Revell 1/28 Fokker Dr.1

[dr 1 ace]

Glad to see that you're working on the 'ol gal' ...

Ed

[RAGIII]

Nice work on the tubular frames! I am liking this build a lot!
RAGIII

[Brad Fallen]

Hi and thanks again for your kind comments. 

While detailing the fuselage halves, I also started work on the tail surfaces.  I removed the rudder from the fuselage half to which it was attached (I can't remember which), and carefully cut the elevator from the horizontal stabiliser.  I removed all raised detail from these parts, to be replaced later with more subtle representation.  I also filled a number of ejector pin cavities with superglue which I let dry and then sanded smooth; I had to do the same with plastic strip I used to improve the fit of stabiliser and elevator.  Looking at these photos I still have some remedial sanding and polishing to do on some of the parts, but I'm happy with the results so far.

[Trackpad]

Ah, the memories. Wish I'd known of these methods and techniques and materials when I was fifteen...!   

Looks like you're off to a very good start, Brad. Keep on doin' what you're doin'! 

[Juan]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.  Looking good and only getting better.

[Brad Fallen]

Those of you who have built this kit will know that one of the bits Revell got wrong was the axle wing - not so much the shape as the structure.  Revell has moulded the wing with fabric-covered ribs, when in reality it was covered in plywood.  This was an easy if drawn out fix, using sandpaper and then polishing pads to remove the inaccurate detail.

Trickier to deal with was Revell's method of attaching the undercarriage struts to the axle wing.  The parts are moulded with a small section of the wing included at the bottom of the 'v' where the struts meet.  This adds strength, but unfortunately the fit between the strut and the wing is very poor - and the nature of the parts means that it is very difficult to sand everything flush.  After some head-scratching I got around this by completely removing the rear strut on each side.  This gave me the space I needed to get a perfectly smooth join between the wing and the struts.  The rear struts were then replaced with forward gear struts from the 1/32 Hobbycraft Dr.1, which are exactly the right size - the Hobbycraft struts are the grey ones in the pictures.  (I was given the Hobbycraft kit a few years back and will never build it - in many ways, the Revell kit is better than it despite being much older.)  The new struts were glued and pinned, with the entire undercarriage assembly dry-fitted to the airframe while the glue was drying to ensure correct angles etc.

Incidentally this won't be the last time that 1/32 Dr.1 parts save me in this build - more on this later!

Thanks for looking!

[lcarroll]

   It's coming along very nicely Brad, I'm always amazed and impressed by the quality of work that brings an old hallmark Kit up to modern standards and this is a perfect example. It's great to remember building a Kit from now, well over 50 years ago, and seeing how far our hobby has progressed. Nice work on her!
Cheers,
Lance

[RAGIII]

Excellent work on removing the ribs! The struts look great!
RAGIII

[Trackpad]

   It's coming along very nicely Brad, I'm always amazed and impressed by the quality of work that brings an old hallmark Kit up to modern standards and this is a perfect example. It's great to remember building a Kit from now, well over 50 years ago, and seeing how far our hobby has progressed. Nice work on her!
Cheers,
Lance

What he said, Brad: couldn't agree more. I'm having benevolent flashbacks to the '50's as I read of your excellent progress. Best wishes for continued success! 

[GazzaS]

Finding it interesting how you are bringing the old kit up to scratch.  Great informative posting!

Gaz

[Brad Fallen]

Thanks again everyone for your comments, I think I will need ongoing encouragement as my time for building this model is running out!  Deadline is Thurs 7 June which is not far off....

As well as unnecessary rib detail on the axle wing, Revell included exaggerated spoke detail on the wheels.  Again this was scraped, sanded and polished off before I hit the wheels with paint - MRP's Richthofen's Red to be precise.  This is the first time I've used MRP paint and I'm very impressed.  The lacquer formula is something I'm familiar with and like (apart from the smell!), as I normally use Tamiya and Gunze acrylics thinned with lacquer thinner - I find this gives a good strong base for subsequent weathering etc.

You'll see I've also painted the seat red - according to the instructions in Cutting Edge's 'Baron's Tripes' 1/32 decal sheet, the seat in the plane in question was covered in red-doped fabric.  I don't know how accurate this is, but it does look good!  And the seat is a replacement - it's Aviattic's lovely 1/32 Fokker seat which while slightly underscale is not obviously so, and is far, far superior to the quite nasty kit offering (of which I unfortunately don't have a photo to use as comparison).

And if I'm taking some trouble over the seat, then I also need the canvas screen behind the seat that is not included in the kit.  I've made this up from scrap Evergreen card and rod and - while it looks pretty rough here - it painted up really well as you can see in the following photo of the cockpit - more on this in my next update.

cheers Brad

[Brad Fallen]

Here's the cockpit photo I mentioned in my previous post - still not complete, but getting there. Again I have made a number of concessions in terms of accuracy (in favour of buildability), but the result is better than the kit original.  cheers Brad

[lcarroll]

   Lovely work on the cockpit Brad, the seat, belts, and the cushion are spot on and the screen/baffle finishes it all off beautifully. This is looking nothing like what would be expected from such a basic kit, great modelling!
Cheers,
Lance

[Juan]

This cannot be the same aircraft so many of us built so many years ago.  Incredible results you are getting.

[GazzaS]

Lovely work!