Hi Troops:
For the benefit of those who are W.W.I enthusiasts, the Roden 1/32 scale Fokker F.1 (pre-production tri-plane) kit has arrived. Be ready for a bit of sticker shock, Roden's price has gone up compared to their Fokker DR.1. That said, it looks like a really nice effort. Decals are for 101/17, the factory prototype, 102/17 which went to vonRichtofen and
103/17 which went to Werner Voss. The decal sheet includes Voss' Japanese Face markings. I will not venture into the great argument about whether Voss' tri-plane had a yellow painted cowl and rudder. One anomaly I did notice is that the instruction sheet tells you to use the stabilizer with the straight leading edges a-la the later production DR.I. Wrong! Voss' FI-103/17 had the stabilizer with the slightly curved leading edge just like the other two FI aircraft. See the article by Terry Phillips and Aaron Weaver in "Over the Front", Vol.20 #2. This is the journal of the League of World War I Aero Historians, successor organization to the Cross & Cockade Society, USA. I believe you can get a copy from Squadron Mail Order if you want the article. There is one photo, #27, that clearly shows the curved leading edge stabilizer.Bill Shuey