1:72 Fokker D.VII

The Fokker D.VII under the checkerboard

The German fighter biplane of 1918 counts as the best production machine of the First World War. A thick cantilever wing without external bracing held its stability even in maneuvers where its rivals fell into a spin, and the aircraft forgave less experienced pilots their mistakes. It was the only type the terms of the armistice named specifically among the material to be handed over, and that in itself says something about its reputation at the time. After the war the machines therefore scattered into the air arms of newly created states.

Polish machines from the fighting in the east

The five subjects come from the Polish Air Force of the years 1920 and 1921. Three belong to the 15th Fighter Escadrille at the time of the fighting on the eastern border, one was the personal aircraft of the commander of an air group. The last example is remarkable in that it carried German and Polish insignia at the same time, because it was photographed at the factory airfield before it had been re-marked. The machines come from two different licensees, which shows in small details of the covering and the cowling as well.

Markings on broken covering

The type was delivered with the lozenge camouflage pattern printed on the fabric, so the decals often lie over the ribs of the wing, where the surface is not flat. Without a softener a film will not lay down over such relief. Work in small sections, set the motif in the middle and only then press it out to the sides with a soft brush. Once dry, check against the light whether a bubble has stayed under the film; a single one can be pierced with a needle and pressed down again.