Fokker E.V / D.VIII

Battle Axe 1/32

Reviewed by Robert Baumgartner

Battle Axe's 1/32 scale Fokker E.V / D.III is available online from Squadron.com

The Fokker E.V / D.VIII has always been popular amongst World War I modellers despite the aircraft not having contributed much during this conflict.

Only one victory is known to have been confirmed in the type, this being by Lt. Emil Rolff of Jasta 6 on 17 August 1918. Sadly he lost his life 2 days later when the wing of his parasol fighter failed. 

This is the third release from Battle Axe in their line of 32^nd scale WWI aircraft. It is a logical choice for a limited run kit, as the aircraft itself was very simple to manufacture. 

Upon opening the box, the modeller is greeted by a single very large plastic sprue, a bag of resin and a fret of photo-etched parts. 

Comparing the plastic to previous releases it is clear that Battle Axe have improved their techniques. The surface of the parts is a lot smoother than we’ve seen with either of the earlier kits and the detail is more refined. An example of this is the lovely external representation of the tubular structure on the fuselage halves.  

A basic cockpit is provided and those items made of plastic are the floorboard, rudder bar, control column, seat (with mounting), rear “fabric” screen, compass mounting, and tubular framework. Some of the smaller items are best scratch built using the originals as a pattern. The “throttle”, instrument panel, and seat belts are all found on the p-e sheet with more plastic parts taking care of the fuel/oil tank, and ammunition box. 

The cantilever wing and axle fairing are in two halves and both feature engraved panel lines. Personally I would fill these in, as they are a bit heavy to represent what appeared on these plywood items. The tailplane is nicely done with a restrained representation of the ribs. 

The rest of the plastic parts consist of two part wheels, struts, propeller and cowling. The latter misses the characteristic “lip” that most other manufacturers fail to reproduce which the builder really needs to add in this scale. 

The resin parts are a real delight. You get an Oberusal with separate intake manifolds as well as a pair of “Spandaus”. With the latter, photo etched jackets are provided if you wish to refine the nicely done resin items. 

The remaining parts on the p-e fret include stitching, ammo belts, prop boss and control horns. 

The major parts were checked against a couple of sets of plans and this revealed no problems with accuracy. 

A set of decals is included for two aircraft. The printing is done on very thin carrier film and my examples were in perfect register. The lozenge was a bit “bright” for my tastes and I would recommend a “wash” or light over-spray to dull them down a bit.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The typical Jasta 6 décor is supplied for the cowl, as is the black and white fuselage band for Wenzel’s machine. 

Also included are enough serial numbers to do just about any aircraft you wish. 

Option 1 – Fok. EV 154/18 flown by Leutnant Richard Wenzl of Jasta 6

Wenzl survived the war with 12 victories, later passing away in 1957.

It was on the 17 May 1918 that he transferred to Jasta 6, having previously been with Jasta 11, and it was in the former that he scored his last 10 victories.

Option 2 – Fok. EV /D.VII flown by Oberleutnant zur See Theoodor Osterkamp

After a brief stint with MFJ I where he scored 6 victories, Osterkamp was posted to MFJ II where he remained until the end of the war. He commanded this unit and scored 26 more times before the war ended. 

His tally didn’t end there though. He went on to join the Luftwaffe in 1935 and in 1939 was given the command of JG51. Here he scored six more victories, thus making him an ace in two wars! Osterkamp survived WWII and died in 1975.

This is quite a comprehensive package for a limited production kit. All the basics are there and naturally in this scale the detailer can go berserk.

Obviously this kit is not for the novice, but it was never meant to be.

Despite this, the simplicity of the subject should encourage even the most apprehensive modeller to have a go. 

Recommended

Thanks to Squadron.com for the review sample.

Review and Images Copyright © 2005 by Robert Baumgartner
Page Created 03 January, 2005
Last updated 03 January, 2005

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