Eduard 1/48 Fokker D.VIIFReviewed by Zac Yates
Item:
Scale: 1/48
Item #: 8483
Price: US$34.95 direct from Eduard. Also available through quality hobby retailers worldwide.
Contents: 4 sprues; 4 decal options. Review kit kindly provided by Eduard at
https://www.eduard.com/eduard/plastic-kits/weekend-edition/aircraft/1-48/fokker-d-viif-1-48.htmlBackground:To quote from my fellow reviewer Brad Cancian in his 2021 review of Eduard’s 1/72 D.VII OAW kit: “Little needs to be said for the history of the Fokker D.VII. It is likely the most famous German fighter of the First World War, save perhaps its stablemate, the Fokker Dr.1. Introduced into service in early May 1918, it proved to be a powerful and manoeuvrable aircraft, famously known to make a bad pilot good and a good pilot exceptional. Though it entered service just weeks after the death of Manfred Von Ricthofen, the “Red Baron”, it was flown by many famous late war aces; Udet, Lorerzer, Loewenhardt, Baumer, Buchner, Goering, and many more. Though never built in enough numbers to fully equip the German fighter squadrons, it none the less saw widespread service at the front. It was mass-produced by the parent Fokker firm, as well as the Albatros and OAW firms. The Austrian firm MAG also produced the type. These firms each had their own unique construction points of differentiation, most notably in the different styles of cowling louvers / arrangements, and the differences in Lozenge (4 versus 5 colour). The aircraft fought through to the end of the war, and it also saw service post war in a number of different guises.”
A 1918 photo of a Fokker D.VIIF at Johannisthal. [Photo from Wikipedia]The D.VIIF utilised the “overcompressed” BMW IIIa engine and was reported to be the best-performing of the breed. Ernst Udet was quoted as saying: “There can be no doubt that the BMW engine was the absolute highlight in power unit development towards the end of the war. The only bad thing was that it came too late.”. From this writer’s research it’s unclear whether any D.VIIFs are believed to remain in existence, although
The Memorial Flight’s reproduction flies behind a BMW IIIa – thought to be the sole running example of this engine anywhere.
Oberleutnant Hermann Göring alongside his white Fokker D VIIF 5125/18. [Photo from Wikipedia]Eduard’s modelWhen Eduard first released their 1/48 Fokker D.VII kit in 2005 it immediately rendered all other offerings obsolete. In the intervening 19 years it has been reissued 15 times in every boxing imaginable, from the premium Royal Class three-pack (2006) to the bare-bones Overtrees (2020) and everything in-between. Seemingly every wartime version of the type has been covered, including those built by the Austro-Hungarian firm MÁG (Magyar Általános Gépgyár), which only built about 50 examples. The boxing under review here is the most recent boxing. As a weekend edition boxing, we don’t get any etch, resin, or masks in the kit.
For a kit first released nearly twenty years ago the moulds show minimal signs of aging with some minor flash present on a few parts. The parts diagram shades eight parts that are not for use, which means the spares box gets three propellers, an intake manifold (which my research shows is actually what a D.VIIF uses), a set of wheels and an axle wing (noting one will also get a spare set of fuselage halves as well, depending upon which D.VIIF variant you build, early or late). Alternatively those with spare decals can consult the instructions for Eduard’s other boxings on their website and use this kit to make any other variant of D.VII except for the Austro-Daimler-powered MÁG: Eduard’s tooling of this kit means it is almost universal.
The parts themselves are finely detailed, sharply moulded, and have this reviewer wanting to get out the cutters and cement immediately. Sprue gates are small but care will still be needed when trimming smaller and thinner parts such as the many struts, which are of close-to-scale thickness. There are no overscale “hills and valleys” or “muslin cloth” to represent fabric, however the under-fuselage stitching seam is supplied as a strip of plastic whose seam lines could prove difficult to remove.
Instructions:The 16-page instruction manual begins with a full page of history on the D.VII – half of which is about the aircraft’s development – and covers 21 steps, which are unnumbered. Different parts (for example the second marking option uses a different pair of fuselage halves) or paint required for the four marking options are clearly called out, as are the moulded details to be removed by the modeller (such as engine cowling louvres). The minimal rigging is clearly shown in the final step and is a great way for those unfamiliar with this process to learn. Paint colours are called out in GSi (Creos) Aqueous and Mr. Color, Mr. Metal Color and Mr. Color Super Metallic.
Markings:The kit features four marking options, each with an expansive historical blurb about the pilot and aircraft:
1. Ltn. Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay, Jasta 19, Stenay, France, September 1918. This is the boxart aircraft which wears a deceptively simple scheme of Bright Blue and Yellow fuselage and Sky Blue wing upper surfaces: there are differently-coloured panels of Blue and Sky Blue, due to repainting formerly red areas from the airframe’s time with Jasta 15 and a wing repair.
2. 378/18, Ltn. Ernst Udet, Jasta 4, Monthussart Ferme aerodrome, France, June 1918. An early machine in the production run, this scheme is depicted wearing the famous Red fuselage and “LO!” inscription. This aircraft is mentioned in the blurb as being the last Fokker-built D.VII to be built with the Fokker green streaked fuselage, prior to the application of Udet’s famous red fuselage. The white stripe on the horizontal tail is supplied as a single decal.
3. Rittm. Karl Bolle, Jasta 2, Lens Mons, France, October 1918. Along with lozenge wings this aircraft has a striking Flat Black and Flat White fuselage with a yellow fuselage band (a decal is provided for this).
4. 465/18, Ltn. Georg von Hantelmann, Jasta 15, Chéry-les-Pouilly, France, August 1918. One of the most successful D.VII pilots, von Hantelmann’s aircraft wears the iconic Red and Bright Blue fuselage common to Jasta 15 with the modeller left to choose between Red or Gray for the axle wing.
Decals:The decals come on three sheets. These are the new type where the carrier film may be removed or left in place as per the builder’s wishes, but the instructions do not mention this anywhere.
The decals themselves are of typically high quality: in register, appearing opaque on the sheet, and the colours are bright and vibrant where needed. There are enough fuselage and wing crosses to be used on other projects, and smaller decals are quite readable without using a magnifying lens. Seatbelts are provided as decals.
The lozenge camouflage colours look to be accurate and thankfully are free of the linen weave texture effect in vogue among some manufacturers at the time of writing. A full page of instructions are dedicated to applying the large lozenge decals and individual rib tapes (in lozenge rather than blue or pink) to the wings.
Summary:The sheer amount of crisply detailed plastic and decal one gets for the purchase price makes this kit good value for money and a must-buy for anyone wanting this classic type in their collection. Earlier it was written the release of this kit made all other 1/48 D.VIIs obsolete and this remains true, but given Eduard’s recent replacement of their original Sopwith Camel in this scale with an all-new tooling one wonders how far behind an even better D.VII may be…
Verdict:Highly recommended.
(Review sample kindly supplied by Eduard. Please support the businesses that support your Forum.)
