JackFlash to Armorama base...Greetings all;
While Merlin is involved in a build of this kit let me hit just a couple of high points.

First of all it is a fine kit. As advertised it gives you enough parts to build one of four Fokker D.VII type manufactured by OAW (East German Albatros Works.) The instructions are ground breaking for WWI kits. 24 page slick cover using exploded computer generated images. Two pages of text, parts map, regular and reverse ( for cockpit interior) 4 colour lozenge, Lots of photoetch including some very fine gauges and etc.

Minor typos include the listing of Mercedes D.IIIa should be D.IIIaü and Ltn Hasso von Wedel was commander of Jasta 24s not 23s.Also all wing mounted national crosses do or should have white borders. Decals do have these its just an omission of the instructions. On the engines Eduard has finally gotten the rocker boxes correct. (It only took them 12 years.) Two of the four kit propellers with the cones on the bosses are quick release items seen on BMW engine variants only. The green and white striped tail unit on Buchners Jasta 13 machine is unconfirmed by any photos I have seen on the subject. Should be the same blue as the fuselage. Recent studies of Jasta 58 machines say that orange may be an alternative to the black tail half? The lozenge has intermitent black and tan microdots unevenly spaced over the al surfaces to attempt weathering...not convincing. If the Eagle Strike lozenge sheets are A+++ then the Eduard examples are B-. Just my opinion.
JackFlash outbound at angels seven

Hi Stephen

I just got the kit this morning (so it's not the WW1 aircraft I've got on the go...).

I've been at work today - yes... I couldn't resist a trip to Hannants on the way in!

The first impression is amazing... it's one of the best-presented kits I've ever seen. I should get the preview posted sometime next week.

All the best

Rowan

JackFlash to Aromorama base...Thanks Merlin,

Also a several of other minor problems that I forgot to mention...The firewall should incline toward the engine compartment and Eduard has it vertical in its installation. Its an easy fix. Rib tapes were only installed on fabric covered woodenskeletal components...wings, not ailerons. Further more the Heine propellers are almost 3/8 " shorter than the Axial profiles. This makes the Heine props the right size for rotary engines. There were no quick release bosses on rotary engines. It is the pitch and length of a propeller that determines the engine application. The paddle profile was the company hallmark. .

(By the way if you order a propeller from Copper State Models be sure you say its for the Mercedes D.IIIaü 180hp or BMW IIIa 185hp. They will be the same length. I have actually had them send me the wrong sized prop on the wrong header card. They made it right with just a phone call.)

Hi Stephen

I just had a chance to look at the decals... spots and streaks for "weathering". I applaud the intention but you're absolutely right - it's not very convincing, is it?! Why couldn't Eduard have simply left it to modellers to weather things as they see fit?...

All the best

Rowan

In its maximum effort to reach the average modeler or at least what their demographics project as the average modeler, Eduard is trying to present the "complete kit". This will in their view cut out lost money to aftermarket companies. Recently Eduard said in June that they were delaying the release of this kit because they wanted to perfect the kit. The truth is that it was due to late shipment of decals that had to be inserted at the last minute.

By the way. If any one wants to trade off their extra fuselage please let me know. I have cast up a couple sets of resin wings and thought to add some details to empty out my spares boxes.

Hi Stephen

I'll be happy to send you the spare fuselage halves once I get the review sorted and decide what option to go for myself. Sorry for the delay - the pics are all done, but I've just been distracted...

PM me your address and I'll pop them into the post.

All the best

Rowan

Greetings all;
Just had a heart to heart with a couple of distributers I know. Seems Eduard has punched out about 5000 more units of the Fokker D.VII OAW 8131 kit. Check your favorite online Hobby Shop. Here is what Eduard appears to be doing. The old days are gone. Rather than have kits sitting on the shelf they are figuring out exactly what a run of kits needs to be. The old axiom, "...always leave them wanting more."

Go to a model contest and all you see are grey haired or balding middle aged men. We need fresh blood to have a larger voice.

Greetings all; Special note concerning Eduard's recent reissue of their 1/48 Fokker D.VII the intermittent red brown, black and tan microdots unevenly spaced over the all surfaces to attempt weathering are Gone!!!! I'll have to graduate Eduard from B - to B+ on their lozenge. Maybe they are listening.

Greetings all; In response to a couple of inquiries. The Eduard kit cowl provided in the kit for Stark's aircraft (D. 4523/18) is incorrect, it has the pilot's right side depicted with a flat shelf that is notched to fit against the engine cylinders, with the exhaust exiting over this panel.

Look at the Windsock Fokker D.VII Anthology vol. 2, and you will find some photos of Ltn. Stark's aircraft.
The photos show Stark's aircraft had a full rounded upper cowl panel with many louvers that had a cut out at the back for the exhaust pipe. The front radiator also should have been rounded similar to the early style in the Roden early OAW kit. The Jager kit has this correct cowling, but the Eduard cowl is incorrect.

One way to over come this is to simply cut the upper panels away as if the machine were operating in late summer early fall.

With the DML kits I am working on for my EOW diorama I altered with sheet plastic using the Roden kit upper panel as a pattern. If I have to do this all over again I would use toolers aluminum (as thick as 3-4 sheets of aluminum cooking foil.) The Louvres can be made from Evergreen plastic strip. They have quarter round in various thickness'.

Also on the radiator plug the notch with a chunk of plastic sheet probably two .060 thou glued together and flex file the union.

I am suprised that after Eduard went to all of the trouble to build 2 different fuselages and radiators that they chose to build a version that was used only on a very small number of aircraft from the mid production batch. Definately not the type on Ltn. Stark's aircraft as depicted in the decals.

Well the next one is out #8132. It looks like early and late built Fokker Schwerin /Gorries examples. I'm glad to see Eduard taking the road least traveled when it comes to marking schemes.

http://www.eduard.cz/info/photos/8132/