For my dimension’s FOKKER DR-1, modifying a common paper pattern, aluminum sheets and compact disc "case" was use to make this famous World War I (WWI) aircraft. The sharp edges of cut metal and resilience of CD casing against school room scissors relegated it up a little as an adult activity, maybe aluminum is my answer to cardpaper’s “pulping” problem when applied with slow drying adhesives or water based glue.
It turned out this
experimental materials has properties of their own unsuited with the scale I’m
working with …despite being flexible, aluminum sheets is not malleable as paper
so bended parts have a tendency to un-shape itself even after glueing. Dvd case
is also too stiff of a material for a project of this small, fortunately in
this situation I ended up using them with the DR-1 a fairly simple airplane
by today’s standard in reality and as a subject of a miniature model built. As
always on this site I have preferable sizes of models to acquire or create for
easy storage or disposal later, this one turned out to be about 1:68th
scale due to a pattern printing error. The search for a smaller scale plastic
kit of the plane in local hobby shops proved to be unsuccessful.
For a full-grown man, Its quite un-nerving sometimes to give a couple of moments of your week or days to sit down and work on this creations; kindergarten Friday art activities would flash in one’s mind while immerse in cutting, scissoring or gluing assorted materials to make some of this scale representations, could be a sad situation to picture for anyone who is totally detached or traditionally un-initiated to the existence of such activity. The “DR-1” is an aircraft rich in colorful vintage history surely there are enough blogs and webpage that feature this plane, It would be just fitting to include it in this blog for conceptual reinforcement, failure to do homage to this "Kaiser aircraft" in any subject that highlights aircrafts and warfare is like talking about Eighties pop music without mentioning “Michael Jackson”, A book of World Architectures missing the “Taj Mahal” tomb and a list of Philippines Natural wonders devoid of Mount Mayon.
Popular, but not a technologically groundbreaking aircraft with regards to advancement in warfare nor aviation, the DR-1 is in fact Germany’s answer to a British Tri-plane that appeared much earlier prior to the fielding of a Fokker triplane, generally regarded as unstable on take-offs, landing and high speed dives both “Allies” and “Central” powers nevertheless utilizes the “tri-wing design” because of its superior performance at low-speed that is crucial during tight turning aerial rambles.
It was the exploits of the German pilot Manfred von Richthofen
later to be popularly called by both WW1 antagonist as
the “Red Baron” that dug the DR-1 a niche on the state of air warfare’s
folk history, as a young military pilot seeking fame and recognition the Baron showed
a more chivalrous and theatrical
presentation of a bloody war for the public, a glamourous picture beyond
the actual destruction and carnage that is happening in the war zone trenches
below. Richthofen encourage the men of
his squadron to paint their fighter planes in highly visible colors patterns to
announce their fearsome presence to the enemy hence it christend “the flying circus” by allied combatants,
early twentieth century citizens from both side would follow the exploits of
this air jockeys of death on print bulletins probably as would how people today
will tune-in to the latest “reality
shows” on Television.
The Fokker DR-1 most
admirable trait is said to be its “Twin Spandau Machine Gun”, the main
explanation for this is because – its a “twin spandau machine gun” … most featured
presentation on the DR-1 never fails to commend this standard fighter plane
implement. Captain Richthofen himself does not use the Fokker tri-wing with
exclusivity in the course of his career as a fighter pilot and later a squadron leader, needlessly said the legendary
association of the aircraft to the
German ace has been influenced by the
fact that its the last plane were he made his last seventeen kills with, and also
the craft where he was killed in; behind enemy lines in northern France. The comics strip “Snoopy” also help delegate the “Baron-dr1” tandem into familiar modern
pop culture, its unavoidable to imagine that because the Red Baron and
his Fokker DR1 concocted a notoriously deadly
reputation to it’s adversary that most
of them would stutter in fear or shout in defiance the word “F@?&*#cker!”
whenever they find a German warplane at their “six o’clock” …Baron’s DR-1 or not.
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