Fokker D VII

This was the weekend version of the Eduard Fokker D. VII. This kit goes together wonderfully with little flash and great fit. There is very little rigging on the D. VII so it is a great kit for someone who wants to get into WWI, but doesn't like turnbuckles and wire. 

I had never done the lozenge camo decals and wanted to give it a try. I used the Eduard kit decals which also included the rib tapes. I painted the base coat an off white to begin with.  

The decals do not line up with the ribs on both the top and bottom of the wings. When I do another kit with lozenge decals I'll make sure they line up or I'll order aftermarket decals. 

I used the AK WWI acrylic paints lightened with white to touch up the edges of the wings or other places the decals did not cover the white base coat. 

I model on a budget so I don't have an expensive jig to get parts aligned. I borrowed the grandkids Legos to make a jig to keep the top and bottom wings aligned as the glue dried. Looks like I also need to do some paint touch up where the struts join the wings. 

One of the checks I aways make is the alignment of the top wing, bottom wing and the front of the wheels. 

I used GasPatch Machine Guns for this project. This set was 3D printed instead of the older sets. I initially glued them in place, but had some alignment issues. I pulled them out, drilled pilot holes and mounted them using thin brass wire.  

There is very little rigging on the D. VII. I used GasPatch turnbuckles, .5mm Albion Alloys micro tubing, Infini Aero Rigging and home-made eyes from copper wire to make the rigging. I like the Infini Aero Rigging because it stretches. It adds little strength to the model, but it gives when I accidentally put my finger in the rigging. this is a slight variation on the methods described by others on this forum. 

The propeller was made from laminated wood veneer and later gloss coated with clear and orange varnish. I would like to get some German WWI propeller decals to add that extra touch to the prop.  

This was the first time using lozenge decals. The fuselage is painted in an off white or cream color. The elevator and fuselage stripes are painted instead of using decals. I'll try to put out some more pics when it is completely finished. 

The instruments are made from Airscale decals and Airscale PE bezels. 

I try to move all the control surfaces to give it a sense of motion. 

This specific aircraft had the engine covers removed. I used styrene rod to replicate the steel pipe frame in the engine compartment.