Fokker is a
well-known name even for people not familiar with the field of aviation.
Some of his designs (not actually his, by the way, but mostly Reinhold Platz’s)
are easily recognized (like the proverbial triplane); while some others are not.
The prolific family of civil transports that were created by the Fokker
industries (like the trimotors) somehow shadowed other very unique creations,
like the machine presented in this article. It was one more step upward and
forward in a long line of designs that made a positive imprint in the aviation
collective.
Of the type introduced here only two machines were made
commissioned by the United States, the design somehow failed to attract other buyers, unusual for a
Fokker. Of
the two machines bought by the US, one was used for the
coast-to-coast flight (oval windows) and another was used as an ambulance after
participating in a race with the number 43 (square windows). The Fokker
designation F.IV was changed to T-2 and A-2 respectively for these planes.
Their story, especially the coast-to-coast flight, is very interesting indeed,
but too extensive to approach here. Give it a Google or better yet, go to
http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/AnnalsofFlight/pdf_hi/SAOF-0001
a whole Smithsonian publication on the subject with ALL you need.
Click on
images below to see larger images
About
vacuformed models in general:
Vacs are a different media, and as such have to be treated. Think about
the construction techniques for wood-and-canvas, metal, and composite
planes. Each requires its own approach, tools and procedures. Build them
with joy, accepting the bit of challenge, and don’t be afraid. It’s
worth it.
V.L.E Models offers a wide range of subjects, attractive and
esoteric (for me that’s a compliment) in 1/72 and 1/144.
http://members.tripod.com/~vlemodels/main.htm
You will find good vac-building tutorials at the Khee-Kha
website, a source of excellent vacs:
http://www.mtaonline.net/~zdk/vac.htm
http://www.mtaonline.net/~zdk/build.htm
A few words based on my own experience: vacuformed parts are
sometimes a bit flimsy and they don’t match as “perfectly” as the
injected ones. That’s the nature of the beast. The surfaces are usually
not immaculate, and present little pips and tiny depressions that are the
marks of the molding process. You will have to fill there and sand here,
yes.
Just know it: it is going to be different. Not better, not worse, just
different.
Mark the lines surrounding the parts on the backing sheet
with a permanent marker –I use an extrafine Sharpie- it will be a very
important reference when cutting, and, most of all, when sanding: it will
tell you where to stop! Do not use a pencil, the line will fade and become
invisible. Later filling, sanding, priming and painting
will make the line disappear.
Vacs demand attention and patience –by the way, any kind of kit does-,
but not supernatural powers. They require some planning and pondering,
some improvisation too and are excellent trainers for scratch building.
They make you learn and advance. Don’t worry, you may –and probably
will (I do)- make a few mistakes: glue-etched fingerprints, a furrow or
two as the cutter decides to go somewhere else, some bumps and some voids.
Nothing to worry about, all can be corrected –I do it all the time!-.
Learn from what it is available to you regarding vacs and
then adjust and adapt to your own preferences. Replace things when
necessary, be creative!
Now, for the real tamale, the model:
When I saw the vac kit of the T-2 offered at the V.L.E. models webpage I
had a moment of ecstasy. Upon arrival I was very pleasantly surprised by
the price/quality ratio. You get the vac parts, resin parts, metal parts,
decals, clear plastic, and a brief instruction sheet.
Although with little blemishes here and there, the overall
quality is pretty fair and you get a lot for your money. The thickness of
the styrene is good; the molds are not perfect but good enough to be
pleasant to work with, but some experience is needed to build a good
model. You don’t have to be a master modeler, just have some building
experience.
At almost 25 meters of original span the 1/72 replica is not
a small model, probably not the very first vac you would like to try. The
photo sequence will illustrate the steps I took in building the Fokker.
The manufacturer approached the wing inventively as two upper and lower
halves, a spar (the instructions wisely advise to double it with scrap
material) and a wrap-around leading edge. Two images illustrate this. I
laid down the spar on the lower half, and carefully dry fitted the upper
half a number of times sanding the upper part of the spar until a good fit
was achieved. I diverted from the instructions and joined the halves at
the “truncated” lipped leading edge which has a step for the
“real” leading edge to lock on. Don’t worry, look at the images.
Once this was set, I glued the trailing edge which revealed a slight
difference in length that was filled with putty. The wing tips required
some putty too. I would recommend give the upper wing surface more
curvature (just pressing with your fingers) to improve a tad its
appearance. Beware that the upper wing has the fuel caps molded in.
Don’t sand them away –or if you do, add them later as small circles (errrr
I did).
The fuselage side windows were cut out and a few blemishes
dealt with. I had to supplement the area that would be in contact with the
wing –see image-, since it is a wee bit curved in the kit, while the
original airfoil bottom was flat (from roughly ahead of the main spar
backwards).
I opened a few vents and cut out the top of the fuselage were
the wing sits in order to have comfortable access to the interior later.
The front pilot area was hollowed next. All this without joining the
fuselage halves yet.
Since the T-2 was a distance-duration record plane, it had
two interchangeable pilot positions, one outside in the left fuselage
front –the engine was aside on the right- and one inside in the left
cabin, behind a huge extra fuel tank, so you have too areas that need
detail attention. The resin and metal parts cover these two areas to a
good degree. You get, among other parts, an instrument panel for the cabin
position, but you could scratch the one for the cockpit, although it is
located so far at the front and under the cowl that is probably not going
to be visible. The reason of such advanced position is to clear the
movement of the big control wheel. You may like to add one or two
bulkheads to the aft fuselage, which will improve its rigidity when
closed, and help with sanding of the seams. The front upper part of the
cowling had in the real plane a panel join at the middle, so you don’t
have to putty that one, sanding will suffice. Beware that there is also a
laced seam at the fuselage bottom, from the cabin end to the tail skid, so
don’t putty that area either. I used to replicate that lace a
photoetched part.
I opted not to use the resin part provided for the radiator,
but instead sanded the fuselage front flat and added a scratchbuilt part.
Some other left-over photoetched parts were used here and there to enhance
the detail overall. As with any other model you can go bananas or make it
simple, it is all up to you. Do what makes you happy. The landing gear was
glued –it is provided as a metal casting with even three tiny metal rods
to detail it-
Once the model was primed I added a few more photoetched
parts, handles and fittings, and the cables and levers system underneath
the fuselage, control horns, since I had sinned and needed some penance.
Now painting was approaching. Beware that the wing was ply-covered, light
in color, clear varnished and with the grain running chordwise –that is
for you fledglings in the direction the planes advances-. I couldn’t get
a satin or gloss olive drab for the rest of the plane, so I went with a
Tamiya flat one that later was Future-enhanced in order to restore some
shine. I never seem to come to terms with Tamiya paints, which gave a lot
of trouble in many ways, while the Model Master acrylics behaved properly.
Then the controls were rigged and decals applied. Wrong, since the cables
on the aft fuselage side have to go through the decals. So you know, first
decals and then rigging. While we are on the decal subject I have to say
they are superb, but you have to be careful and especially cautious about
the golden rims that surround the windows, since if you are too
enthusiastic cutting or sanding the windows out, then the rims will be too
small to reach the borders. Although they have a good register as a whole,
I cut all panels separate. The wing round insignias are of slightly less
quality. Clear plastic windows were inserted from inside (remember I cut
open the roof of the cabin?) and some structure was added that is visible
from outside, as well as the instrument panel corresponding to that
section. Although the provided resin exhausts were good, I made my own
ones since it was an easy task (some fine metal filament wrapped around
aluminum tube). The long boom for the Pitot tube was made of wood as the
original, a photoetched scrap added. It is rigged to the wing by four
stays. Little thingies here and there like the two Venturis on the side of
the cabin, wing tie-downs on the wing tips, etc. and presto!
Three other
liveries can be made if you modify the kit: the A-2 ambulance –red crosses on
white circles-, the racer –different A.S. number and “43” at least on the
fuselage sides- and the same plane which two photos show in plain finish (most
likely clear-varnished light-colored wood for the wing and doped fabric for
everything else but the fuselage front. Bear in mind that the ailerons were
fabric covered, so they should be painted of whatever color you are using for
the fuselage.
The main difference is that these versions had square windows in a different
arrangement. Other details: the exhaust pipes run up vertically. They had
sometimes two wheels on each side of the axle. There are also a few minor
details like the stirrups and changes in the cowl vents and bumps.
On a research note page three in the above-mentioned Smithsonian paper seems to
erroneously describe the plane in the photo on page 3 as the T-2 used in the
non-stop flight, but, given its squared windows, cowl details and vertical
exhaust it is probably A.S. 64234, the A-2 painted with #43 for the 1923 St.
Louis Air Meet.
Oh man, this one was fun.
That’s all, folks!
Gabriel
Stern
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|