Made famous by Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the Fokker Dr.I triplane was not produced in large numbers. That didn’t stop the all-red bird from becoming one of the most recognized aircraft of all time.
Mimicking the quick fame of the prototype, the Meng triplane kit burst onto the scale modeling scene as a rumored last-minute save of the announced and much anticipated Wingnut Wings kit. The circumstantial evidence suggests this kit does indeed have Wingnut Wings roots, given the design details and great fit. However, there are a few hints that suggest the kit never went through a final polish as evidenced by the simplified details in some areas.
Even so, there are enough details to satisfy with a fully appointed cockpit and highly detailed engine assembly. Meng includes a photo-etched metal (PE) fret containing seat belts, gun cooling jackets, and other details without attachment points; All you need to do is remove both sides of an adhesive backed protective sheet — very nice! Meng also provides four marking options, including the iconic all-red Baron’s. The other three options feature the traditional Fokker “streaked” camouflage (I cheated and used Aviatic decals for this effect). Optional parts are included for the early “prototype” F.1 famously flown by Werner Voss.
While some details are simplified compared to a Wingnut Wings kit, construction follows a familiar pattern. One notably missing feature are callouts for detail painting in the instructions. You complete assembly using tabs and slots, which lead to easy alignment and secure attachments. Once finished, the cockpit securely mounts inside the fuselage via molded plugs. The fuselage halves fit together well, although you’ll have to address a minor molding flaw near the steps. Meng includes an injection-molded strip to replicate the obvious stitching on the lower fuselage centerline, requiring a bit of careful trimming for a proper fit. A sturdy tailskid is a welcome feature. The upper fuselage details and guns were built up and finished separately and left for mounting later in the build.
The center section of the middle wing with upper fuselage decking had a damaged right-hand cockpit coaming, common among many early kits (Meng is offering replacements for damaged components). In my case, it was an easy repair. All three wings have a very slight upward warp; you’ll have to determine if it bothers you. The tail surfaces are razor thin, so careful sprue removal and cleanup is a must. The wings, upper fuselage decking, struts, and lower fuselage fit perfectly. I was especially impressed with how easily the center section cabane struts mounted. Also, the sturdy landing gear assembly fits together so well it almost does not require glue.
The engine has optional early and late parts. Careful painting does the detail justice, and it builds without any trouble at all. The kit comes with three cowling options and two propellers. I added these parts after all painting and decaling was complete.
I primed the entire kit using Tamiya deck tan (XF-55). The tail surfaces received Tamiya light blue (XF-23) underneath and field gray (XF-65) for the green upper fuselage decking and bands under the wing crosses. The Aviatic decals saved a lot of time, are tough and easy to apply, and require only a sharp blade for trimming. The kit decals went down without issue, with no bleed-through on the yellow numbers. I added rigging based on the box top and the molded attachment points. Unfortunately, there is no rigging diagram or mention in the instructions.
While a bit of a diamond in the rough compared to expectations, Meng’s Fokker Dr.I kit is still a diamond. Lack of information in the instructions and a bit less refinement on molded detail does not detract from the chance of finishing a great model. Meng’s triplane builds easily and looks the part. I hope they continue to add quality kits like this to fill the void left by Wingnut Wings.