Fokker V3 1/72 Conversion using the Eduard ProfiPACK Fokker Dr. I By Bill Powers

Introduction

I converted the Eduard Fokker Dr I to the prototype V3 using photos and dimensions from references. The question is...what are the correct dimensions for the V3? I used photos as my guide for dimensions.

Construction

The Eduard kit's wings have the correct number of ribs for the production triplane, as per drawings and photos. The photographs of the prototype V3 show the top wing had 20 ribs. So the top wing of the kit was shortened by cutting at the first rib in from the wingtip. This leaves 20 ribs, count before cutting! Leave about 1/8 inch for the curved wingtip! Don’t worry about losing the balanced part of the ailerons because the V3 ailerons were unbalanced. A new wingtip was made by shaping the 1/8th inch using the old one as a guide for shape.

The center and bottom wing were of the same dimension, which required cutting one rib one each side from the bottom kit wing and cutting on the second rib for the middle wing. Again leave about 1/8th inch for making a new wingtip! Check before cutting, but this should give both wings the same dimension. These modified wings matched the dimensions found in Squadron's in Action book.

The spacing between the cabane struts is greater on the V3 than the kit. The struts are further toward the wingtip by one rib each side, so drill new holes and fill the old cabane strut location holes.

The horizontal stabilizer was modified to match photos. The kit's ribs matched plans of the production tail. Photos of the V3 show one less rib on each side,so the width of the tail was narrowed by eliminating one rib on each side. A new leading edge was cut. Photo of V3 shows a slight curvature to leading edge similar to initial production versions.

The fuselage was shortened 6” by cutting about 1/12” of an inch off the tailpost and sanding the fuselage to a new taper. The opening for guns was filled with plastic and coaming added to the cockpit opening. I didn’t use the beautiful photo etched interior but made my own from 10 thou brass and wire bracing by 5 thou using plans for proper location. Slight changes were made to the cowling to match the photos.

I guess you could say every piece from the kit was changed to match photos!

The easy part is now done! Making the new cabane and landing gear struts was the most difficult task. I choose to lengthen the kit struts to preserve the beautiful top end of the cabane strut. On hindsight, making new ones would have been easier. I added wire inserts in the end of all struts so I could taper the plastic strut at the ends, just like the real plane. This added a lot to the looks and much more to the difficulty of building the model!

Getting the correct length for the new cabane strut was not as difficult as getting the top wing to “line up” with the other wings! I worked off and on for TWO YEARS until I was finally able to obtain a “fit” that let the wing stay lined up! The top wing alignment is still too delicate and picking the wing up by the top wing will adversely affect alignment!

The bracing wires for the top wing are 5 thousand music wire and contribute greatly to the strength, location and stability of the top wing. Photo etch from Eduard’s kit were used for the seat belts (beautiful), engine and propeller boss. The hand lifts, control horns and control cable are from wire!

The model was painted in a light cream color base color. The ribs and formers were lightly marked with an Ochre colored pencil. The model was over sprayed with a lighter shade of cream. Finally, the area between the ribs was sprayed with an even lighter cream/off white. The metal areas are Alclad. The struts are British Interior Green with some white.

Looking at the model, I can understand why some pilots refused to fly the plane!