WNW Fokker D.VII fuselage gap fix

[apauling]

I built the WNW Fokker D.VII last year and was frustrated to find that the top of fuselage wouldn't close up behind the cockpit.  After discussing this with others I found that I wasn't the only one to have this problem.  Now that the kit is available again I thought that I would test fit this area first (the problem is still there).  The top rear corners of B10 and B11 have raised circles with a hole in the middle to accept pins from the top corners of the seat bulkhead.  If you deepen the holes in the circles then cut them level with the rest of the fuselage frame the fuselage will close around the cockpit. 

 

modified parts at the top

original parts at the bottom.

 

Another thing that frustrated me with my first build of this kit was the fuel tank.  After carefully painting and weathering it I found that it is completely invisible when you finish the kit.  It is structurally necessary however.  I found that getting the filler pipes to line up with the holes in the coaming was a fiddly experience.  It might be easier to attach the filler pipes to the coaming rather than the fuel tank. 

 

The scale thickness of the landing gear makes the kit very wobbly on its wheels.  The gear legs should be rigged with fishing line or wire or your kit will jiggle every time a butterfly farts.

[Joe66]

".....every time a butterfly farts". LOL...have not heard that one before ! Hahahahaha....

 

Joe

Edited May 16, 2017 by Joe66

[BiggTim]

Yeah, that one almost made me spit my coffee!!

 

Thanks for the advice. I have two of these waiting in the wings.

[esarmstrong]

Great advice on the Fokker and its frail propensities around flatulent butterflies.

[LSP_Mike]

Keep it away from the moths!

 Good point on the frame bits. I'll drill it through, and saw off the offending bit. I put all my planes on bases now, pinned down, and when transporting, I slide foam wedges under the wings to stabilize the model.

[Richard Tool]

Hi to all - New to this site . I mostly model 1/48 Japanese Aircraft but the lure of the WnW kits is strong . I've begun studying for my D VII build and read on WnW's hints/tips that they DO NOT recommend decal setting solutions for their large decals ( i.e. Lozenge I suppose)

This surprises me . Do they indeed snuggle down without it ? Any advice either way would be appreciated.

Thanks - Richard

[LSP_K2]

[LSP_Kevin]

Very good tips, Paul! Thanks for posting them.

 

Kev

[LSP_Mike]

To veer off just a wee bit: I don't use any setting solution stronger than Micro-sol/set, and I apply lozenge over a gloss primed surface.

 Look up more info in the thread about OOB WNW lozenge decals.