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The Fokker triplane is probably the iconic symbol of World War I aviation in the minds of most people. In 1/48 scale, the best choice for building Fokker's triplane is the Eduard Kit. I picked up a "dual combo" version of the kit a few years ago and finally decided to build one. I had put it off for awhile because I could no longer find my favorite paint used to convey the streaky factory applied camouflage, Model Master's Sable Brown Metallic. Determined not to do a red one, I chose Lt. Rudolf Klimke's yellow tailed Dr. I. The underneath of the Fokker was described as a shade of turquoise. For this I used Boyd's Pacific Blue enamel from a spray can. The yellow was Model Master's Gelb. For the streaky effect I decided to try Aviattic's
(https://www.aviattic.co.uk/148-fokker-streaked-camouflage-decals.html) decals. The sheet contains enough to complete 2 models. This was my first attempt at using them and while I made some mistakes (the wing tip edges needed to settle down better with solvent), I liked them enough to order a set in 1/32 for the Hobby Craft kit I have been wanting to build. The dual combo comes with 2 complete kits including 2 sheets of
PE (one for the interior and one for the engine, machine guns etc.), and decal options for 6
triplanes: Ltn. Frommherz Jasta Boelcke, Ltn. Steinhauser Jasta 11, Ltn. Weiss Jasta 11, Ltn. Kempf Jasta Boelcke, Ltn. Klimke Jasta 27, and Hptm. von Tutschek Jasta 12. Klimke used a black anchor on the tailplane and a yellow anchor on the fuselage sides for good luck. He wasn't in the navy; his mother had suggested it as a good luck symbol. He is credited with 16 or 17 victories before being injured on August 21, 1918. He was unable to return to combat before the war ended. The triplane's heyday at the front didn't last long. While it was very maneuverable, the rotary engine couldn't produce enough power to match the speed of newer Allied machines. When von Richthofen was killed flying the triplane, the new, superior Fokker D-VII had just started to roll off the production lines. This is a nice kit to build. The use of Aviattic's decals enhances the final product better than my efforts at painting the streaking on the old SMER kit. There are lots of after-market decal choices out there and Eduard has different boxings of this kit with a good variety of decal choices. So, buckle up and get ready to shoot Snoopy out of the skies. Mike Muth
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Photos and text © by Mike Muth