1/72 Fok-Me 2 from a RoG Fokker D.VII

[Brian da Basher]

The Weimar Republic was beset with internal strife in the spring of 1930. Various militia units known as "Freikorps" were attempting to wrest power from the central government and had taken over a few German provinces. By far, the most powerful of these was the National Sozialist Freikorps Ludendorff, led by the famous W.W. I general Ludnedorff and a political upstart named Adolph Hitler. National Sozialist Freikorps Ludendorff was able to gain the services of several ex-Imperial Air Service pilots and their aircraft which recently returned from the Russian Civil War. The Weimar government in Berlin called upon the League of Nations for help. Unfortunately, France and Great Britain both had their hands full supressing colonial uprisings in Guyana and India and could lend no aid. Representatives of the victorious Allied Powers met with their German counterparts in Biarritz (even diplomats enjoy a good junket) and signed the Biarritz Protocol to the Locarno Treaty which permitted the formation of a German self-defense air force, known as the Reichs Luftwehr in July, 1930. Manpower was easy to find but aircraft were not. Enter a young designer named Willi Messerschmitt who determined that rebuilt Fokker D.VII airframes could be used as the basis of a new Reichs Luftwehr fighter when re-engined with the new Daimler-Benz 10 cylinder inline engine. Wily Willi Messerschmitt had a few more tricks up his sleeve. He had the airframes re-built using duraluminim, added an enclosed cockpit and armed the new fighter with two 9 m.m. guns synchronized to fire through the propellor arc. Herr Messerschmitt wasn't done yet for he also fitted the new bird with a pair of the sleekest, most streamlined spatted undercarriage ever seen over German skies. The new type was quickly ordered into production as the Fok-Me 2 "Falke" (the Fok-Me 1 was a paper design only). Luftkapitain Adolph Galland, commander of the Thuringian "Butchers" Staffel was heard to say "I wish my wife was built like that!" upon seeing his new aircraft. Luftkapitain Galland was successful in crushing the National Sozialist Freikorps Ludendorff in action over the Bavarian town of Coburg in the summer of 1931. General Ludendorff surrendered to overwhelming odds, but Adolph Hitler refused to capitulate and was later taken prisoner when he was trapped in his privvy after his headquarters building was destroyed by Fok-Me 2 Falkes flying a ground attack mission. Herr Hitler, covered in dung and the ruins of his attempt to sieze power was heard to utter "Those verdammt Fok-Me Falkes and their schpats!!!" He spent the rest of his days on latrine duty in Landesburg prison and Adolph Galland went on to command the Reichs Luftwehr. His old Fok-Me 2 Falke, No. 1113 can be seen on display at the Reichs Luftwehr Museum in Erfut, across the hall from the restrooms.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The basis for this project is the incredibly well-engineered and inexpensive Revell of Germany Fokker D.VII which I picked up recently for $5 and change. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it until I realized that an engine left-over from a Lindberg He-100 was an almost perfect fit. Next I noticed that a Gladiator canopy would work too as long as I made a rear fairing from the tip of an old drop tank. The last major modification was grafting on the spatted landing gear from a Japanese "Claude" fighter. A prop and spinner and belly radiator from the spares box was added and machine gun barrels and fairings were scratch-built from sprue. Finally, I had to decide on a marking and paint scheme. I've often wondered what-if the Nazis had never been able to take power and what a Weimar air force would be like. I decided on a green splinter camo pattern and the Weimar tri-color on the rudder. The entire model was brush-painted by hand with acrylics. I used Polly-Scale Light Italian Green and RAAF Foliage Green for the splinter camo and Model Masters Primer Gray for the fuselage sides, struts and undersides. The rudder markings were painted by hand with cheap craft-store paints and the decals were from my decal stash. The only marking that really belongs on a D.VII is the weight table on the forward left side of the fuselage. This project was a nice simple build and I hope you have as much fun looking at it and reading the backstory as I did putting it together.

Brian da Basher

[deathjester]

 

[puddingwrestler]

Very nice, very nice indeed Herr Von Der Basher.

[sotoolslinger]

Wonderful BDB

[Ed S]

Very nice.  Once again you've come up with a winner.

Ed

[John Howling Mouse]

I don't know how you manage to come up with all these incredibly creative ideas, backstories, paintjobs, kitbashes, etc. and----as if that wasn't enough----your build quality just keeps getting better.

You, Sir, do sicken me to no end!     (Superb job and I'm really frickin' jealous, in other words).

[Eddie M.]

BdaB,
   Incredible work once again. Your back stories rock as well. Maybe I should send you my P-40 biplane and see what magic you can work on it!
   Eddie

[sotoolslinger]

MMMMMM 9 mm machine guns  when you finish shooting down aircraft you can hunt elephants.

[jeff3385]

Just what we need in here... more freakin' SPATS!!! I love it BdB. A beautiful tribute to the good ol' days. 

[frank2056]

Brian,

Your little Fokker is King. Sofa King nice!

It looks great with spats, too.

[tanktastic43]

A very good job all round. Well done. 

[ysi_maniac]

Kind of a German Gladiator. Marvelous idea, perfectly realized

[kitbasher]

Another spattastic creation from Brian von Basher!

[Weaver]

Damn that looks so right - well done!