History of the original

For the First Fighter Competition at Adlershof in January 1918 it was decided to manufacture the Fokker D.VI as a move to insure enough rotary engine fighters would be available for front line operations. Since the Oberursel Ur.III 145hp and the Goebel Goe III 160hp or the Siemens-Halske Sh III 160-220hp were still in short supply due to production concerns, the Fokker V.9 with its very reliable Oberursel Ur.II 120hp was chosen to go into a small production. "MAKE NO MISTAKE" while there are physical similarities between the Fokker company’s Dr.I and the D.VI, one was not developed from the other. Like any engineering concern the Fokker designers had formulas that they used for aircraft specifications, especially concerning the type and weight of an installed motor in an airframe. The closest similarity to the D.VI (rotary) is the D.VII (inline six.) Fokker built one for type testing in the ‘low altitude operations class’ and one for ‘higher altitude operations class.’ The Fokker D.VI was to make up the partial compliment of Jagdstaffel 80b. In Jasta 64w (Fokker D.VI 1679/18), Kest 4b (Fokker D.VI 1648/18 ? ) and in Kest 1a, single examples were used for rotary engine familiarization flights by its pilots. These units were designated to receive the new Pfalz D.VIII with the Sh III 160-220hp and had been flying Albatros D.Va types with worn-out inline six Mercedes D.IIIaü 180hp.

For many years modelers have debated the reason that the production V.9 (with the 120hp Oberursel) was longer than the Fokker Dr.I fuselage. The answer is simple. The Dr.I had one wing spar in each wing. The D.VI had two wing spars in each wing. The V13- O and V.13-Sh had the more powerful 145hp & 160hp rotaries and were even longer.

Kit over all view

Fortune smiles on us with the out put of Roden of the Ukraine. This kit review will deal specifically with their Roden Fokker D.VI kit # 603. Roden’s all plastic kits seem to be aimed at the average modeler with an eye for detail. For my build I will extend the nose to meet the original's engine installment specs.

Plastic parts = 103 pieces.

I was cautioned by another modeler to;
A. Test fit the lower wing attachment area as it is very tight.
B. Check lozenge decal location before application on kit.
C. Seat N struts as deep in to the sockets as they can go.

Decal options

I. D.1689/17 FEA “B” Alsace Lorraine June 1918.
II. The personal or unit marking of a white triangle/pennant from Kest 1a is included. The exact serial of this aircraft is unknown. Sept. 1918.
III. Serial unknown Jasta 80b Ltn. Kurt Seit Summer 1918.“Fratz.”

References

Grosz P.M., Haddow G., & Schiemer P. 2002. Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One. Flying Machines Press, Boulder, Colorado. (pages 408-409 & 510).

Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen, German Aircraft Of The First World War, Putnam, London, 1962 (pages 102-104)

Gray, Peter L., & Stair, Ian R., Fokker Fighters Of World War 1, Vintage Aviation Publication Ltd, Oxford, 1976 (page 13).

Grosz, P.M., Fokker D.VI, Windsock Datafile 84, Albatros Publications, Ltd., Berkhamsted, 2000

Hauke, Erwin & Schroeder, Walter & Tötschinger, Bernhard, Di Flugzeuge der k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe und Seeflieger 1914-1918, H. Weishaukpt Verlag, Graz, 1988 (pages 125, 128-129)

Lamberton, W. M., Fighter Aircraft Of The 1914-1918 War, Harleyford Publications Limited, Letchworth, 1960 (pages 124-125).

Leaman, Paul, Fokker Aircraft of World War One, The Crowood Press, Marlborough, 2001 (pages 110, 116-118)

Makanna, Philip, Ghosts of the Great War, Ghosts, San Francisco, 2008 (pages 112-119)

Munson, Kenneth, Fighters 1914-19, Blanford Press, London, 1968 (Pages 65, 142-143)

Rimell, Ray, The Best Of Wind-Sock, Volume One, Albatros Publications, Berkhamsted, (pages 28-29, 32)

Rimell, Ray, WWI Warplanes 'Great War Classics In Profile, Albatros Publications, Ltd., Berkhamsted, 1992 (pages 40-46)

Russell, D.A. (ed), Aircraft Of The 1914-1918 War, 1951, pages 49-50


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