Fokker Eindecker E-II build
The kit is a bit old now, but it holds well with a bit of work. The internal structure must be thinned down and adapted to fit the fuselage.
Don't bother about anything behind the seat wall, it won't be visible (not even the gas tank).
Don't bother about anything behind the seat wall, it won't be visible (not even the gas tank).
I just scraped the paint off of the 'bracing wires' molded into the fuselage, since it won't be very visible. The seat wall needs thinning down to fit too.
Overall fit is ok, but the seam down the fuselage means all detail is lost there.
The color PE fret is a welcome addition to dress up the cockpit, since the opening is quite large. A couple of wires help make the edaurd controls meaningful...
The gas tank cover could have been part of the fuselage to spare us a bit of putty work.
The rudder control is also a finicky affair that won't be very visible once the cowling is on. And I did not bother with the detail behind the engine firewall.
The rudder control is also a finicky affair that won't be very visible once the cowling is on. And I did not bother with the detail behind the engine firewall.
Surface detail on the fuselage is too prominent and will need sanding down... It's just stretched canvas, not wood panels !
The engine is a nice little affair that will show any effort put into it. The instructions are not very clear about the pushrod mechanics at the end of the cylinders but I used the WingNut Wings manuals as constant reference for this build.
The engine cowling is happier with serious thinning, and here too the fit is a bit vague but decent after adjustments.
Cockpit is now mostly complete. Onto the wings, which need sanding down to lessen the rib effect. I was fairly happy with my first attempt at a stretch canvas finish on the wings but did not catch the error in eduard's painting instructions and painted the white band straight across the wing. This eventually led me into big decal trouble...
The little dial above the cockpit (oil pressure?) should be recessed, which take a bit of work.
The PE seatbelts are never easy to place in a way that's a bit natural. What's more, they need to be attached to the sides of the cockpit, not straight back.
Thinning the cowling really pays off, but even then the engine + pushrods is a tight fit.
eduard's PE stitching is a bit overdone...
My attempt at reproducing the cowling's finish consisted in squiggles made with the finest silder paint marker I had. I made sure to stay within each port cover since they were made from a separate piece of metal.
The ammunition feed guide needs to be adapted and thinned down.
Underneath, a few visible details are missing : a reinforcement panel (aginst engine projections) needs to be added, as well as a couple of panels scribed behind and the rod that supports the wings when folded.
The PE detailing really shines on the MG. I added the plastic muzzle to the PE cooling jacket after inserting a rod inside for the MG barrel itself. I also added a rear sight made from piano wire. Front sight will come later, when it's safe to add it.
The PE ammunition belt looks fine if a little flat, once its receptacles are prepared. The fit of the MG needs adjustment, especially with the front cowling protection trying to point it upwards.
The fuselage is ready for the landing gear now.
So, decal disaster after trying to correct the painting (itself not very successful, with diferent shades of linen). This despite a coat of varnish on the decals, using Tamiya tape and peeling it off so, so slowly... It's on the top of the wing too !
Even with black paint over the missing decals, it's pretty ugly. I would redo it, but I need other crosses.
No wing building possible until this is fixed, given the bracing of the wing.
No wing building possible until this is fixed, given the bracing of the wing.
Main work on the landing gear is done. Again, the parts need thinning down and sharpening, but nothing too bad.
I got the color wrong on the gear, so I will have to give it another coat after touch-up.
Holes drilled between the cockpti and the control horn, awaiting rigging fun !
Holes drilled between the cockpti and the control horn, awaiting rigging fun !
The rear skid in its proper position (instructions are misleading). A bit of fidling and it fits the PE reinforcements.
Comentários
7 14 January 2022, 18:06
bughunterLooks good so far.
This Fokker is also still lurking for me. Thanks for detailed description of potential problems 👍
15 January 2022, 13:30
Boris BThanks for your encouragement ! I look forward to your build, which will be fantastic, I'm sure.
I try to balance extra detailing and practical solutions, so it's definitely not the most accurate result, but hopefully the build album can be useful to others, even details masters like you 😉
As mentioned, my main source of information is the Wingnut Wing kit and instructions, including their detailed info about the evolution between the different models of this aircraft.
I'm definitely out of my era here, so learning a lot about that period as I go.
15 January 2022, 16:19
bughunterThanks for your nice words 🙂
The Windsock Eindecker Compendium 1 and 2 are one of the best Datafiles available, from the amount of information, drawings and graphical quality. Highly recommended.
Book: Fokker Eindecker (by Scott, Josef)
Book: Fokker Eindekker (by Scott, Josef)
15 January 2022, 16:49
Album info
I picked this kit to start my series of 'serious' WWI aircraft kits, but I probably should have started witha simpler one (fewer wings does not mean simpler!). Still it was a nice build until I hit a decal snag because of the wrong painting instructions by eduard for the wings. Why can't instructions manuals be a bit more accurate ??
The kit itself is a bit old now, not up to eduard's current standard, with parts that need thinning or uneven (fuselage halves), and some over-detailing of the cockpit (parts that won't be seen at all). Still, it's quite decent and enjoyable to build.
