Roden 1/48 scale Fokker D.VII (Fokker-built early)

Kit: No. 415
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Roden, available from Squadron Mail Order, 1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, TX 75011-5010, 979-242-8663, www.squadron.com
Price: $19.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 107 parts, decals
Pros: Excellent detail, separate cowl panels expose good engine detail
Cons: Fit problems, decals can break up easily, landing gear is fragile

The Fokker D.VII is considered by many to be the best fighter aircraft of World War I. Roden's offering is appreciated by WWI fans since the vintage D.VII kit by Aurora/K&B/Monogram/ Revell is closer to 1/40 scale and not well-detailed. The better and more-recent Dragon kit is out of production and hard to find.

Roden's kit is an early D.VII, but later versions with alternate cowl panels, radiators, and exhausts are coming. The kit's extensively detailed engine and nose allow the omission of some panels to display the detail inside.

The kit is crisply molded in strong, light-gray plastic. Molding is crisp and detail is excellent. Decals are supplied for four aircraft: Hermann Gîring (Jasta 27), Bruno Lîrzer (Jasta 26, shown on the box art), Hugo Shaefer (Jasta 15), and Rudolf Berthold (Jasta 15). No photoetched-metal parts are included. Both wings have top and bottom surfaces, and all control surfaces are separate and positionable.

The fuselage interior is exceptionally well-detailed and includes a gas tank with three filler nozzles. No seat belts are provided. The machine guns are nicely done but look better if you add aftermarket photoetched-metal jackets. The kit includes three styles of props, wheel covers, and axle wings. Both Mercedes and BMW engines are supplied.

The kit's instructions are well done. Painting and camouflage-scheme colors are indicated except for the interior walls, which showed the muted backside of the lozenge-printed fabric (see the April 2004 FSM). The cockpit fits well between the fuselage halves. I added photoetched-metal seat belts and instrument-face decals.

The kit's separate front end and engine compartment are the source of challenging fit problems. It took considerable effort to get the nose to mate properly with the rest of the fuselage. The two side channels on the bottom of the nose (part No. 28B) had to be deepened and widened to keep the side panels from protruding too far and making the nose too wide. I did not fill in the bottom seam on the fuselage since it represents the fabric edges coming together with lacing. I simulated the lacing later with diagonal pencil marks. The semicircular cutout on the top of the fuselage needed enlargement to accommodate the rear of the engine.

I masked, painted, and decaled the model before assembling it any further. The decals tend to break up and must be handled carefully. The high-gloss five-color lozenge-pattern decals look gaudy at first, but after they're applied to a medium-gray surface and sprayed with clear flat, they look much better. My decal for the upper surface of the lower wing broke up, and I had to substitute an Eagle Strike decal. I also added aftermarket rib-tape decals.

Fitting and filing was necessary to get a good joint between the fuselage and lower wing. I attached the "N" struts to the lower wing, then attached the upper wing. This established the upper-wing position. Next I added the V-shaped struts between the fuselage and the upper wing. Lastly, I installed the two longer struts on each side.

The landing-gear struts are fragile and the groove in the axle wing must be enlarged to receive them. I used steel wire for the X bracing and this strengthened the gear assembly satisfactorily.

The kit is accurate in dimensions and contour. I spent well over 40 hours building mine due to the minor fit problems and the aircraft's complex livery. I recommend this kit to experienced biplane modelers who are willing to invest the time to solve the fit problems.

- Dr. Bill Funcke