The Fokker Eindecker was part and parcel of the famous "Fokker Scourge" of early World War I, in which German pilots dominated the Allies as the Fokker's effective machine-gun synchronization system allowed forward firing through the spinning propeller.
Eduard launched its series of 1/48 scale WWI aircraft kits in 1994 with a Fokker E.111 Eindecker. It had crude, limited-run-style plastic moldings and extensive photoetched-metal details that had to be folded to shape. However, Eduard's latest Eindecker represents an enormous leap forward in technology with accurate, crisply molded plastic parts and prepainted photoetched-metal parts.
However, the old kit was superior to the new in one respect; it accurately depicted the fabric sag between wing ribs, which the new one does not. Only rib tapes are represented. This is probably related to the present kit's derivation from Eduard's prior release of the plane in 1/72 scale.
The new kit has 94 tan, plastic parts, and a clear plastic windscreen with its own precut painting mask. Included are four wing panels, two types of cowl cheeks, two cowls, two engines, two props, two guns and an optional gas tank behind the pilot seat. Trailing edges and struts are accurately thin. There are two photoetched-metal frets, one of which is prepainted.
The excellent eight-page instruction folder gives part colors and four-view color markings for four aircraft. A fifth scheme is black and white. The aircraft in all five schemes have tan fabric surfaces and a swirled-metal cowl and forward fuselage.
The decals are of high quality, but the top red stripe decal for Ernst Udet's aircraft has its instruction-sheet designator (19) printed over the decal.
The fuselage interior is exceptionally well detailed, so it takes a lot of time. It is easier to attach the engine faceplate, Part C33, if you omit the motor-mount parts (which you can't easily see, anyway). Filling is needed for the areas behind the pilot's seat and on the dorsal seam. (The lower seam is covered by a strip of photoetched-metal stitching.)
Use only the rear landing-gear fairings (parts B7), not the front as the instructions call for, or the struts will be too wide.
I painted exterior fabric parts with Testors Acryl white primer, then Testors Acryl Panzer interior tan, but I had some trouble with adhesion of this combination. Metal-colored surfaces were primed with Tamiya's light gray surface primer, then painted with a mix of Polly Scale flat aluminum and neutral gray. I replicated the swirled effect by hand with a Sakura Gelly Roll silver pen.
Decals went on well and responded to Micro Sol solution. I had to trim off the rudder post to get the rudder to sit down properly in the tail-skid assembly. It is a good idea to use a short metal pin on each side to help anchor the wing panels to the fuselage and prevent droop.
With its photoetched-metal details, the engine is a gem and fits nicely in the cowl. The machine gun has a photoetched-metal sight and perforated cooling jacket.
I attached the model to a stand with rubber bands so I could first work on the bottom, then the top. The landing gear assembly is delicate and requires a lot of care to true it with the rest of the aircraft. Wonder Wire, from Precision Enterprises Unlimited, was used for all the rigging; the tiny turnbuckles came from the kit.
My reference was
Fokker Eindecker in Action (Squadron), which has very helpful photos (especially of the swirled metal surfaces). The model is accurate in dimension and contour; the wingspan is right on for an E.111.
I spent more than 60 hours building this Eindecker, not counting corrections due to paint-adhesion problems. It is an intricate and delicate model; not an easy build, but a welcome addition. I would recommend it only to experienced WWI aircraft builders.
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