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1:32nd scale Fokker E.IV


sandbagger

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Hi all,
As my Nieuport XVII build is coming to a close, I've started researching the next build.
The Fokker E.IV ‘Eindecker’, Serial No: 161/16 of home defence unit Kest 6, April 1917 at Bonn Hangelar, Cologne.
Flown (i think at least) by Leutnant Hans ‘Garrelt’ Müller.
There were two pilots with the same name.
1. Hans Karl Müller was a fighter pilot who scored 9 victories until being wounded in combat on the 26th of December 1916, after which he was withdrawn from operational flying and instead was given test pilot duties for the Siemens-Schuckert company.
2. Hans Müller was also a fighter pilot and survived the war and it’s the similarity of the pilot in the following photographs that leads me to believe he is the correct person for this aircraft, given the photograph in the aircraft was taken in April 1917.
However, given the information available, the identity of the actual pilot is my ‘best guess’ and may not be correct.

 

Hans Müller was born in Etzel, Ostfriesland on the 3rd of July, 1896.

WW1 service:
On the 1st of April 1914 Müller joined the army and served in Infantry Regiment No.13.
He transferred to the German Air Force in November 1916 and flew two-seaters until the end of 1917. During 1917 it seems he may have been serving on the home defence Kest 6, where he was photographed in Fokker E.IV Serial No:161/16.
In late 1917 he joined Jagdstaffel 12 then in early 1918 moved to Jagdstaffel 15 flying the Fokker DR.1 Triplane. On the 9th of January 1918 he scored his first victory and on the 29th he claimed two more victories, although the second was unconfirmed. In March 1918, after shooting down an RE8 for his third confirmed victory, his aircraft was badly damaged over no man's land, but he managed to make it back to his own lines.
He finally moved to Jagdstaffel 18 and it was between the 27th of March and the 22nd of September 1918, that he shot down and destroyed ten more opponents, one of which was
possibly Paul Baer, the first American ace of the United States Air Service.
It was between 9:00 and 9:15 AM on 14 September 1918, Müller shot down three SPAD XIII aircraft from the 103rd Aero and at 2.40 that that same afternoon, he shot down a fourth Spad from that same squadron.

A week later, he finished his tally with one last Spad.

It was during this day that Müller scored Jasta 18's 100th victory.

His total victory tally was twelve confirmed and one unconfirmed.

 

Footnote:
At some point in time, Müller changed his surname to "Garrelt" as the name "Hans Müller" was rather common and he and another pilot with the same name were forever getting their mail
confused.

 

Post WW1:
During World War II, Müller served on the staff of Lutflotte III under Generalfeldmarschall Sperrle.
 

Post WW2:
After WW2 he worked in civilian live as an engineer, designing steam locomotives for ‘Hanomag and Henschel’ before going freelance.

Hans Müller died of a brain tumour in Munich in 1964.

 

Mike

 

header.jpg

 

muller1.jpg

 

muller2.jpg

 

 

Edited by sandbagger
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32 minutes ago, europapete said:

Nice choice Mike. As this engine is rather visible, are you going to use a Taurus Models engine? Regards, Pete in RI

ps, what are those blocks having down? Wheel chocks maybe?

 

Hi Pete,

I'm not sure what they are, but they look too shallow an angle to be usable wheels chocks.

Strangely they're suspended with wire from fittings on the lower fuselage?

As for the engine, they're hard to find and Taurus are out of stock.

However I had one in my stash, which presumably I intended to use for a model in the past, but never did,

 

Mike

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Hi all,
The Oberursel U.III engine is one.
Basically a German copy of the French 'Lambda 14' double row 14 cylinder rotary engine (160hp).
It was essentially two 7 cylinder Oberursel U.0 engines (80hp) bolted together.

I admire the fine detail created by 'Taurus Models' for their resin engine, which I intended to use instead of the kit supplied engine.
However and not for the first time, I found the small parts (soft resin) were easily broken, no-matter how careful I was assembling them.
So I decided to make a hybrid from the 'Taurus Models' engine and the 'Wingnut Wings' engine. 
The finer detailed engine crankcase, cylinders and spark plugs are from the 'Taurus' engine.
The valve gear and push rods are from the 'Wingnut Wings' kit.
I think it'll look OK even though the bottom half of the engine is highly visible.
The ignition leads (which of course can barely be seen) are 'EZ' black stretch line (Fine).

 

Mike

 

engdone.jpg

 

engdone1.jpg

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On 12/23/2022 at 10:54 PM, europapete said:

Will check my refs and see if I can find anything

Hi Peter,

On reflection I think they probably are wheel chocks.

I think the spigots they are hanging from were fitted to Eindecker fuselages as one of the points for attaching the removed wings to the fuselage.

That was the way these aircraft were transported by road or rail.

Presumably they were also used as a convenient location for keeping the chocks with the aircraft during ground movement.

 

Mike

 

transport.jpg 

Edited by sandbagger
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Hi Mike, yes, they are slung over said spigots, all versions of the Eindekker had them. Note also the rigging wires rolled up like a wreath on the kingpost and the lower wires wrapped similarly around the propellor nested in the undercarriage in the above photo. 

That engine came out nice, well done. 

 

Edited by europapete
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Hi all,
The following are shots of the cockpit side frames, braced with 0.08 mm diameter mono-filament, 0.4 mm blackened tube and 1:48th scale 'Gaspatch' turnbuckles..
Also the rudder, elevator and wing warp controls, similarly rigged and the basic cockpit floor assembly.

 

Mike

 

rig15.jpg

 

rig14.jpg

 

rig16.jpg

 

floor1.jpg

 

floor2.jpg

 

fus1.jpg

 

fus2.jpg

 

fus3.jpg

Edited by sandbagger
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Hey Mike, great looking work on this build - as usual for you!  I have recently completed my SE-5a build in the "in Progress" section, my 7th WNW build, and I will be trying to use fishing line to rig my next WWI aircraft.  I have everything ready to go for that job (I think) and I have looked through all of your builds to get a firm idea about what right looks like when it come to the process of rigging with fishing line.  I admit that I will probably cheat and still use elastic thread for the control wires in the cockpit though.  

 

Great instruction here and on your website, thank you!

 

Ernest

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49 minutes ago, Greif8 said:

Hey Mike, great looking work on this build - as usual for you!  I have recently completed my SE-5a build in the "in Progress" section, my 7th WNW build, and I will be trying to use fishing line to rig my next WWI aircraft.  I have everything ready to go for that job (I think) and I have looked through all of your builds to get a firm idea about what right looks like when it come to the process of rigging with fishing line.  I admit that I will probably cheat and still use elastic thread for the control wires in the cockpit though.  

 

Great instruction here and on your website, thank you!

 

Ernest

Hi Ernest,

I've used EZ line on occasions for cockpit control lines, but not often as it can be tricky to thread through tubing and turnbuckles.

Mono-filament is easier to use, will give structural strength and won't degrade over time.

Good luck with the next model and PM or mail me if you need to,

 

Mike 

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Hi all,
The Fokker company burnished or turned the exposed metal surfaces of the 'Eindeckers'.
'Wingnut Wings' suggest representing this effect by brushing with thinned 'Tamiya' Aluminium and Chrome paints.
I think for many modelers this can be problematic, trying to brush paint thin and consistent 'squiggles' over the parts.

 

Instead I tried an easier and much quicker method, as follows:
Airbrushed with 'Tamiya' Gloss Black (X1).
Airbrushed with 'Alclad' Duraluminium (ALC102).
Airbrushed with 'Alclad' Flat clear coat (ALC314).
'Squiggles' drawn using a standard 2B pencil.
Airbrushed with 'Alclad' Light Sheen clear coat (ALC311).

 

The final clear coat highlights the graphite in the pencil squiggles.
Of course I then realized that most of this will have to be lightly over-sprayed with the green dope for this particular model - hey-ho.

 

Mike

 

metal1.jpg

 

metal.jpg

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