What Is It About the D.VII That Makes It So Popular?

[ctefehinoz]

I'm with a few others, minimal rigging - something to practice on...maybe a "Hall of Shame" candidate in the making .

Enjoy
Sean

[uncletony]

One other comment. I have to wonder if Des Had announced an Albatros build if the interest might have been even greater 
RAGIII

I might have had a shot too,

[LindsayT]

Yeah, I just don't see anything attractive about them. Not even ugly-yet-powerful in a P-47 kind of way. The DVII is all about the historical interest for me. That I totally get. An almost endless set of scheme possibilities. Way more interesting than yawn, modern jets.

[kornbeef]

Form & function over grace and beauty. All the reasoning above is correct of course. 

Like the Albatros Kits by WNW these must be the mainstay of WNW's success. A few more Albatros & Fokker types wouldn't go amiss in my eyes anyway. I'm sure if and when the Camel comes along it will take a share of the WNW sales pie but once the initial furore settles  Albies and D.Vii's will carry on selling steadily. 
 

Keith

[stefanbuss]

It's interesting to see that this forum seems to explode with activity since the GB has been announced.

I share the same opinion as Przemol: I have built one (after scrapping an Eduard experiment due to not being successful with HGW decals and the undercarriage; and scrapping a 1/72 Roden for the amount of corrections necessary) by WNW (JaSta 27's Herta, a DVII made by Albatros). That'S enough for me, as there are soooo many other interesting aircraft around.

Stefan

[IvotB]

Well, Chris, I must agree, I don't find a D.VII very attractive as an aeroplane. The attraction for me lies in the fact that the D.VII's were the main fighters in the dutch LVA between 1919 and the 1920's. That's why I have built an LVA D.VII between Christmas 2012 and summer 2013. You can find the build-log here. It was my first WNW kit and to be honest I wasn't aware of the minimal rigging required until after I started building it.

Now there's a group build I could enter this with a D.VIIF in full lozenge and with orange cockardes and markings from the dutch naval service in 1919. Not a very spectacular scheme, but at least a rare one.

However I don't see yet where I should find the time in the next half year to do so. It would be my first D.VII with a BMW engine.

regards,
Ivo

[Chris Johnson]

1) It's German.
2) Corollary of 1) Jasta markings are famously colorful, and subject of endless study and argument -- and interest.
3) Much variation within the type during production, thus adding interest

I agree that it can't exactly be called "pretty," but it has kind of a brutal honesty that I find very appealing.

My feeling is that with these points, #1 being the most important, you've pretty much nailed it Bo. It's akin to the popularity of the German Tiger I for AFV modellers. It rules the roost for virtually the same reasons.

Cheers,

Chris

[FOKKERJ]

The D.VII GB is gaining momentum at a dizzying speed and it makes me wonder what makes the D.VII such a popular aircraft for WWI aviation modellers. I'm of the (admittedly uneducated) opinion that it must be the most popular aircraft for WWI modellers. I'll admit right up front that I don't see the attraction when compared to other German single seaters of the period. It doesn't seem to me to be a terribly graceful design and the rigging is minimal at best. That being the case, does it boil down to the myriad of markings that seem to exist for it?

Cheers,

Chris

It's in the Genes!

Hi Chris,

My Dad built WWI Flying Model Aeroplanes throughout the 1930's. His favorite machine was the Fokker D.VII. 
Close second was the Travelair or Witchita Fokker.
I was probably 8 years old when I built my first balsa kit off of some old plans he had from his youth. I quickly learned to cover these plans with Seran Wrap to protect them from my gluing while I had my assembly pinned to the plan that covered a sheet of cardboard. I also learned not to push down too hard with my Exacto knife when cutting stock that was jigged.

For me it is a most beautiful machine in design and function. The cantilever wings and everything else about it can't be rivaled except for one other candidate.... The Fokker D.VI! I'm fond of the Fokker D.VI because it looks like the D.VII skizzled with a Dr.I! 

I've heard there's a few different color schemes to choose from too! 
I guess if you painted a D.VII PC10, Brown or Green, and added a few miles of rigging that it might not be as pretty, but I'll probably never know that answer. 

Thanks for the fun topic.   

Cheers, Jay aka FOKKERJ   

[RAGIII]

I just thought of another real good reason. There arew Good/Great/buildable kits in EVERY MAJOR scale! (Except 1/24th) 
RAGIII

[FOKKERJ]

I just thought of another real good reason. There arew Good/Great/buildable kits in EVERY MAJOR scale! (Except 1/24th) 
RAGIII

Hi RAGIII,

Have heard of the BLUE PRINT MODELS' FOKKER D.VII Vac Kit? 
I hear that it's in 1/24" scale. 

Didn't REVELL have one in this scale?

[ALBATROS1234]

well i just love d.vii fokkers. not as graceful as an albatros or pfalz but just endless variety to keep interest. 4 color or 5 color lozenge, rib tape color, louver config.engine type. you have to be a sleuth to build one . most of the famous german aces flew them. theres several still in existence in several museums.someone said the wnw camel will sell alot. but to me one camel is enuff. they all look the same to me, plus double rigging wires kinda piss me off. most british types one is enuff for me, but german,austro-hung,french and italian stuff is alot more variety of color scheme and insignia. i just dont see why someone would want to build more than one camel, or re8 or whatever. you can build fokker dr.1,d.vii,albatros,pfalz,aviatik,phonix,lohner and your shelf looks like a rainbow of beauty. just my humble opinion of course.

[RAGIII]

I just thought of another real good reason. There arew Good/Great/buildable kits in EVERY MAJOR scale! (Except 1/24th) 
RAGIII

Hi RAGIII,

Have heard of the BLUE PRINT MODELS' FOKKER D.VII Vac Kit? 
I hear that it's in 1/24" scale. 

Didn't REVELL have one in this scale?

Funny! By the way the Revelle kit is 1/28th,or there abouts.
RAGIII

[dr 1 ace]

I'm pretty much of the same view. Things like the RE8 are interesting because they look so ungainly, but for the most part Allied aircraft are just all too sensible.

Well at least the American and French ( even the Russians in some cases) have more colorful camouflage and Unit/Personal Markings compared to the British

[ALBATROS1234]

very true ed. the brits planes are quite ugly in my eyes and drab looking. the french,belgians, italians and russians in some cases did do more color wise than the brits. they were being logical i think. dark top light bottom one color for all, or 2 if you consider pc-12. this is way more thrifty than all the colors and patterns of the germans and austrians.

[Vickers]

I just thought of another real good reason. There arew Good/Great/buildable kits in EVERY MAJOR scale! (Except 1/24th) 
RAGIII

Hi RAGIII,

Have heard of the BLUE PRINT MODELS' FOKKER D.VII Vac Kit? 
I hear that it's in 1/24" scale. 

Didn't REVELL have one in this scale?

Funny! By the way the Revelle kit is 1/28th,or there abouts.
RAGIII

Then there was the large (can't recall the scale), patently simple, Aurora screw-together kit. I don't remember how much it cost at the MCRD San Diego exchange, but I still remember a trip there with my father- who insisted on getting both the Fokker D.VII and S.E.5 and I had a blast putting them together. If memory serves, I was 9 or 10 and they had funny rubber bits to attach the elevators. The 1/4 scale Aurora and KB WW1 series were my favorites when I was a kid and I could buy lots of them even with my humble lawn-mowing income.

I've always thought that the blunt nose and squared-off lines of the D.VII were very appealing, pure business. An aircraft designed to combine the best fighter power plants available with the optimum armament and still fly true for both expert and novice alike.  The design also appears to have made life a bit easier for the mechanics, given the way most of the systems requiring regular maintenance could be accessed by large panels all around rather than just small hatches though a plywood skin. Nothing against the wooden beauties built by Albatros, Roland, and others- I just always admired the "no frills, no fuss" design of the D.VII series.