Building the Wingut Wings Fokker D.VII
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
WWI Modeling Special 3
Author: Ray Rimell
Publisher: Albatros Productions
ISBN: 978-1-906798-26-0
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 64
When it comes to First World War aircraft kits, there is no one better than Wingnut Wings and their growing 1/32 line of models. One of the most anticipated releases was their Fokker D.VII family, which is a popular subject due to its straightforward construction and colorful markings. Wingnut Wings released four kits covering the different manufacturers, with each kit having five marking options in the box. In addition to those, Wingnut Wings released five separate decal sheets, with each of those providing at least five options each. So if you want to build all of the marking options, you'll need to build over 45 kits. With that big a project, you'll need help, and this is where this latest title from Albatros Publications comes in.
All right, perhaps not everyone is going to build nearly 50 Wingnut Fokker D.VII kits, but even if you only build one or two, this is a great book to have. It follows the build of each of the four Wingnut Wing Fokker kits, documenting the various differences between the kits as well as the process of building and detailing the models. Interestingly, only one of the four builds uses the Wingnut Wings decals as presented in the box, with a second representing a captured example of a kit scheme and the remaining two being completely different schemes. This just goes to show that even with such a copious marking selection presented by Wingnut Wings, there are plenty of other marking choices out there should you want your Fokker D.VII to be unique.
Speaking of which, this book is not just about the models, as in between each detailed build article are reference sections. These include representative color profiles and matching period photos, as well as general photo albums and a nice walkaround selection for detail references. All of that combines to make this an excellent addition to the Wingnut Wings instructions. For those who want more detailed information on the Fokker D.VII, though, I would recommend picking up the excellent three-volume Fokker D.VII Anthologies.
For those who have collected one or all four Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII kits, this is a great title to add to the box. The photos of the build are excellent, the text well written, and the additional references for markings and details are quite useful. My thanks to Albatros Publications for the review copy.