Fokker D.IV

Though Fokker had won the love of German fighter pilots in 1915 with their Eindeckers, their early biplanes were uninspired and suffered from poor workmanship.  The inline-engined Fokker D.I and D.IV and the rotary-engined Fokker D.II and D.III were substandard relative to competitors like the Halberstadt D.II and the Albatros fighters, and on 6 December 1916 all Fokker biplanes were withdrawn from front-line service due to structural failures both in static testing and in combat use.

The D.IV was powered by the excellent 160hp Mercedes D.III inline engine and armed with a twin fixed machine guns.  As the aeroplane was put through testing, several defects in workmanship and design were found, resulting in delays, modifications, and repeated tests.  In fact, the defects in the D.IV caused a re-evaluation of all Fokker biplane products, resulting in the December removal from the front lines.  The D.IV was never cleared for broad front-line use and it was relegated to home defense and training.  Forty were built. 

This product comes in both 1:144 and 1:285/6mm/1:288 scales.  The 1:285 product includes two aeroplanes, each with a detachable, translucent propeller disk.  They are joined by disposable links to keep the price down, since single-part models are more affordable.  You can break the links with nail clippers, wire cutters, or similar.

DESIGNER NOTE:  Models at scales smaller than 1:144 may no longer be available.  Shapeways discontinued the material for which they were designed, and the newer materials require that each and every model be adjusted to thicken surfaces like wings.  If you are interested in a particular model in a small scale, please let me know and I will prioritize it higher in the queue.

For more details and gaming information, see https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/Fokker_D.IV