Eduard's 1/72 Fokker Dr.I |  |
Overview
For probably the best short summation of the Fokker Dr.I, I highly recommend reading Bob Pearson's inbox review of the non-Profipack Eduard Dr.I back in the October 2000 issue of Internet Modeler.
The Kit
Even if you don't care about the history, since this release just adds some extra bits and new decals, everything mentioned in that review is relevant here. Rather than rehash the same thing over again, I'll just focus on what this kit adds. Profipack to Eduard means adding some photoetch to the kit, and this one is no exception. While the plastic is the same between the two kits, the PE fret includes lots of extra detailing that will help add a lot to this kit, including new guns, engine wiring, cockpit details, and other small fiddly bits such as control horns with the control wires already attached.
The cockpit details are probably what will attract the most people. Unfortunately many of these details would be better represented by plastic parts, as PE is only two-dimensional. The control column is one specific item that could probably be better represented in plastic, although you could use white glue to add dimension to it. The seat and seat belts make an excellent replacement for the kit parts, though, and will 
go a great ways to making the interior really look sharp.
The other big addition to this kit is the decal sheet. A quick count shows a total of 37 crosses on this sheet, so you'll have plenty left over for your spares box. In addition to the decals you also get some vinyl masks for one of the schemes (Baumer's). There are a total of five schemes included in this kit, two of which are Richtofen's 425/17. The other choices are Raben's, Baumer's, and Kempf's (illustrations taken from Bob Pearson's Colours & Markings 1912-1920 CD-ROM).
 |  |  |  |
The decals are very well printed with excellent register between the black crosses & white outlines. The only color on the sheet is the red band found on Baumer's plane.
Conclusion
Eduard's Fokker Dr.I kit is easily the best 1/72 injection Dr.I kit out there, and the Profipack gives you plenty of extras to make the added cost worth it. The leftover decals could be used on those old Revell kits you've got in the closet. No matter which Eduard kit you choose, you'll be more than happy with it. For the choice of markings, though, and the additional PE fret, I'd highly recommend getting at least one Profipack release.
