Roden has given us a great all-plastic basic kit at a fine price. No brass photoetch, but most average modelers need a basic all plastic kit with little rigging like this to have as a premier build. . . Many Thanks to Aeroscale member Steffen Arndt (Alpha Tango) for the use of his images from IPMS Deutschland.

Link to item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Online atleast at some websites there is a debate on this kit and what might be wrong with it. Let me help you set the record. First a little history. Two companies built the Junkers D.I types. The Junkers & Co. (Jco) and Junkers - Fokker Werke AG (Jfa). This happened because Idflieg (Miliatry inspection dept for aviation) did not trust Junkers to mass produce his machines. Briefly JFa became the main contractor and the parent company became a license builder of their own design. Curious I know.

1. Concerning the turtledeck.
My sources tell me that initially, Jco turtledecks were centerline 2 part . Jfa one piece (like the kit). After Sept, 1918 they all became centerline 2 piece. Jfa was absorbed by Jco at this time.

2. The walkway plates are absent. These can be added using heat stretched sprue or small .030 thou Plastruct / Evergreen plastic rod.

3. The interior surface of the corrugated metal is not represented. True, but in this case it is probably correct. Evidently there may have been additional plating (1/4 of an inch thick) on the interior side walls and belly of the original aircraft's cockpit area. The contracts for the first 50 D.I (single seat) and CL.I (two-seater) types were titled for ". . .50 Balloon machines. . ." This military designation required the additional plating. And it was the final convince-er for Idflieg to purchase the machines.

If you want to do the interior corrugations back from the cockpit heat stretched sprue could be used here as well.

Hi Stephen

Many thanks for the info on this little beauty. A web-search shows it's finally hit the shores of the UK, so I'm already planning a trip to Hannants!

All the best

Rowan

In this view the Jfa built machine appears to have the corrugations running parallel but the turtledeck may be in two piece laterally not down the centerline.

Hi, Stephen!

Very Comprehensive review. I'll definitelly include this kit in "MUST HAVE" list

There're couple of questions I'd like to know:

1. Is there any photo or scheme of Junkers' D.I seat belts? I guess there's no PE available for the subject yet, so I just wondered if I can scratchbuild those.

2. Is there any acrylic brand that could possible replace those Humbrol enamel colour options?

Thanx again!

1. Eduard has a set of PE prepainted seatbelts. These were items that the German aviation section standardized and later became the same pattern for all in 1918.

2. Not sure but I could mention Misterkit acrylics on the basis I have heard others just love them. Personally I have never tried them.

On the kit here is one concern I have. The 2 small instrument panels look reversed in their location. The four embossed disks for the switch levers have been placed on the left, but should be on the right with an in dash starting magneto on the left. This is an easy fix simply turn it over and use sprue slices to replace and add more detail.

I'll have a couple of images in a few days. I could close it up tonight but I want to do some interior shots. Seriously this is a fun kit. (Bit of an oximoron eh?) Not me the comment. Hah!

I think this is a great candidate for a cut away and some serious girder detail. Becareful though, once the cockpit is done the rest of the kit almost falls together. The only thing I need to check is the landing gear strut locations just to make sure their right. More on that later. I probably spent more time on the camouflage than the actual build. Wow! The only sanding I have done was to prep some edges for adhesive and clear off a remnant of sprue stubs.

Here are some great images for the kit builder to work with. The only Junker D.I known to exist D.5829/18 ?

The serial is known to be associated with this machine but it is unclear if it belongs to it rightly. Also it is clear that the paint scheme is NOT original to the machine. Done when restored and it is done wrong..

We that was a quick build. All I have left to do is the hand grabs, foot step, propeller and add the decals. I tried to stay strickly OOB but I just could help myself with some items. I found some interesting colour notations on the Ju. D. I and the Ju.CL.I that I'll share when I post my images.

By the way the kit landing gear is correct in location. No worries there. I'll do a tour at the bench tonight and tomorrow shoot some images if the sun comes out!

I can't wait to see the pics!!!

Then wait no longer!
Here is the kit with some added bits to the cockpit. Lap and shoulder harness, fuel tank hand pump, instrument faces and bezels. The rear had .010 thou rod added to simulate the ridges from the interior. The red appears to be an anti-rust coating and maybe a result of the way they restored the one on display in France, It made a nice contrast to the build. Strickly my interpretations folks.


I added the .010 thou rod to the molded interior structure to represent the guttered type of formers that were used on the original airframe. I chos to also represent the side walls and belly as being skinned with a 3/8 - 1/4 inch armour plate that "MAY" have been present on some. This machine is the first production model of the Junkers Jco company and was later posted to the front. The A profile is 5185/18 found abandoned at Hombeek Belgium in late 1918.

Here is a top view to halp you see a bit more. The fuel tank hand pump is one from a Roden Fokker D.VII kit. The next one I do I will try to represent more of the girder type bracing in the skeletal framwork like the original.

Here is the finished bird. The grooves do quite abit to fuzz the onlookers vision.


The extra struts were found on this 1st production machine and were changed on later airframes to rigging wires. Since I was going for the OOB thing (that is - using the parts Roden gives you ) I added these stiffing braces from extruded brass rod (Aeroclub "STRUTZ") Plastic landing gear can always use a bit of help. It is just fortunate for this builder that this machine is represented in the kit decals.

Here the you see the view from the business end. The Spandau gun jackets and cocking mechanisms are from the spares box.

Here is the end of this tail er uh tale!
One historian has remarked that the colour scheme was dk. green , light pea green and mauve. My own build here is similar but instead of lt. pea green I went with a medium green. Also I may have the locations of the colours a bit muddled as to the pilot's right side. I may try someing a bit different if I do this build again. All in all a very enjoyable build and I highly recommend it to anyone ,
A. doing their first WWI kit
B. doing their first early aviation subject.
C. something out of the ordinary.
D. wanting an easy build.
E. wanting a quick build.
F. doing their first aircraft model.



Also there maybe an alternate scheme for the second profile in the kit. This may have been a black fuselaged machine instead of brown. My thanks to Roden for providing the sample kit for preview and of course my build here.

Hi Stephen

Very neat! I've asked for one of these as a Christmas present.

In the top-view photo you posted earlier it looks like the camouflage on that particular aircraft was a different colour on startboard wing to the rest of the airframe. Do you know any of the story behind that? - maybe a replacement wing or just a trick of the light?

All the best

Rowan

Hi Stephen!

Great job on the D.I!

I think I will place it on my Christmas list as well. It is really an interesting and important subject for aviation modelers. Thanks a lot for sharing this build...

Jean-Luc

Gadzooks and hot marimba! Someone has done a full sized build. Photo of a replica Junkers D1 taken at the Luftwaffenmuseum, Gatow, Germany a few weeks back.

The good people at Roden have posted some of my build images for your enjoyment.
Click Here.

Steven! So the 5185/18 was of the first Jfa batch and had a one piece turtledeck like the kit, right? how about the other option in the Roden box, the machine with brown fuselage and white and blue stripes? One piece or two piece turtledeck? Any idea?

Mikko

Greetings Mikko!

I'll check my files tonight. According to one source 5185/18 was the first Jco short fuselage & wings production machine.

Stephen!

A friend of mine is interested in the sources you mention. Can you, please, name some of the best references for a Junkers D.I build. There's a Windsock datafile, I know, but how about other sources?

Mikko

I would like to know as well about other ref's . I have this kit sitting on the shelf . I would like to have the engine exposed . Stephen once more I'm amazed on the work that you do ! Cheers