Meng 1:32 Fokker Dr. I / F.I

[Fran]

1:32 Fokker Dr. I/F.1 (Early and Late type)

Meng

(Ex-Wingnut Wings)

 

 

 

Kit No. QS-02

Available from Ak-Interactive for €59,95.

 

Well, there it is… the Meng Fokker Dr. I.

 

The box has its fair size, well packed with plastic and in the side with some profiles and information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I confess that this review and this release is a bittersweet for me, as I have been a WnW Fan since day one… since April of 2010.

Personaly, Wingnut Wings gave me a lot… new knowledge, a new modelling perspective and an all new modelling world. Also gave me friends, very good ones from across the world and literally from the other side of the world.

So WnW dismiss in 2020 shocked the modelling world.

There were several WnW projects that probably will never see daylight (Lancaster, 0/400, 0/100), but one did:

The Fokker Dr.I.

The test shots in Scale Model World 2019 (held in Telford) were pretty much the final test shots and the model looked fantastic. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wingnut was preparing to release two boxes with the Fokker F.I/ Dr.I (early type) and the Dr. I (late Type) and the web page still on (at least for one of them)

 

http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/product?productid=3205

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Telford, the test-shots could be the final ones or not… Richard Alexander was a perfectionist so I really don’t now if he was not totally satisfied with it… well probably we will never know.

 

One thing I know for a fact: The only sprue in this box that wasn’t design by Darren Mildhenhall was the sprue E (Engine).

So let`s start with the engine.

The original engine was tooled in Korea in the same place that were tooled the Camel so Meng had to do an all new engine for this Fokker Dr.I

And the sprue design was different. Check the differences:

The original WnW engine:

 

 

 

 

Meng engine:

 

 

 

Checking close this sprue, the details are well represented and very sharp. One thing that caught my attenttion in the attachment point between the parts and the sprue… WnW moulding strategy is different with less attachements points making a bit easier the removal and making less risk the detail damage. Anyway it´s mould option but shows how WnW was a totally modeller friendly.

Anyway Meng gives two type of engines:

Le Rhone 9J (Part E1)

Oberursel UR.II (Part E7).

Fokker Dr.I, on field sometimes were powerfull with the Le Rhone engine and also with the Clerget 9b engine.

Curious is the fact that the propeller given, in the WnW sprue, you get 3 propeller types for each engine, so yes, there`s the propeller for the Clerget engine if you want to build a Dr.I with a Clerget engine.

 

 

I assume, that WnW would have provide all 3 engines (I`m almost certain of this as WnW already had a Clerget engine for the Camel) and markings option for all 3 engines. But that`s only speculation now…

 

Cheking other sprues and knowing that there were several cases report of damage, specialy the cockpit fairing moulded with the middle wing, I found out that my example is totally intact. Thanks AK-Interactive for the nice and very protective package that assure that all remain intact to the customer.

Here`s the remaning sprues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There`s not much more to say about the plastic sprues. The wings do have a seam line on the wing edge that could not be quite an easy task to remove it but doable.  The wings do have more attaching point that other WnW models, but the wing is quite stick and heavy and that the explanation (given By Richard Alexander himself).

The plastic quality looks very good and with nice surface details and with construction strategy well defined, being well patented the WnW fingertip left here. I only notice a bit (incomprehensible) flash on the aileron edge...

Checking all the options given in this box, you got 3 cowlings to use (One specific for the Red Baron, on for the Werner Voss F.1 Prototype and another for the Göring and Göttsch airplanes.)

 

I will only highlight, as for sprues are concerne, the sprue F. Being a prototype, the Fokker F.I (fitted with a Le Rhone engine) has several differences and are all concentrated in the sprue F. So the ailerons are in different shape and much wider with larger mass balances, a different shape rudder, curve edged tailplane, smaller wheels, and a different cowling.

 

 

 

 

So the parts engineering, the sprue study and part display (for example the option for the LMG08/15 machine guns with PE or in injection), it’s without a question a Wingnut Wings Model.

But that`s all, as nothing more even assemble to a Wingnut Wings model.

It`s probably one of Meng best model kits but they still have a long way to go to match Wingnut Wings.

However, there`s only one particularly point that this Meng model is superior to WnW model,

The Photo-etched sheet.

Yes, it has the classical WnW configuration, was design by WnW (with seatbelts, buckles, covers and cooling jackets of the twin Spandau MG08/15 8mm), flawless surface details but Meng did it without connections points to the sheet turning the removal way more simple and practical with no cutting and sanding.

 

 

So, in this particulary aspect, Kudos to Meng.

But, let`s check all the box contents.

Starting for the decals.

The sheet brings you the instruments dials, several balkenkreuz for the 4 scheme options and the numbers for he Dr.I and F.I Voss but remember that, as the engine, the decal sheet was design by WnW.

 

 

 

Schemes given, I think that are good ones but with no surprise.

A

Jagdgeschwader (JG) I, #425/17 (Freiherr von Richthofen, Manfred Albrecht) 1 March 1918.

 

 B

Jagdstaffel (Jasta) 10 103/17 (Leutnant Werner Voss) September 1917.  Werner Voss

C

 Jagdstaffel (Jasta) 27 206/17 (Oberleutnant Hermann Göring)

 

 

D

 Jagdstaffel (Jasta) 19 202/17 (Leutnant Walter Göttsch) 1 February 1918.

 

The decals do have a good colour registration but I do have two little thing that I must say:

First, the decals looks a bit stick and not as thin I was used to with Cartograph but they can do work just fine.

Secondly, Werner Voss Fokker F.I face looks a bit off, specially those eyebrows…

 

Look at these pictures:

 

 

Different faces no?? 

And the million question:

That color cowling… Its dark olive or yellow??

I`m not going down that road on this review that’s for sure!

 

I know that I probably will be using WnW decals available on the 32601 Alb. D.V MvR with a Dr.I 127/17 or a Montex scheme.

Or even Goering Dr.I.

 

Now, inside along with the instruction, theres some A4 paper sheets in English and mostly in Chinese with information about the Dr.I, Manfred Van Richthofen, and maybe other info. I keep under what the use of this… really… I can`t see any use from it... Instead that could put a better effort in the instruction, with historical detail on it as we were use to…

 

 

 

 

 Moving along to the instruction.

 Anyone who have a Wingnut Wings model kit know that WnW set the bar way up with their instructions.

 Meng`s Fokker Dr.I instructions are not bad… its such a normal instructions that we, WnW Fans can`t be happy with…

 No history data, no historical and actual pictures of the plane, no historial information of the chosen schemes, no identification of the parts with the full name, no identification of the team behind each project….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it`s plain and simple instruction with good part indication and where to they attach in An A3 size coloured instruction booklet of nineteen simple steps and twenty pages.

However there`s one thing that Meng just forgot: Rigging…

We all know that Fokker Dr.I is not knowed for its rigging but it does have rigging.. Meng does not make any whatsoever reference to the rigging (even when the plastic parts have hole to being made either is Dr.I or F.I.

 

 

So is incomphensive that lacking of information or rigging drawings.

 The Fokker Dr.I had visible rigging in front of the cockpit, undercarriage, and in the tail

 

Another point that is not wrong but I think that could be better: color indication. You only get AK and another brand (not knowed to me).

 

The code colour directs you to Meng color, made by AK to Meng. I understadn why Meng made this direct reference to thier "own" paints but I do love theReal Color and the 3^rd acrylics generation from AK and I would be delighted to see them on the color chart.

 

 

 

Verdict

Well, it’s a great model kit but one thing is for sure: it ain`t a Wingnut Wings Model!

It sure is a really nice Meng kit, probably their best one but it`s not a Wingnut

With care and some good references for the rigging and the colours, it will turn into the Best Fokker Dr.I (F.I) in any scale that you can get, that’s for sure, and that`s is the beauty of this models, and the last legacy left by Wingnut Wings.

 

Highly recommended.

 

My sincere thanks to AK-Interactive for this review sample.

 Francisco Guedes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fran]

A P.S. to to this review after several followers calling our attetion to the wings.

 

Well, I saw the wings and every other reviews mention it.

I didnt mention because it didnt look that upward bend as bad as others mention and almost hopeless fix.

So I took my wings from the sprue...

And in fact, They do have some upward bend and with a simply twist in the other direction after heating up a littel with a hairdryer, and they look better,... not perfect but better. Patience and some efford and they will be ok! 

As one member said, with hot water, the wings would be ok. 

Why this happened? No idea, as I can`t tell is that was a issue present on the samples in telford but I didnt notice there but I really dont know.

 

To all our members, thanks for the add up! 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

[Bomber_County]

Thanks for the review, I remember seeing it at Telford, looked great but as you said it was the WnW moulding. Anyway great to see a new kit coming to market....

[James H]

Glad I steered clear of this.

Banana wings, bent undercarriage and wing struts and bent Spandau. Thick decals. Some of the stuff I've heard about this kit.

[krow113]

So glad we got this without mentioning WNW every 3.5 seconds and comparing it to their work , which it is technically.

And the seemingly 'insurmountable issues', a guy might actually have to do some modelling , whew , didn't we all dodge a thoroughly horrendous bullet there!

Thanks Meng for going ahead with the kit!

[DocRob]

Thanks for the review Francisco, it's definitely not a WNW kit, but I think you can build a nice replica out of this, with the addition of masks or alternative decals. I haven't bought one, as I think it's not so much ahead of the Roden offering I have in stash along,  with some AM.

18 minutes ago, Upset said:

Banana wings, bent undercarriage and wing struts and bent Spandau.

As for bent parts, when I look at the sprues of my WNW Camel, I hope for the best, but the sprues are heavily bent, because otherways they wouldn't have fitted into the box .

Cheers Rob

[James H]

59 minutes ago, DocRob said:

Thanks for the review Francisco, it's definitely not a WNW kit, but I think you can build a nice replica out of this, with the addition of masks or alternative decals. I haven't bought one, as I think it's not so much ahead of the Roden offering I have in stash along,  with some AM.

As for bent parts, when I look at the sprues of my WNW Camel, I hope for the best, but the sprues are heavily bent, because otherways they wouldn't have fitted into the box .

Cheers Rob

I've never had anything borked in a WNW kit apart from some duff cabane struts on a D.VII. Those were so fragile. I must've reviewed dozens of different WNW and not seen anything like on this Mengnut kit.