Revell Fokker E-III 1/72 (1965 kit, first build, could use some help!)

[uncletony]

I think if you look at some of the old kit 1/72 builds here you should get some ideas. I think fashioning a seat and a rudimentary control column are probably within reach for most, if that seems too hard then as RB says, don't sweat it, it's your model!

[mgunns]

Hello Jxeboy:  I agree with the Red Baron.  Build the kit as is.  Do a good job on the basics, seam hiding, painting, rigging, preshading, weathering etc.  Paint the pilot and put him in for good measure, always adds a bit of interest and scale.  If you haven't built a kit in quite awhile, you could get really bogged trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.  Like Red Baron states,  "enjoy it for what it is, an old kit."  I have a collection of Aurora 1/48 kits, and every so often I pull one out and just build it for nostalgia and just to work on basics.
Good luck

Mark

[rhallinger]

Welcome Jxeboy!  There's something very special to me about building a simple kit that's a part of our cultural heritage growing up in the 1960s.  Just seeing that box art again brings back a flood of memories!   Thanks for sharing it with us.

I agree with the others---just build this one as practice for your basic skills and don't worry too much about detailng.  Have fun with it, but focus on doing the basics as well as you can. 

BTW, I really like that painting you found of the EIII---very cool!  Enjoy this one.  We'll have fun following your progress!

Regards,

Bob

[jxeboy]

Thanks again for all the feedback so far. First an updated picture!



So it has fully begun now! So far I am pleased with what I'm doing. I'm not 100% happy with the coloring on the propeller, but I'm not sure I could do much better simply drawing on with a brush. It is extremely little at 1/72.

I have also begun work on the "cockpit" area. Actually I have finished it too! There is very little to be done here. I am still undecided if I will put the pilot in the plane, but I can always add him at the last minute with little trouble.

Now I have two new questions which I have come to. First is about the color of the paint I will be using for the fuselage. I have bought Model Master Light Ivory 2909, which I think is a lovely color for this piece. Unfortunately the decals are so old the white is almost the same exact color! My question here is whether I should maybe go try and find new decals, or if I might be able to paint over the white with some white after I apply them.

Here below you can see a comparison between the spray color I am using and the Decals. Too close!



Any suggestions? If all else fails maybe I will need to buy a more yellow spray.

Thanks again!
~Jake

[coyotemagic]

Great start, Jake, and welcome to the forum.  I agree with all of the above.  Just use this kit to get your feet wet and enjoy the experience.
Cheers,
Bud

[ETG]

Jake,
I think this model is worth finding a new set of decals. I just finished mine and it is a great looking kit.


The decals will NOT improve over time, so finding white decals will pay off.

Do a lot of dry fitting before final assembly and gluing. For instance, the seat is too wide. When parts 7 and 8 (fuselage bottom and seat) are dryfitted, you will see that the wing, part 15, will be
a very tight fit ! And you will end up with two large seams at the bottom of the fuselage, part 14. Later, part 1+2+3 will not fit properly, either.
Speaking of the engine mount.....assemble parts 1+2+3, let it dry well and then test fit. You will see it does not fit very well at all. Lots of filing and sanding is needed to make it fit. The elliptical
openings, that slides over the leading edges, need to be enlarged.
The engine cowling part 16 fits properly, no modification required.
The main landing gear also fits properly. The tail skid assembly will need some work to make it fit. Dry fit parts 14 (top fuselage part) and wings (part 15). Where they meet, at the front,
they don't fit well, some filing may be required to make both parts fit well.
Attention: file away some plastic where the wings touch the cockpit sides ! If you don't, the wings will be pushed down !  Where I applied the silver decals, on each side of the cockpit wall,
that's where the wings need to be trimmed, all the way to the trailing edge. I filed away some plastic, until I could fold the wings a bit upwards, but just very lightly. Remember the seat is too wide?
Here's another reason to trim it down !
Be careful with the tail wings, they are fragile.  I had to add superglue, after assembly, for extra strength.
The pilot was not added simply because it looks bad and it had a huge hole where his belly should be.... I painted some strips of paper and made the straps. I also made a simple control stick.









I used thin EZ-Line for the rigging. Maybe I should have added the control wires at the back, too. Maybe another time....  Oh......don't do what I did: work on a model late at night....
The next morning I saw I did apply all of the riggin, but not in the way I intended. I meticulously drilled some holes in the upper wing strut (part 22) but never used them. People who don't
know this airplane will never notice. But I do ! Dang.....now I have to buy this kit again and do it correctly, this time.

Again....do a lot of dry fitting before gluing parts in place. And do try to find better decals. You won't be sorry. Those horrible yellow decals will not improve over time.

Cheers,
___________
Erik.

[mgunns]

Hello Jxeboy:

Revell used Colortone for all of their decals, as did Scalemaster and ATP.  The problem with Colortone products is that the carrier will yellow once on the model.  As you can see time has yellowed the white portion of the decal, it will only get worse once on the model.  There are plenty of after market markings, and investing a couple of bucks at the Squadron shop would pay dividends in the long run.  Or, as someone mentioned, carefully cut out the crosses and apply them to white painted squares.  You may find too that the decals are brittle and will shatter once they are off the carrier paper.  Save yourself the headache and get a sheet from Squadron or a vendor of your choice.  There are plenty out there.  What has worked with some limited success is to put the decal in a plastic zip lock bag and tape to a south facing window and let the sun bleach the decal.  If you are in the southern hemisphere it would be a north facing window.  Either way, it does work, takes a bit of time but it will bleach most of the yellow out.

Best of luck

Mark

[IanB]

You could always try cutting squares from plain white decal paper, then carefully cutting the crosses from the background and applying them over your new white backgrounds....just a thought...

Ian

[jxeboy]

Thanks for the feedback. Another issue I'm running into is making holes in the wings for the rigging. The plastic is so old I'm afraid it might splinter. I was hoping to just force a pin through each wing, but I don't think that will work. What do you guys use for super small holes like this?

[Edo]

have a look here...
http://drillbitsunlimited.com/Default.aspx

ciao
Edo

[ETG]

Edo, those are excellent drills, no doubt about it. I use them myself.
But do not forget to mention that they are VERY fragile ! And they are not cheap. Please allow me to add another option: spiral drills. See my building thread of the 1:32 Sopwith Camel.
I followed Des's advice to glue them into a tooth pick or piece of bamboo BBQ skewer. These drills are very flexible and don't break as easily as the other ones. They are much cheaper
and because the steel is somewhat softer, they can be sharpened with a grinding disc and dremel. I think this type of drill may be a better choice, at the moment, for Edo.
http://www.uktools.com/03mm-hawera-hss-roll-forged-twist-drill-p-60927.html

I bought mine here :
http://www.modelbouwshoptwente.nl/prod/hss-boor-0-3-mm
At first you might think the little sachet is empty, but somewhere in there are the drills you ordered.....!  ;-)

Edo, you could order a few of both types and see for yourself which one suits your needs best.
Don't worry about the plastic, it may be old but it is not brittle. Forcing a pin through WILL damage the wing quite a bit. The pin will bend or break the moment you try, anyway.
And should you succeed the hole will be way too big. I used a 0.4 mm spiral drill to drill the holes in my E-III.

Welcome to the world of WW1 scale model building !  ;-)

_________
Erik.

[jxeboy]

I may have to invest in a drill set soon, but I figured out another way to do the holes. I took a very fine needle and heated it up using a lighter to puncture through each of the holes. Worked surprisingly well.

Now I am in the process of spraying the body. My only real obstacle left is figuring out if im able to salvage the decals, or if I should try to find some new ones.

Getting close!

[jxeboy]

Quick little update.

Have most of the parts painted now. I will begin assembling the landing gear to attach to the model. I still don't know exactly how I will do the decals, but I will figure it out soon enough. Right now I need to get the front engine housing attached to the main plane. It does not fit very well!

[coyotemagic]

Great start, Jake.  Looking good so far.
Cheers,
Bud

[pepperman42]

Thats shaping up very nicely. Good colour!

Steve