1/3 scale Fokker D.VII

 

SMAC member Rick B's latest project is a 1/3 scale Fokker D.VII from a vintage Glenn Torrance Models kit.  Power will be a DA-85 gasoline engine.

The original D.VII used welded steel tubing for the fuselage and tail surface framework, with wooden wing ribs and spars.  Glenn Torrance duplicated the original structure as closely as possible, using wooden dowels in place of the tubing.

The story goes that the sawtooth shaped leading edge sheeting was to avoid creating a sharp break in the fabric contour between the ribs.

Realism even extends to the hinges.  Metal strips are slotted, then formed around the control surface leading edges and attached to the surfaces with screws.  Rick says they work smoothly when bent to shape.  Some of the kit hardware was missing, so he's making up the difference with brass ones.

Here's some additional pictures showing how they work:

The kit is also missing some cruciform bracket fittings.  If you know of someone who can laser cut thin stainless steel, Rick would like to hear from you.