1:48 FOKKER XXIII

Two engines, two booms and one single prototype

This Dutch design from the end of the 1930s is among the boldest solutions of its day. Fokker placed two engines one behind the other in a short nacelle with the cockpit in the middle, one pulling with a tractor propeller at the front and the other pushing with a pusher propeller at the rear, and the tail surfaces were carried by a pair of booms. Such an arrangement promised the advantages of a twin-engine aircraft without asymmetric thrust if one powerplant failed, but it brought its own troubles: cooling the rear engine was difficult and leaving the machine in an emergency was dangerous because of the rear propeller. The first flight took place in May 1939. The aircraft never reached production, as the German attack on the Netherlands a year later ended the development, and the single example built has not survived.

An unusual cockpit shape and what follows from it

The cockpit sits between the booms and is glazed fairly high up, so it forms a prominent part of the model's silhouette. The frames are narrow at the same time and where they run into the spine they meet at acute angles. Masking with tape by hand usually ends here in a wavy line. A pre-cut sheet holds the shape exactly, and its inner part also makes it possible to spray the frames from inside before the canopy is even seated on the fuselage. It is best to lift both films at the same time, so that the edge of the finish does not break anywhere. The tip of a toothpick helps to seat the sharp corners.

• Outer and inner glazing film in one package
• The shapes respect the unusual framing of the prototype
• Prepared for the 1:48 kit by the brand RS Models