Fokker D.VIII
This is the first scale model I've built after my restart in the hobby. It is a rather simple model because of the angular fuse. But this model has a very short nose which proved to be disastrous. To get the model balanced needed a tremendous amount of lead. The unbalanced weight was about 16 grams, which is OK for a rubber powered model with a 15" wingspan. But to get it propely balanced I had to add more than 10 grams of lead, resulting in a total weight of 28 grams....
Covering
The model is covered with tissue over mylar. The Esaki tissue is spray painted first using a Tamiya spray can olive green. This paint can't be combined with regular dope and therefore I used Future as an alternative.
Details
The engine is made from plastic drinking straws. The pipes are made from spaghetti, boiled al dente and then bend in the right form and left to dry. Also the spark plugs are fitted.
The cockpit interior is very simple. On some pictures I've found on the internet only two instruments were visible. These were fitted to the tubes, so there wasn't an instrument panel. The combing is made from genuine leather which was soaked in pva to make it pliable.
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Flying
Here is the model at the judges table in an indoor contest in Nijmegen (the Butterfly Meet). The model received a lot of points for the scale accuracy and finish. But flying proved to be very hard. To qualify the model must make a flight of at least 15 seconds. Finally after a lot of trying we were able to get a 17 second flight from a handstart. Not bad for a small heavy weight sclae model with scale dihedral and tail surfaces!
Nowadays the model is a bit different, I have changed it into a mid wing model with inline engine so it now vagualy resembles a Fokker V.23.
