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Eindekker!

history

The E.III was basically an E.II fitted with larger, newly designed wings that had a slightly narrower chord of 1.80 meter (70-7/8 in), compared to 1.88 meter (74 in) on the earlier Eindeckers, going back to Fokker's original M.5 monoplane aircraft. The E.III retained the same 75 kW (100 hp) Oberursel U.I engine, and therefore also used the larger diameter "horseshoe" pattern cowling that also mandated the inclusion of the E.II's soffit-like extensions to the sides of the upper nose sheet metalwork, but had a larger 81 l (21.5 gal) drum-shaped main fuel tank just behind the cockpit, which increased the Eindecker's endurance to about 2½ hours; an hour more than the E.II. Most E.IIIs were armed with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) Spandau LMG 08 machine gun with 500 rounds of ammunition; however, after the failure of the twin-gun Fokker E.IV as a viable successor, some E.IIIs were fitted with twin guns.

Fokker production figures state that 249 E.IIIs were manufactured; however, a number of the 49 E.IIs were upgraded to E.III standard when they were returned to Fokker's Schwerin factory for repairs.

The Fokker Eindekker's influence was felt far beyond its small production numbers. It was the first true fighter aircraft fielded in large numbers and as such changed the conduct of aerial warfare forever.

Adapted from Wikipedia

the model

This model is Revell’s 1:72 Fokker E.III Eindecker as flown by Vizefeldwebel Ernst Udet when he was flying with Kampfeinsitzerkommando Habsheim on the Western Front in the winter of 1915/1916

The model was built OOTB and airbrushed with Tamiya acrylics. Including some of the parts that the kit provided decals for like the black and red band on the fuselage. This was my second aircraft I ever seriously built and it was my first try at rigging which I did with thin fishingwire.

The groundworks are made of a foamsheet covered with spackle (the one used to fill the seams between drywallsheets) airbrushed with Tamiya acrylics. The grass is Heki Decovlies. All this is put into a photoframe which was “antiqued” with a foam block and some rough grit sandingpaper. I built this kit for the “Anything goes” campaign here on Aeroscale.