Revell 1/28 Fokker Dr.1 construction question

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hey guys,

I’m working on the 1/28th Fokker Dr.1 and have a question. I have cut the ailerons away from the top wing because I noticed they were shaped differently. I have corrected the shape but now I need to know what is the best way to re-attach the ailerons so they will be positionable. I’m thinking I should drill a small hole where the molded-in hinges are and super-glue in a piece of wire…but what diameter wire should I use that won’t be too flexible?? Any other ideas will be very much appreciated!! Thanks in advance!

Vic :slight_smile:

2

Vic

About any small diameter copper wire will do, less than say 1/32" diameter. Then you can position the aileron by bending the wire slightly. One small point, though, the ailerons on the Fokker were shaped differently, the right side had less area than the left. It tapers in toward the center section much less sharply than the left aileron does.

Ashley

3

Greetings Ashley;

Only approximately 15-18 of the initial production batch had the odd aileron set up. This included Dr.I 135/17 -144/17 for sure. After the Idflieg order to have them enlarged (among other things including factory spec top wings) the first machines to be refitted went through the assembly line with one of the older type ailerons still in use. See Alex Imrie’s book “The Fokker Triplane.”

Now why would Revell match this? The schematic for this and the old 1/72 scale kit were drawn up by Revell of Great Britain in the early 1950’s. The plans they used were from “Flight” magazine and were of a machine that had been brought down on Jan. 13, 1918. Fokker Dr.I 144/17 was one of the odd aileron machines. It was studied and then had half of its fabric covering removed and was displayed along with other captured German machines in Ilsington at the Agricultural Hall for the benefit of the RAF hospital. A penny would get you a walk through in 1918.

4

Thanks, Stephen!

Ashley

5

Thanks for the info AND the history lesson!! I never knew the ailerons were different on purpose. Well…guess I should’ve asked before I went carving up a perfectly good part! [:)]

Vic

6

Well, I think you are still OK. If I read Stephen correctly, correcting the ailerons was the right thing to do for most of the triplanes. For years, I thought they all had asymmetrical ailerons! That’s why this forum is so great, somebody usuall can point you in the right direction!

7

I’ll add a possible disturbing question that I’d really like to know the answer to. Were both ailerons supposed to be the same as the smaller one or the larger one that came with the kit? Reading that “a perfectly good aileron…carved up” led me to believe that the modeler has cut the larger one down to size. Given that the assymetry was likely a means to trying to compensate for the torque from the rotary engine I wonder which is the right answer. I thought it might be faster to ask here than to go look it up.

8

The aileron with the marginally larger area was on most later Dr.I types. The smaller area ailerons were on the early productions. People looked for years to understand this assymetry. Again its knowing where to look.

Here is my Portfolio of some of my DML builds for your enjoyment.

Click Here

9

Here are a few references. The items in bold are very good for information and good research:

Cross & Cockade Int. (GB) Vol. 3 #3, 1973

Cross & Cockade Int. (GB) Vol. 6 #3 Fold out Cutaway diagram. 1975.

Cross & Cockade Int. (GB) Vol. 34 #4 Pp.1- ? 2003.

Cross & Cockade USA Vol. 1 #1 p.36 1960

Cross & Cockade USA Vol. 5 #1 Pp.1-29, 1964

Cross & Cockade USA Vol. 18 #2 Pp.164-176, 1977

Cross & Cockade USA. Vol. 21 #1 Pp. 81-90. Jasta 14, 1980.

Cross & Cockade USA Vol. 23 #4 Pp.318-334 Baümer & Dr.1 204/17, 1982.

Fighting Triplanes by E. Hadingham, Macmillian Pub. 1968.

Fokker Dr.I, by J.M.Bruce, Profile Pub. #55, 1965

Fokker Dr.I Aces of WW1, by Van Wyngarden/Franks, Osprey Pub. Aircraft of the Aces series #40, 2001. Also there is a Datafile Special on the type and machines assigned to units by this research fiend and historian.

Fokker Dr.I …A Reappraisal by A.Ferko & P.Grosz, Air Enthusiast Eight. Pp. 9-26,

Fokker Dr.I Datafile # 5 by R.Rimell, Albatros Pub. Ltd. 1987.

Fokker Dr.I Drawings by Dan San Abbott, WW1 Aero #122, 1988

Fokker Fighters by A. Imrie, Vintage Warbird Series #6, Arms & Armour Press.1989.

Fokker Dr.I, Flugzeuge die Geschichte Machten by J. Kranzhoff, Motorbuch Verlag, 1994. Fokker Dr.I Special Datafile by R.Rimell, Albatros Pub. Ltd. 1991.

Fokker Dr.I Triplane by Paul Leaman, Ian Allen Pub. 2003.

Fokker Triplane-ology by A. Imrie, C&C Int. Vol.23 #4, Pp.57-64, 1995.

Fokker Triplanes in Service by Dan San Abbott, Over The Front Vol 5.#4 Pp.326-339. 1990.

Fokker Triplane by A. Imrie. Arms & Armour Press. 1992.

German Fighter Units - June 1917-1918 by A. Imrie, Osprey Pub. 1978.

Pictorial History of the German Army Air Service by A.Imrie, Ian Allen Pub., 1971.

10

Thanks for the clarification and the teriffic set of references. I should have bought all the Cross and Cockade back issues they had at Half Price Books a couple of months back. C’est la Vie.