A collection of eleven Fokker Dr.1s (all free downloads)

[niebla de fuego]

Hello!

As some of you know, the Dreidecker is one of my favorite aircraft. In this thread I present the construction of several Dr.1s. Namely: all the free downloads I could find in the web of the Dr.1.

Yes, all the Fokker Dr.1s in the following photos can be found for free. They will be shown one by one.

All kits were printed with a laser printer on 0.20mm white cardstock. All the edges were painted with red/black Sharpie markers, except when other colors were needed (in which case were painted with Prismacolor pencils).

All the kits were printed at the original size they come in except where specified.

All the kits were built following the instructions/diagrams/photos provided by the designers where available. We could say they are “out of the box”, with very little or no modifications at all from me besides the edge coloring.

The kits presented here are the following:

- Fokker Dr.1 designed by Marco Lallo (Recortecole)
- Fokker Dr.1 designed by Winky & ShaunGamer
- Fokker Dr.1 designed by Maquettes de Papier
- Fokker Dr.1 designed by Daniel Peters
- Fokker Dr.1 flying paper model, designed by Corneles A. Huisman v.1
- Fokker Dr.1 flying paper model, designed by Corneles A. Huisman v.2
- Fokker Dr.1 flying paper model, designed by Eiichi Yoshida
- Fokker Dr.1 designed by Olli Bizer
- Fokker Dr.1 published by the German magazine “YPS” in 1978
- Fokker Dr.1 designed by F. Prudenziati
- Fokker Dr.1 very simple model designed by Rubén A. Martínez (me)

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 “Triplano”, designed by Marco Lallo (Recortecole)


Available as a free download from: http://www.recortecole.com.br/triplano/triplano.htm
The version I built is apparently the latest released and available from the website in 2003.

The kit is presented in one single A4 size page (PDF format). It is colored in red, following the famous Red Baron scheme. It looks simple, and the building instructions can be found at the website accompanied by photos. The kit is a vector drawing capable of being enlarged at will without loss of definition. The PDF is secured, so it will probably be difficult for someone trying to re-paint this kit in any other livery.

At 10X12.5 cms (5X4,5 in) the scale is around 1:57. But the real size should be a bit bigger, since I reduced the parts a little when adjusting the file for printing. Probably the original scale is 1:50.

I have only two complains: the shape of the wingtips could have been better, and a missing detail is the round holes on the front of the engine cowling (usually depicted as black big dots). But even with its simplified markings and textures the overall look of the model is fairly good.

The assembly is very easy, and can be achieved in only a couple of hours, probably less. The instruction photos in the website are very helpful to clarify some details.

The propeller is movable, which is an unusual but very nice touch. The wings are just folded flat parts, which allow for a very easy build and a good fit. But that makes the model to look a bit weird when seen from the side. The wheels are fixed.

The Dr.1 has a complex fuselage shape because of the circular front section turning into a square fuselage. In this case the designer solved the problem by detaching the engine cowling and the fuselage in two separate sections. This makes the build very easy, but sacrifices a bit of the peculiar shape of the plane.

If you look for a simple and easy model of the Dr.1, and you don’t care much about details, this model is a perfect beginning.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 designed by Winky & ShaunGamer

Published in 2007 (?), and available for free only from the download section of Zealot: http://www.zealot.com/forum/downloads.php?do=file&id=164

When you download the kit you find 7 different jpg images, each one containing the same kit painted in different liveries flown by famous Dr.1 pilots: Boelcke, Jacobs, Kempf, Richthofen, Raben, a white & yellow Dr.1 from Jasta 19, and another one that I could not identify.

There are no instructions, but it is simple enough to figure out easily where to glue what. If you know the Dr.1 you probably won’t need any instructions at all. If you are not an expert on the plane, with a simple image of the real plane you will be able to figure at once the position of each part.

Although listed as “1:200 scale”, the truth is that the print at real size produced a model at 1:135 scale. Still, it is the smallest free paper Dr.1.

This small kit tries to preserve the classical shape of the fuselage. To achieve this it is necessary to bend the paper at the front top fuselage. The wings also have a very good shape, and the overall effect is quite good.

To work at this scale is not easy. One must be very careful because even the slightest deviation can cause disasters. The wheels and the propeller are fixed. But I guess with a little patience at least the propeller could be adapted to move. There is a small tail skid provided.

You must be aware that this kit does not provide glueing tabs, so you must make them yourself or glue by the edges. In any case, patience and precision is needed. And the use of cyanoacrilate would be a good practice in several parts, especially when dealing with those very thin struts. I soaked them in CA, and they seem to be working fine.

Don’t let the size of this kit fool you. It is good for its scale, and is not for beginners. If you need a very small Fokker Dr.1, this is a very good option.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 from Maquettes de Papier

Free download from: http://maquettes.hautetfort.com/archive/2009/02/28/3-fokker-dr-1.html

This kit is hand-drawn, and is one single A4 page (PDF format) with all the parts needed.

The designer offers the possibility of downloading the red-colored version of the plane, or a black and white (only lines) version. If you download the only lines version you will get an exploded view of the kit (also drawn by hand), with indications of how to assemble the parts. This version also includes some templates in case you wish to make internal reinforcements for certain parts.

The 1:66 scale may be unusual, but it is understandable considering that all the parts and a three-view of the kit are fitted in one single page.

I confess I was afraid and reluctant to face the construction of this kit. The looks of the parts all drawn with pen are a bit rough, as well as some hand-colored parts. To be honest, it is not attractive at first look.

And because of that I so underestimated the potential of this kit!

The model actually turned out to be very good. It was surprising to see that this is far from being a simple kit. Some thought is needed to understand the assembly of the parts.

For example: the undercarriage is assembled with the wheels and together with the engine before being attached to the front of the fuselage. Also, the cabane struts with both machine guns (all one single piece itself) and outer wing struts are assembled into the upper wing first, which is then closed to hide the struts’ tabs. Then you can slide the middle wings through the one-piece struts, and finally with a little patience attach the bottom wing with the same care given to the top wing. The rear section also needs some care to assembly it correctly.

The result is a surprisingly good kit with very few parts (17 not counting internal reinforcements), and the fitting of most of the parts is actually very good.

The wing/struts assembly is quite solid and gives the whole structure a lot of strength and resistance. Add to that the sturdiness of the undercarriage/engine section and the result is a very rigid kit that will stand continuous handling without any problem… and all that with just simple white glue. No need to use CA at any point to reinforce anything. This is probably the strongest of all the Dr.1 free kits, and I will never fear its wings will sag anytime soon.

Except for the strangely shaped rudder and stabilizer, the proportions of the parts look right to the casual observer. And even though the profile is not perfect, it looks good (at least it looks much better than I initially expected). The shape of the fuselage turns from round to square in a clever way.

The weakest point of the kit is the hand-drawn graphics and details. This kit could benefit a lot from a digital treatment cleaning the lines, improving (and adding) some graphic details and colors, and correcting the miss-shaped rear section. The result would be even more impressive than it already is.

I was greatly surprised, and the initial fear was definitely erased by the final result. If a designer can make a dreidecker this simple and this strong and accurate with such small number of parts, then he has all my attention. I will definitely need to see his other kits.

And the lesson is: don’t underestimate any kit. Even if it looks ugly, or humble or poor in detail, it may teach you a lesson or two and surprise you in a positive way. It has been the case with this kit.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 designed by Daniel Peters

Available as a free download from: http://www.daniel-kartonmodellbau.de.tl/

The kit is presented in four A4 size pages (PDF format). It was designed in 2009. Only in red color to build Richthofen’s triplane. Includes one page with a 3-view diagram of the plane where the placement of the parts is indicated (careful: wings are flat, not airfoil-shaped as in the drawing). No further instructions are given. There are two pages with the parts to build the plane. And the last page contains the part to build a base that simulates tiled concrete. I only built the plane, not the base.

Although the kit is vector-drawn, it is a protected PDF. So anyone trying to re-paint the kit to make a different livery will have a hard time trying to do it. That same protection caused the graphics to present some rough lines when I prepared the file for printing: to save space in each sheet I re-located some parts. That’s the reason why some graphics look jagged.

The graphic details are very unusual: the name of Manfred von Richthofen is written on the nose, and nine small black crosses are drawn just behind the cockpit on each side, which is something very weird. There are crosses everywhere, even on the top surface of the stabilizer. The front of the engine cowling lacks the two ventilation holes.

As usual with simplified kits the fuselage gets the all-square cross-section. Wings are flat laminated planes but the detail of the trailing edge is nice. Be careful with the middle wing: since there is no clear indication on where or how to glue it you’ll need to improvise a little there, cut a bit, and let the short struts guide your placement.

The construction of this kit was very reminiscent of the small kits. Actually, I believe the way it is designed would be more appropriate for small scales. At approximately 1/44 scale the wing struts turn to be somehow fragile without additional support or tabs, and the weight of the cardstock makes the wings to start sagging quickly. If reduced to a smaller size it will probably hold better and be less fragile.

 

[Zathros]

The is the best collection of Fokkers I have probably ever seen. You have so many of these Fokkers, they almost seemed to be breeding! Great job Ruben! :mrgreen:

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 flying paper model, designed by Corneles A. Huisman

Once available from http://geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Creek/8015/page4/

Since Geocities doesn’t exist anymore it is now impossible to get it from the original website. But if you know how to use the Wayback Machine, you may be able to find all the parts of the kit after searching for a few minutes.

I’ve seen the kit redistributed in other sites, but not complete (and without proper credit). It comes as BMP images compressed in a ZIP file. There were two options: a black & white version, and the red color version to build Richthofen’s triplane. There was a separate file offered as an “add-on” to enhance the model and make it more 3-D. That extra file is never found in the redistributed kits.

When preparing the file for print I reduced the size of the pages to 50%. Still, the parts produced a rather big kit (scale 1:46 approx). At the real size it should make a very nice flyable kit.

I built both versions: the simple kit, and the enhanced 3-D version. Both are assembled in a very similar way, and you only need to make minor adjustments when building the 3-D (enlarge a cut-out in the middle wing and add two glueing tabs at the front of each side).

The simple version needs a couple of small coins in the nose to stabilize it. I haven’t tried it but I don’t doubt it will fly.

The construction is very simple and enjoyable. And the result is a model that you can certainly identify as a triplane but probably not very exact to be Richthofen’s Dr.1. But keep always in mind that the intention of a flying kit like this is not to be a precision model.

Overall, it is a very simplified rendition of the Red Baron’s triplane, pretty square and flat, but nice despite its small inaccuracies. It shows correctly the ventilation holes in the engine cowling, and you can identify the three lower cylinders of the rotary engine.

I think this kit would be perfect for a beginner or for young children entering the modeling world, or for people just wanting a little fun.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 flying paper model, designed by Corneles A. Huisman (3D version)

Same notes as above. For the difference, see the photos.

 

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Fokker Dr.1 flying paper model, designed by Eiichi Yoshida

Designed in 2002 and available from: http://www.venus.sannet.ne.jp/eyoshida/a08dr1.htm

The kit consists of one (actually, less than half) A4 size page in PDF format. This is a very (very, very, very, very, very) simplified flying model, and comes in a color scheme resembling the Richthofen triplane. The designer has some other curious flying kits (and an example of a rubber catapult to launch them) in his website http://www.venus.sannet.ne.jp/eyoshida/a.htm

The wingspan of the built model is 10 cm (4 in.), approximate scale is 1:70. But is definitely not a model designed to represent the real plane: it is designed to have fun flying it!

Curiously, the kit is originally presented in a light red color and grey crosses. Why is that so? My guess is that this was made to save ink when printing. I may be wrong, but I cannot come with a better answer.

But you can open the file with any vector application to change it. I did just that and replaced the light red for a full bright red color, and the grey crosses by black crosses. Besides that I painted the back sides with a red marker. The result looks much better, and can stand side by side with the other kits without looking washed or faded.

There are no instructions, so you will need to look at the photo of a finished model to see how everything is assembled. Not difficult at all, since it’s just 6 parts, not counting the two coins needed to stabilize it.

The assembly is incredibly fast. You actually spend more time printing the kit and analyzing its parts than you spend building it.

I wonder how it flies. I haven’t tried yet.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1 designed by Olli Bizer

Available as a free download from his website: http://olli.maquettes-papier.net/index.php?

The kit is just one A4 size page (PDF format). Interestingly, this is the only free Dr.1 kit that does not represent Richthofen’s aircraft. Instead, it is available only in the green and blue colors of the airplane flown by ace Paul Baeumer (Dr.1 204/17 from Jasta Boelcke).

To open the PDF file of the kit you will need to write a message to Mr. Bizer for the password. He replies promptly.

Remember to download also the 4-pages file with assembly instructions.

The scale of this model is 1:114 approximately, and it’s nicely detailed and textured. However, it probably has “too much detail” by wrongly showing control surfaces in all the three wings. But the final look is great. The shape and proportions are very good. The result is a cute small model that is nice to see (and probably nice to play with too!)

If you have built a kit by Mr. Bizer you know they are easy to assemble, but they need some care and attention because of the size. If you haven’t, this is a good way to start exploring this designer.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1, published by the German magazine “YPS”

Downloadable from: http://www.ypsfanpage.de/sonst/bastel.php?bogen=161

The YPS magazine was published from 1975 to 2000 in Germany. It was oriented to a young audience, and often included activities, some of them paper models to cut and assemble. This Fokker Dr.1 with the colors of Richthofen’s plane was first in a series of five classic airplanes from WWI that appeared in the magazine in the late part of 1978 (see link above).

It is now near to impossible to get that magazine. A group of fans have created a fanpage devoted to the story of the magazine, and they have scanned some excerpts of it. Among them, you can find this Dr.1 model. The kit comes in two jpg files, plus one additional jpg for the scan of the instructions (in German). Of course this is a very simple kit, with only 23 parts in total.

Don’t worry If you don’t know German: the assembly process follows the numbering of the parts. You’ll need to glue the middle wing before closing the top fuselage. Also, be careful with the shape of the fuselage. The engine cowling is the most difficult part. But remember this is a model intended for young people, so by “most difficult” I mean: “you build that part in 5 minutes”.

The kit is beautiful. It has the charm of the carefully European hand-drawn kits from the 70s, and the simple style of the free cut-outs of children’s magazines. Most details are painted and good-looking.

But some structural details are very weird, like the placement of the wing struts (too close to the fuselage) and the cabane struts (only two, instead of 4). The undercarriage looks very small and frail to me. The propeller can be made movable with a pin (as suggested in the instructions), and a wire or a clip is needed to simulate the tail skid.

Overall the build is very enjoyable, easy, relaxed. The designer draw a perfect kit for a beginner considering its simplicity and the final effect achieved. I would certainly recommend this kit for any youngster interested in paper modeling. And because it is simple, it can also be enhanced and the strange details easily corrected or replaced with new ones (which is also a good way to introduce someone to scratch-building).

The scale is around 1:32 / 1:35. The wingspan does not match exactly the length, but the kit still looks very nice as you can see in the photos.

 

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Fokker Dr.1, designed in 2000 by F. Prudenziati

Available for free from http://www.zioprudenzio.it/fokker.html

This kit had been unavailable for a some time, but in 2011 Mr. Prudenziati re-opened his website, and this kit became available again.

This design comes in 5 different liveries (Richthofen, Jacobs, Kempf, and two more). Each version is a PDF file with two pages, each page of a different size. The bigger page contains the parts for building the airplane, while the smaller one presents two exploded views showing the assembly of the parts.

The parts page is quite big, and almost square, which makes it difficult to handle. I had some trouble printing even at A3 paper. I opted for an easy option: extract the page, separate the parts, and re-assemble the kit in the A3 page. Still, I had to reduce the parts to 50% to make everything fit fine on the page. The result is a kit at scale 1:35.

This may be a free model, but is certainly not simple, and definitely not easy. My recommendation is: try to print as big as possible. There are small parts that are near to impossible to assemble correctly if printed in a small page.

The kit is digitally painted and textured. And it certainly looks great. You will need some care to assemble the parts, and think beforehand each step. The cardstock calls for the use of CA in some parts (landing gear and wing struts).

The graphic instructions show the assembly for what looks like a movable propeller, but the actual file lacks a pair of parts needed to make it rotate. However, with a little care it should be easy to adapt it.

The assembly diagram and the glueing guides on the fuselage show an incorrect placement of the cabane struts. They should be inverted. This is unfortunate in a kit of this quality, but it is easily fixable.

Overall a very nice kit. The air-foiled wings are a nice touch, and the nicely textured surfaces make it very impressive. The mistakes are minimal and easy to correct. And the movable propeller and wheels can easily be adapted by any modeler.

 

[niebla de fuego]

Fokker Dr.1, very simple model

This is my own design, and it is available for free from the download section of papermodelers: http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/downloads.php?do=file&id=718 or from my DeviantArt account: http://rubenandres77.deviantart.com/art/Fokker-Dr-1Paper-Model-v-2-0-211378241

The kit is available in PDF format to build Richthofen’s red plane. It contains 20 pages with the history of the plane and graphic instructions. The actual kit just spans 4 pages, and it only has 16 parts.

The model is vector-drawn. Depending on the printer and inks you use you may get a lighter or darker red color. The kit is a basic version of the three-wing, and sacrifices some details in favor of simplicity. That’s why the machine guns and the tail skid are not present. Wingtips have been simplified too, but the wings are not flat, they have a profile.

The scale is 1:33, but it could be reduced or enlarged at will without loss of detail. Actually, the digital textures and graphics look nice and make this kit more attractive. A special detail not present in any of the bigger kits is the lettering found on the side of the fuselage specifying the weights of the plane (that detail can be found only in Olli’s green and blue 1:114 kit).

The model is assembled very fast, in only a couple of hours; and is mainly intended to children or beginner modelers. The fitting of the parts is good.

 

[niebla de fuego]

So that’s it. All the free Fokker Dr.1 paper models I could find on the web. Some bigger and some smaller; some more accurate than others, but always interesting to build and fun to see.

 

[niebla de fuego]

The is the best collection of Fokkers I have probably ever seen. You have so many of these Fokkers, they almost seemed to be breeding! Great job Ruben! :mrgreen:

Thanks John
It was very fun to build them. It is always interesting to see how different designers approach the same subject!

And best of all: they're all free!:mrgreen:

 

[Thagomizer]

A whole paper Circus!

 

[Alcides]

Wow!!! :thumb::thumb::thumb:

I admire you patient to tackle all the models, built it and make a review!!! I get boring a middle of the model more o less that's why I've 4 models finished and and 10 wip, I've finished 3 designs and have 15 or more wips :cry:

Muy lindos modelos Ruben, realmente un gran trabajo, gracias por compartir.
Saludos
Alcides

 

[lehcyfer]

Great job, Ruben