Photo of completed model courtesy of Richard Eaton for more of Richard's work visit his site

V.L.E. Models 1/72 Scale "1912 Fokker 'Spinne' III"

By Michael Kendix

After seeing Robert Karr's scratchbuilt effort and you feel you just must have a "Spinne", but If you are somewhat intimidated by the prospect of scratchbuilding the "Spider", V.L.E. Models has produced a 1/72nd scale kit that enables those of us lacking the requisite time or skill, to make this model. The kit contains a single vac-form sheet with well-detailed wings, and tail parts; the Spinne III had no fuselage. The remainder of the kit has the following parts made of assorted materials: five pieces of assorted lengths of brass wire, a spool of nylon thread for the rigging, a piece of aluminum tubing, and four photo-etched brass wheels. The kit also contains the following white metal parts: an upper frame, two skids, two radiators, four wheel tires, a control wheel, a propeller, a fuel tank, and an argus engine. The instructions are fair although one could benefit from a few extra details for the rigging.

Modelers should not be put off by this strange and unusual model. While it is not for beginners, it represents an opportunity to build one of Anthony Fokker's less well known craft (without building from scratch). The absence of a fuselage - only a frame holds the cockpit and the engine - adds to the unique appearance. The builder should note that the original aircraft was held together, in part, by the rigging. In many cases, building a kit with rigging does not necessitate that the rigging be structural, however, in this particular case, the composition is such that structural rigging may be required.

References

Eldon Quick. "Tony Fokker and His Spiders," Air Trails, volume 2, number 1, Spring 1977

Acknowledgment

Thanks to Robert Kane for help with reference materials