Fokker D.viir In Soviet Service

[Chap]

Following the armistice, Anthony Fokker purchased 20 German-built D.VIIs; the Luchtvaartafdeling (Netherlands Army Air Division) received the aircraft during May and June 1920. They received serials in the range F-250 to F-269, though two more (F-270 and F-271) were built from parts of crashed aircraft. The following year, F-161 was fitted with a 240 hp Armstrong-Siddeley Lynx IVB radial engine. The new engine showed a vast improvement in performance over the Mercedes and BMW engines. By November 1921, the rest of the D.VIIs in Dutch service were converted and production began the following month; designated the D.VIIR it remained in production until February of the following year, only 60 were produced as by then Fokker had designed the D.IX, the ultimate development of the D.VII airframe.

[Chap]

Anthony Fokker sold 50 D.VIIRs together with Fokker C.I and C.III two-seaters to the Soviet Union in 1922. Sent by Amsterdam, they arrived in May and were sent to fighter units in Petrograd, Moscow and Kiev. It is believed that they saw service until 1930.

[Chap]

The model is of unit commander Aleksandr Borisovich's aircraft, of the 2nd Soviet Aviatryad during 1922.

[Chap]

The model is the 1/48th Monogram (former Aurora mould) kit circa 1979. The engine is from a Lindberg Gloster Gladiator with an exhaust collector ring made from styrene tubing and the propeller is from a Lindberg Jn-4 Jenny. A big thank you goes out to NARSES2 for the replacement wing struts and everyone else for the kind words of encouragement.

~Steve

[Brian da Basher]

That's some excellent work there Chap! Your D.VII R looks very believable indeed! I think you did a good job mating that radial to the airframe and scratching the exhaust collector ring. This one's bound to turn a few heads!

Brian da Basher

[John Howling Mouse]

Wow, love it!  Radish: where ARE you, man?!   This is great!      

[Rafael]

Attractive little machine!!!

I did a double take after looking at the engine job. Excellent!!

Rafa

[Glenn]

I  like a modeler who rigs biplanes!
Glenn

[NARSES2]

Glad to see those struts were put to such good use  

That really will turn a few heads, because who really knows what the Russian's did in those days ?

Chris

[Radish]

Oh that is so lovely....how delicate and what a great idea beautifully executed.
well worth waiting for  

[BlackOps]

Oh, very nice!    

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Believable and finely done!
 

[McGreig]

If we were able to include this in the Soviet Aircraft SIG display, I can guarantee that virtually no-one would guess that it wasn't real. (Although, to quote Chris, "who really knows what  the Russian's did in those days?") I'm very tempted to try it in 1/72 for just this reason. Great idea, great model.

[frank2056]

I love it; really clever, believable and very well executed .

I even bought a 1/72 Revell kit to do something similar.

Frank

[Mike Wren]

great job Steve, very nice