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Scratchbuilding a Fokker D.VI in 1/72


dad's lad

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If I wanted to build a Fokker D.VI using a Fokker DR.1 fuselage and Fokker D.VII wings in 1/72, how much would I need to reduce the wingspan by? Wikipedia only gives overall wingspan of 8.9m for the D.VII and 7.66m for the D.VI, but no respective widths for the lower wings so would they be reduced by the same amount?

 

Clive

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Data from Lamberton's Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War:

 

D.VI  : top wing span 25'2.5", chord 5'4.5"; bottom wing span 19'1", chord 4'0"; gap 4'9".

D.VII : top wing span 29'3.5", chord 5'3"; bottom wing span 23'0", chord 4'0"; gap 4'0".

Difference in 1/72: 17.3mm, 0.5mm, 16.6mm, none, 3.2mm.

 

According to Windsock's drawings, the top and bottom wing of the D.VI both had 2 ribs less on each side compared to the D.VII, ailerons of both are the same length.

Windsock gives a slightly shorter span, but they forgot to add the ailerons that stick out of the wings.

 

D.VI length: 20'4" (actually the prototype V.13/1, see below)

Dr.I  length: 19'0".

Difference in 1/72: 5.6mm

 

However, Lamberton lists the prototype's length. Windsock shows the difference between the D.VI and its prototype V.13/1 to be a longer fuselage aft of the cockpit: the service D.VI was shorter: 578cm, or 18'.115". That means it actually was shorter than the Dr.I, but in 1/72 only a negligible 0.15mm or so.

 

Other visible differences:

- the cockpit opening is a bit longer in the D.VI, towards the rear, compared to the Dr.I

- the D.VI rudder seems to be less rounded than the Dr.I's;

- the D.VI's wing and aileron tips are less rounded and the wing tip is a bit closer to the last rib than the D.VII.

 

So if you can live with the .5mm chord difference:

1- cut two ribs off each D.VII wing half where they meet/cross the fuselage.

2- make wing tips and aileron tips less round

3- add/make Dr.I rudder less round

4- enlarge Dr.I cockpit opening to its rear

5- scribe forward bottom fuselage to get the big rectangle with rounded corners

6- create fiddly struts to get the correct gap

 

Good luck!

Edited by 48-Alone-Is-Great
added differences D.VI and it prototype V.13/1
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I don't know what to think.
Roden claims that the length of the Dr.I was 5,77m and the D.VI was 5,78m

 

There are drawings on Wikipedia that say 5,77m for the Dr.I and 6,23m for the D.VI

 

I have an old booklet called Fokker fighters of world war 1 that say about the D.VI: "By welding an extra bay into the steel tube fuselage aft of the cockpit, yo lengthen it by some 40 cm. (1 ft 4 in.)"

 

A build of the Roden 1/32 D.VI on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WWIinPlastic/photos/?tab=album&album_id=970271626446170) say that it need to be lengthen in the front as the D.VI had two wing spars compared with the single spar on the Dr.1 but he gives different measurements: "We know the overall length of the Fok. Dr.I with the UR.II rotary was 5770mm. The Fokker D.VI length with the UR.II rotary is 5900mm. That is a difference of 130mm in full size."

 

https://www.militaer-wissen.de/fokker-d-vi/?lang=en give the length for the D.VI as 6,23 meters

So I guess that Roden took a shortcut with  their D.VI using the Dr.1 parts but where the extra length were placed is somewhat unclear.

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Roden is right, I now see I made a mistake! The D.VI wasn't longer than the Dr.I, it was the D.VIs prototype that was.

The service D.VI was actually half an inch shorter than the Dr.I, not noticeable in 1/72. The cockpit opening was a a bit longer, but to the rear, not front.

I've corrected the earlier post.

 

So it seems the only big job is to cut the wings shorter and fiddle about with struts.

Edited by 48-Alone-Is-Great
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I started a search in Google  for the length of the D.VI and almost all results said it to be around  6,23 m, then I found one that gave a different answer. The 9 cyl 120 hpOberusel II powered plane were 5,78 m long and the 11 cyl 145 hp Oberusel III were 6,23 m long. I found this strange so I had a closer look at the drawing on Wikipedia as it claims to be an original one.  When I enlarged it the fuzzy letters said:  "145 ps Le Rhône (Oberusel)" so this confirms what you said that the prototype was longer.

It is funny that so many sources say Oberusel II and 6,23 m long. It is a bit like the common knowledge that the red colour on Italian race cars comes from the winning Itala in the 1907 Peking-Paris race. They say that the Itala was red so Italy choose red for their national race colour to celebrate this. I nice story but the car was grey.

 

fokv8_4.JPG

Now that I don't need to add to the length of the fuselage I should have enough parts left from my Fokker V.8 build  to build a D.VI

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Bjorn,

 

I first saw a photograph of the Fokker V8 in RAF Flying Review in the early 1960s and have never forgotten it.  This is the first model that I've ever seen of it.  It's very striking indeed.  I'm particularly impressed with the grillles on the engine cowling.

 

Great stuff!

 

Best wishes,

 

Gordon McLaughlin

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9 hours ago, Orso said:

I started a search in Google  for the length of the D.VI and almost all results said it to be around  6,23 m, then I found one that gave a different answer. The 9 cyl 120 hpOberusel II powered plane were 5,78 m long and the 11 cyl 145 hp Oberusel III were 6,23 m long. I found this strange so I had a closer look at the drawing on Wikipedia as it claims to be an original one.  When I enlarged it the fuzzy letters said:  "145 ps Le Rhône (Oberusel)" so this confirms what you said that the prototype was longer.

It is funny that so many sources say Oberusel II and 6,23 m long. It is a bit like the common knowledge that the red colour on Italian race cars comes from the winning Itala in the 1907 Peking-Paris race. They say that the Itala was red so Italy choose red for their national race colour to celebrate this. I nice story but the car was grey.

 

fokv8_4.JPG

Now that I don't need to add to the length of the fuselage I should have enough parts left from my Fokker V.8 build  to build a D.VI

Well that looks like a landing accident!! Thanks everyone for your replies, I now have a choice of kitbashing or buying the more readily available Aeroclub model which I could detail with parts from a cheap(er) Revell Dr.1

 

Clive

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Clive, Re your last post -- you said Aeroclub -- did you mean Roden?

 

Ah-ha -- I see I do have a D VI by Aeroclub, as well.   But I figure it probably is a lot harder to find than the Roden?

Bob C

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14 hours ago, Bob C. said:

Clive, Re your last post -- you said Aeroclub -- did you mean Roden?

 

Ah-ha -- I see I do have a D VI by Aeroclub, as well.   But I figure it probably is a lot harder to find than the Roden?

Bob C

Actually Bob it's quite the reverse at the moment, I can get the Aeroclub one from Ebay, or King Kit. The Roden one I've only seen on King Kit and whilst I was waiting for my monthly "allowance" for kits, somebody nabbed it. Even Hannants doesn't have it listed to be able to backorder and I'm not aware that I can order directly from Roden.


Clive.

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