but any modeller who adds extra details is already on that road. Aother of you lovely models.

 

P

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

7 minutes ago, pheonix said:

but any modeller who adds extra details is already on that road

Agreed!

[Roger Holden]

I must have an earlier (?) version of this kit as mine has none of the white metal or resin parts. Or the national insignia decals.

[JWM]

All very good but timber on wings is the best!

J-W

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

32 minutes ago, Roger Holden said:

I must have an earlier (?) version of this kit as mine has none of the white metal or resin parts. Or the national insignia decals.

Hi Roger

Earlier or perhaps later, when the inclusion of accessories became more difficult/expensive, as in the case with Execuform, that started to provide just the basic molded sheet.

The resin parts are not great, and with your skills you can do it easily. The fuselage sides decal sheet was superb, while the cockades were very so-so, and those side decorations will be the most sorely missed, unless you commission them.

A good scan from someone that still has that decal sheet would be great. Not sure if VLE is still active to write to them and ask for one.

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Moa

[Roger Holden]

1 minute ago, Moa said:

A good scan from someone that still has that decal sheet would be great. Not sure if VLE is still active to write to them and ask for one.

 

Mine does have the gold decals (just not the star national insignia....not exactly difficult to source)  and they are indeed the best part of the kit. I believe VLE are long gone, since the proprietor's passing.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

3 minutes ago, Roger Holden said:

Mine does have the gold decals (just not the star national insignia....not exactly difficult to source)  and they are indeed the best part of the kit. I believe VLE are long gone, since the proprietor's passing.

Then you are set, because those insignias were not good at all.