Fokker Dr.I by popeye the sailor - FINISHED - Revell - 1:28 scale - PLASTIC

[popeye the sailor]

it finally came in..........mailed on the 24th of June,  this has been the longest delivery time I've ever had with oldmodels.com    I was going to ask for the tracking number and try tracing it.......I do wonder why they didn't include it in their e-mail,  that they were shipping it.

the box has a few creases........tells me it has been shuffled around a bit.   the truth to that statement became even clearer,  when I pulled out the parts bag.   quite a few of the parts were off the sprues!

the instructions are nice........has a real good illustration of the rigging process.  I do see one area that can be done a bit differently........but I'll get into that later.   I'm not keen on it being molded in red,  but it should paint over alright.  if not,  I can prime it first      I will never get use to scale either..........the Fokker D VII I built has a wingspan of 12 inches.  this being a 1:28 scale kit,  I was surprised that the wingspan is only 10 inches.  coupled with the other dimensions,  there is a big contrast between the two.   the next reality check came with the decal sheet.    the model is focused on Manfred Von Richthofen's  Dr 1........the box art depicts the correct plane number.

but the decal sheet is for an F1........102/17 is Oberleutnant Kurt Wolff's plane.

 

the aileron separation for the top wing decals is nice........I should have thought of that when I put on Kempf's wing decals.  they are also printed as a flat,  with no sheen.  I will have to look around for an alternate set,  since it would be hard to imitate the unusual font.   the 'Red Baron' plane is a nice subject,  but having built a few already,  I don't feel like building another one anyway.  I have a thought of acquiring decals for Jasta 18 and Jasta 11.  Jasta 11 is interesting,  because there are many accomplished aces......Manfred and his brother Lothar,  Werner Voss,  Wolfram {a Richthofen Fourth cousin},  Ernst Udet,  and a Richard Wenzl {my last name is spelt Wenzel}  {may be a connection there???}

 

the kit was produced in 1992 by Revell Germany from molds dated 1981.   the kit does have some annoying flash.  the fact that most of the parts are off the sprues,  tells me that this the harder plastic styrene.

there is some cockpit detail....which is nice..........but there are a few pin marks that I will need to deal with.   looking over to be sure,  this is a Dr 1,  and not an F 1.   Revell does make another kit depicting Werner Voss's plane........I have a suspicion that it is probably the same kit.  also,  I see another instance of the different ailerons on the top wing.  this is seen in some of the pictures I've looked at........the F 1 version aileron on the port side,  and the Dr 1 modification on the starboard side.  I've mentioned this before........it's kind of odd.......pictures I've seen from bonafide articles and pictures show that they match.  equal on both sides.  I haven't been able to find any info on this.  the scalloping of the ailerons is one of the differences.......strange that it is seen in different ways.  now that the big parts have been removed from the bag,  I'll need to decipher the 'shake'      it's a good thing I know where all these parts go......I should,  I've built enough of them   

 

[popeye the sailor]

I messed with it a little last night,  while playing a video game.   I was happy to see that the cable holes are molded into the parts...this will be nice when it comes time to rig it.

 

after cleaning and sanding the flash,  the 6 1/2 inch long fuselage was taped together.  I had to clean and sand just about every edge on the darn thing.

 

the kit comes with figures......for the fun of it,  I assembled them.   they are not solid.  here is the pilot:

he looks like he thumbing for a ride or telling the other two knuckleheads to take a powder.........they were either wrestling or playing Patty-Cake........

 

 

they had some nasty seams...required some sanding and trimming.    in thinking about the aileron detail further,  it could be perhaps the result of the V 1 modification.   I recall that Richthofen complained about the handling of the V 5.   his comment on the F 1 was that the plane banked better to the right than the left.  soon after,  the Dr 1 variant came out and it's my guess that the ailerons were matched up to solve that issue.   something to look into.   I was just looking at the Werner Voss kit @ oldmodels.com...........the ailerons are different { it appears}......looks like both are identical.  they also describe it as a Dr 1........already proven that he flew an F 1.........he died in it!  like I said..........strange.

 

I'm cleaning parts up at the moment.......I have a decal hunt to do.  I'll be back   

[Old Collingwood]

Hey,   another figure maker  - nice to have the company.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

welcome to the party all.........one of my rarities OC.   I hardly ever do the figures.  these kinda look cool......and the size isn't too bad either    I may do a dio..........one pushing the other into the spinning prop........call it ....."murder on the tarmac"     nawwww.....that would go against one of my prime directives ---->classified<---

 

this is one of those kits that show one subject,  but the contents produce another.  it's not a lost cause though........in thinking about repurposing the kit,  I think I can get away with decals from the Roden kit.   it's a 1:32 scale kit....the decals are quite large and might work on this model well enough.  I can still use the supplied insignias.  I did look into the Werner Voss kit that OMK offers....I'll have to e-mail him because there is an availability notation on it {I should have gotten it sooner }.   I still want to look into the F 1 / Dr 1 aileron aspect due to the conclusion I have arrived at.   it would also explain my seeing it in some pictures and not in others.........interesting how often I've seen it,  knowing that only two F 1's were ever produced {and they weren't in service very long either}.  I had errands to run today.......barely time to go through all the parts and clean them up some.

    I just measured the fuselage on Kempf's plane,  and it is 5 1/2 inches long { minus the cowl}.........the 1:28 fuselage is 6 1/2 inches long.  I think the decals will work     it will be interesting seeing these two planes,  side by side.   to mimic the size of the D VII,  it look like I'll need to find a 1:16 model of the Dr 1      

 

anywhoooooo.......as you saw, the ailerons are molded to the top wing.......booooooooooo.   noting that there is somewhat of a gap between the wing and the aileron,  I thought to clean the flash out of the gap...might make it look better.   I know I'd feel better.........don't you?

 

note the open holes for the cables........luv'in that bit of detail      I also assembled the engine halves........the first cement besides the figures

 

the guns are there too,  but I haven't touched them yet {besides cleaning}.   more soon!

[popeye the sailor]

I did something yesterday,  that I haven't done in quite a while..........I wrote a blog!  

 

https://popeyesquadron.wordpress.com/2020/07/09/the-fokker-dr-1/

 

I'm sure that a lot of folks have bought a kit,  only to find that it either doesn't fit the subject,  or that it's riddled with inconsistencies.  to be able to repurpose the kit or make it correct are the options one has.  I've had quite a few myself    the next update will show what I'm going to with the aileron dilemma.......

[popeye the sailor]

clean up of the parts has been the task of the day.  with most of the parts being off the sprues,  it made me leary of dimples and pitting......but it hasn't been too much of a problem so far.   fitting the main parts,  like the bottom and middle wings to the fuselage....doing it now will cut down on the handling later.

 

the mold stamp date was on the bridge of the bottom wing........I sanded it off.  the middle wing has the fuselage cap molded to it.  it took a bit to get it to fit.

 

 

one thing I noticed was that the four corners of the cap drape over the fuselage,  but have gaps underneath.  perhaps some putty will fill them in........................

 

 

now........for the problem at hand........the ailerons.  I only have one option here........

 

taking a piece of paper,  the starboard aileron was traced out.   I went further down,  to use the edge as the guide.

it was then taped over the port aileron,  which will expose how much material needs to be removed.

 

using the convex nail clippers,  the excess material was cut off,  and then sanded to shape.   I think it passes muster   

 

painting has begun as well........

[popeye the sailor]

if you read the blog,  I have made the choice as to whose plane to model.    I was test fitting decals from the Roden kit,  and Ltn. Josef Carl Jacob's plane is a good fit.

 

looking at the ailerons,  it can be seen that they have the single wing rib curvature.   what the probability gods giveth,  they also taketh away.........the good with the bad.  a comparison between the two planes does show a visible difference in size

 

 

 

the fuselage seems a good fit.

[Egilman]

2 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

a comparison between the two planes does show a visible difference in size

Nice work dennis.

 

That is a bit of a size difference, 1/28th to 1/32nd, it's a visible difference....  I noticed that the upper wing is cut different also, is there a reason for that in the aircraft history or is it just manufacturers license?

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Egilman.......as long as the decals work.   so far so good     the differences in the top wings is the aileron issue I've been looking into.  Jacob's plane has the single rib curvature also........just something I have to live with     I believe that this was a modification change they made when they rolled out the Dr 1.  later Dr1's produced had the single rib curvature.

[Landlubber Mike]

Very cool subject and interesting scale.  I'm in for this one.

 

By the way, I read something in the last week that said that Meng is releasing a Fokker DR.1 triplane this year.  Apparently it might be the kit that the now (potentially) defunct Wingnut Wings was developing.

[popeye the sailor]

hey there Mike    I've never built a model from either one of those companies,  so I'm not too familiar with them.  I do get notifications from Eduards and a few others,  so I see what they are up to.  I have heard a lot about Wingnut........tempted to try one of 'em.   I'm an old creature of habit........usually building more domestic kits.......but with how fast things out there are changing,  the domestic aspects seems to have gone out the window    I do love nostalgia though.......I like to retry older kits,  seeing if I can do better with them,  since I've gotten older and I hope smarter.  Eduards had one coming out.......I like the looks of it,  but haven't pulled the trigger...........yet   

 

this thing about the modifications that this plane had gone through is kinda interesting.  as a young lad.....I never gave it a thought.  now that I'm older and the resources are vast,  it's raised my curiosity level  

[popeye the sailor]

there is progress to report.........and a sliver of info on the idiocracies of this kit.   after I trimmed the port side aileron,  I was looking at the instructions,  and I noticed that the diagram depicts them as I have done,  and not as the kit supplies.  

...but look at the decal sheet.........they are printed as the supplied kit parts depicts

 

another strange thing about this kit is in the production.   it is distributed by Revell / Germany,  produced in 1992.   when the bottom wing was test fitted,  I had to remove a mould date stamp on the outer surface of the part {the root running across the fuselage}.  {Revell 1981} it would have been visible.  Revell USA had been sold to Hobbico quite a few years ago.......I believe it or some of its assets have been sold since then,  but in 1981,  I think it was still Revell USA.  I was fiddling with the fuselage and I saw another date stamp on the inner surface of one of the halves:  Revell INC  Venice Calif.  1957.  so apparently,  this kit was produced using two sets of moulds.........interesting 

 

we'll never know now.......the fuselage is together.   ....but that's coming up  

 

so.....with the subject locked in,  and the parts have been made ready,   it's time for paint  

the bottom wing and the middle wing are assembled,  since they will be all one color.......

 

the top wing still needs rigging,  so it hasn't been assembled yet......

 

dry fitting after the paint has dried........you'd think I was building the Batplane!

 

 

 

 

I did some more last evening and this morning.

 

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

some assembly and painting was done yesterday evening and this morning.  I started to paint the figures.   this will be new for me,  since I don't usually do figures.  I hope to do good and learn a few things.........I have the Budweiser clydesdale wagon and the stagecoach in the stash.......they have figures and horses to paint 

one of the wing skids had the tip broken off.........no idea where it went.   I found a piece to add to it......sand it to shape before painting

the cockpit was painted and assembled.   it was cemented in one side of the fuselage and then closed up to align it with the other side.

 

as I did with the Roden {Kempf} plane,  I cut a piece of leather to line the seat.   there was an injection ring in the middle of it.  I have this half moon piece of plastic in the kit,  that I thought was the instrument panel.  come to find out,  it's nothing more than excess plastic..........the instrument cluster is actually  a few gauges on a cross bar.  this will be added when the fuselage is cemented together.

 

I'm going to do a few thing to break up and add contrast to all the black.   this is a silvery thread,  to be used as control cabling.......elevator and rudder cables rigged in the tail section and cemented in place.  the fuselage was cemented together when this was dry.

another opt to break up the black,  are the interplane struts.   I'm going to paint them a wood color with steel bracketing.  the cabane struts will remain black.   I have to let things dry for the time being........and go mow the lawns 

 

admiral's orders...........I must obey............

[Canute]

Salute smartly and carry on, Popeye.

 

Your Fokker is looking good. Nice to be able to break up all the black. I painted an SR-71 for a kid once and wanted to do up the exhausts as burnt metal. He wanted all black. Oh, well.

[Edwardkenway]

Going along nicely Denis, I'm liking the black with a touch of contrast. 

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Ken and Ed..........bottom wing and engine plate is on it now.   the plate has some involved rigging,  so the fuselage is done as far as that goes.   now to put it where it's supposed to go    I started to paint the figures........I'm using some of the Monogram/Humbrol paint that Lou sent me.   of course,  I had to stir it to break up the sediment at the bottom,  and shake it periodically for a day........but it covers nice......should be alright     lawns look good........even did some weeding along the sidewalk.

 

should have more tomorrow.............thanks as well for all the likes   

[Canute]

Denis, saw this just now on Steel Navy. 1/28 scale Spandau MG for your Dr 1. Here's the link for Model Monkey goodies:https://www.model-monkey.com/1-28-aircraft

[popeye the sailor]

WOW!  I wish I had seen this earlier Ken.......they are already painted and on the model    I had been trying to get another 1:28 scale Dr1,  Werner Voss's.........but I haven't seen it on the site,  so I think it is gone.  I did see a D VII though that I might go for.......has photo etch included     I am lov'in this scale!

 

much further as far as progress goes.  the figures are partially painted,  and are itching to get to work........

the landing gear in added to the model...touch up paint drying.  I must have trimmed something I missed earlier,  'cuz when I added the middle wing,  it fell into place with no gap at the bonnet...that front fuselage lip.  this is flat black...rattle can........happy to see that my bottle of black has the same sheen.  usually I'll thin the black down till it goes dead,  no sheen whatsoever,  but this is a fairly new bottle.  the engine is now fully assembled and painted.......the guns are next.  the interplane struts are progressing.

the cowl is dry fitted in place.............I have a face.  for those who are familiar with the Dr 1,  know what I'm referring to.   I think it's 1:32.......I bet it would fit,  but Jacob's plane didn't have it,  so I won't torture myself.

the landing gear strut cables were rigged and glued...I used Ca to insure that it won't come apart.

the grab handles and steps were added at this time.

the landing gear platform was closed up,  once the rigging was trimmed.

the center pin on the firewall is the pivot for the engine.   the prop is 'keyed' so when cemented on the engine pin,  the assembly will turn.  once the cowl is cemented in place,  I'm hoping this will be the outcome.

the tail skid was cemented in place after the bracket detail was added.

as for progress on the wing skids,  the broken one was sanded and trimmed to the same length as the other one.   from what I've read,  these were not on the F 1 prototypes,  though only two were given the F 1 designation.  the rest of the initial order {20 aircraft were ordered at that time},  which were given the Dr 1 designation,  had these skids.  these were added to aide and prevent 'ground looping'.  these planes proved tricky to handle during take offs and landings.......the bottom wingtips would scrape the runway.  putting the two side by side,  they match pretty good.

the machine guns have been painted and dry brushed........they'll pass muster.

the view inside the cockpit.....

once the guns are in place,  that open void will disappear.   the pins on the cowl needed to be trimmed down a little to cure a gap issue.  it was then cemented in place,  and the prop was dry fitted on.....the engine does turn with the prop.......success! 

[popeye the sailor]

the guns were added this morning after the leather around the cockpit was painted.  I think that padding looked a bit scant.........I was going to trim it off and add some real leather,  but was unsure if I could pull it off.........so I left it as is.

 

 

 

the stabilizers is on as well...

[Canute]

Denis, those parts were just announced. No telling when you'd see them if ordered. But he does do some nice work in many scales. He really supports the hobby of shipbuilding.

[popeye the sailor]

I have the site bookmarked....it's nice to know that they stand a good chance of being available for future projects    I'll keep it in mind  

[Old Collingwood]

Great work Denis,   looking sweet.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC.......I went further with it til it was time to go off on errands.  I had posed a subject on the quality of rubber back in these times.  on some models folks painted the tires gray or similar colors.  the use of rubber has been around since 1836,  but was used as far back as 1600 BC.  refining latex back then,  as opposed to today,  was likely primitive than today's standards.  raw latex is relatively impervious to dyes,  so it makes one wonder what color tires actually were back then,  and how did they achieve this.  I was going to paint the tires a grayish color,  but it was an afterthought,  and I had already painted them.  rather than experience anomalies in the paint,  I left them as they were.........adding them when I added the wing skids.

 

the stabilizer struts were added and painted next....

it was time to go shopping.........after that excursion....and supper......I got back at it.

 

I finished painting the interplane struts.......setting them aside to dry.  I couldn't hold off any longer.....decaling!     starting with the bottom wing......

there is another pair on the top surface as well.  only Ltn. Jacobs knows why......then the fuselage.

the lighting is rather poor........I'm sure there will be better pictures later.

 

this decal split down the middle..........it went together OK,  without much fuss.  the rudder will be flat white......of course there is a decal for it as well.  that's for the next update though.   there aren't too many parts left....assembly of this kit is top notch.

[mtaylor]

If you go back to the really early cars, on many of them the tires were white from the factory.   They found that adding carbon black darkened them and also toughened them up.  The early blackened ones weren't nearly as dark as they are today.  

[Kevin]

looks very mean in those colours, love it

[popeye the sailor]

other plants have latex qualities.......it was said that the extracts from Dandelions were also experimented with.  it was later abandoned due to them having lesser amounts to work with.

   I believe that they would look sort of an ashened gray.   I came home from work the other day......it's been quite hot lately,  and I couldn't help noticing how bright the room was from the natural sunlight.  so I grabbed a few more pictures....I also added the lower interplane struts.  I finished painting them.

 

 

the upper struts were fitted,  but I haven't added them yet..  I was thinking on how I wanted to do the top wing.

Revell kinda drops the ball in regards to this bit of rigging.   instead of having molded holes for the control cables,  there are holes in the upper cabane strut roots,  to thread the rigging through.  I would try and drill the holes,  but I could never be able to copy the detail aspect of the pre molded holes,  so I will live with it.   rigging for the upper and lower aileron cables needs to be cemented in place,  before I can close up the top wing.

[Edwardkenway]

Neat looking aircraft Denis, the black has worked well hasn't it?.

I've been looking for another non-ship project and came across this while googling:-

For £41 you get the frame and covering and then you can buy the gubbins to make it fly. I think it looks kinda cool😉

[popeye the sailor]

hey Ed    thanks for the kind word........the kit was terribly misrepresented.   it's common knowledge that Richthofen few a Dr 1 when he died........and evenI found out that very few F 1's were ever built.   I could prattle on,  but the problem is moot now,  and yes,  I agree.....deciding to do Jacob's plane was the best choice.  of course,  that leaves me with a full set of F 1 decals........I'll have to find another kit  ............

 

yup....that looks like an Entdecker........I believe that was the German's experiment in the development of single wing fixed aircraft.  the early wing design didn't give the wings enough strength,  so they suspended it with the truss cables.  there was the E III and the E IV  variants.  I used to build a lot of 'stick and tissue' model planes.  Comet and Guillow's were my favorites.  another fine model is the Fokker D VIII.........that was my best flyer    even after exhausting the rubber band,  it would glide further.  I use to have pictures of it,  but when I moved back to New Hampshire from Florida,  they were lost.  hadn't built any others until a year or so ago........I built a Guillow's Spitfire MK1.  in the closet though,  I have a Fokker Dr 1......a Guillow's kit in 1:14 scale

I started it early last year..........I've yet to sand everything and start the tissue.   I plan on doing it after the Raben's Ravins Dr 1

 

 bottom wings

 

 

I should post a log on what I have so far.........might even make me continue it    they are a great endeavor Ed.......    here's a picture of the Spit......my first one in quite a while...

   

[popeye the sailor]

I did do a little on the Fokker.......it's been too hot 'round here lately.......I've only been dabbling.  before I can assemble the top wing,  the cables need to be cemented into place.  I did the decal work to the top half......still need to refine it at this point.

 

I cemented the cabling in place and  made a mess with the left insignia.   little did I realize,  that I could pull the thread back through the holes and then do the decaling {which I did with the right side}.    the interplane struts were cemented to the middle wing.......at this time,  I put the bottom part of the top wing on to see how it would look.  really adds to the size of the model  

 

I will add the cable levers once the two halves are put together

 

[mtaylor]

The Fokker DVII... it was supposedly the best WWI aircraft though it had it's issues.  But, like the ME-262 in WWII, it was too few and too late to make a difference.