| Junkers D.1 |
Junkers D.1
Roden kit 041
1/72 scale.
The Junkers D.1 low-wing, all metal monoplane was a revolutionary design in 1917. In
an age where most aircraft featured cloth covering over plywood or at best, welded
tube construction, Dr. Hugo Junkers developed a design constructed from corrugated
aluminum sheet. It ushered in an age of higher speed, sleek designs of robust
construction. In various competitions against other contemporary designs during
1918, the Junkers design proved itself superior although it ran into opposition from
military officers that preferred biplanes and did not like the broad low wing feature of
the D.1. In spite of this, the War Ministry showed great foresight and gave Junkers a
contract for 100 aircraft. This large initial order was required due to the extra cost of
the tooling to produce the all-metal design. It appears that a total of forty-one
examples of the D.1 were produced before the armistice. A few examples of the D.1
were shipped to the front lines but they were not a factor in any air battles. After the
war, Dr. Junkers continued to develop this type of construction which was featured in a
number of designs including the Ford Tri-motor and the Junkers Ju-52 WW II transport.
The Junkers D.1 has been produced by Rareplanes and Pegasus in 1/72 scale and by
Blue Max in 1/48 scale. These kits were acceptable for their time but there was a need
for a new, higher quality kit of this significant aircraft. Roden have filled this need by
adding the Junkers D.1 to their extensive range of World War I aircraft.
I am a big fan of Roden models and have several in my collection. The company
produces accurate and detailed kits of interesting subjects. These kits are, however,
not of the “add glue and shake� variety. They all seem to have some tricky
areas. The D.1 is no exception. The surface detail is excellent and reproduces the
corrugated surfaces very convincingly. The seams are provided in locations that do
not cause the modeler to have to destroy any surface detail if clean up is needed. The
control surfaces are very thin and all of the controls are separate allowing the modeler
to pose them in off-center positions. Internal fuselage construction and cockpit details
are provided along with a nicely detailed engine. (See Photo) The size and shape of
the model confirm to the drawings in the reference material that I used although they
seem to have forgotten to add the thin wood strips that were added to some of the
wing root corrugations to act as a wing walk. I thought about adding them with
stretched sprue but I decided to ignore the item.
The only major problem area was the fuselage assembly. The fuselage consists of
four pieces plus a nose part and the engine must be sandwiched between the two
sides during assembly. The exploded view shows the bottom, both sides and the
engine assembled in one step. The problem is getting the sides to bow outward
sufficiently to match the plan-view curve of the bottom panel. A couple of pins are
molded into the bottom but they allow too much clearance. I ended up gluing the
bottom to one side first. This allowed for a good joint plus I could add the cockpit
module at this time. I then glued the engine to the other half and while the glue was
still not set, I finished the fuselage assembly. This allowed me to get the joint of the
second side to the bottom correct plus I was able to adjust the engine so that it was
more or less centered. I added the nose part at this time to square the front end
correctly. When everything was dry, I mounted the fuselage top panel. The joint to
this last part ended up needing some sanding. I probably should have installed some
shims into the fuselage to force it open enough for the top panel to fit perfectly. Maybe
next time. The correct wing dihedral also requires some care. The wings had some
major ejection pin studs which had to be removed before assembly. Then, when the
wings were attached to the fuselage, they tend to be flat. Try test fitting these parts
before assembly. I ended up shimming and filling the bottom surface of the wing to
obtain the proper dihedral. The exhaust stack also needed some cleaning up. The end
was solid. I used a small drill and the point of the hobby knife to open it up to look
better. The final area of care is the foot step. I should have drilled the two mounting
holes to make the part fit better.
Markings are provided for two virtually identical green and purple machines. I chose to
build number 5180 as shown on the box. I used FS 34097, Field Green for the green
color and found a gamer's color called Liche Purple for the purple. I chose RLM 65 for
the undersurfaces. I painted the prop with a coat of Wood then applied some thin tape
strips and gave it a coat of Leather. This simulates the laminated wood construction of
the original. I built the model basically OOB except that I added some seat belts from
lead foil, a throttle control to the left fuselage side, a windshield and two wire braces to
the under carriage. I was pleased with the final appearance of the model. It clearly
reflects this important World War I design.
Thanks to Roden for providing the sample and to John Noack for letting me review this
kit. The kit is well recommended for modelers who enjoy unique subjects. A friend if
mine is hoping that Roden add this kit to their increasing range of 1/48 scale kits also.
References; Windsock Datafile 33, Junkers D.I by Peter M. Grosz
Profile Publications Number 187, Junkers Monoplanes.
http://www.wwi-models.org/Photos/Ger/Junk_DI/index.html
Roden kit 041
1/72 scale.
The Junkers D.1 low-wing, all metal monoplane was a revolutionary design in 1917. In
an age where most aircraft featured cloth covering over plywood or at best, welded
tube construction, Dr. Hugo Junkers developed a design constructed from corrugated
aluminum sheet. It ushered in an age of higher speed, sleek designs of robust
construction. In various competitions against other contemporary designs during
1918, the Junkers design proved itself superior although it ran into opposition from
military officers that preferred biplanes and did not like the broad low wing feature of
the D.1. In spite of this, the War Ministry showed great foresight and gave Junkers a
contract for 100 aircraft. This large initial order was required due to the extra cost of
the tooling to produce the all-metal design. It appears that a total of forty-one
examples of the D.1 were produced before the armistice. A few examples of the D.1
were shipped to the front lines but they were not a factor in any air battles. After the
war, Dr. Junkers continued to develop this type of construction which was featured in a
number of designs including the Ford Tri-motor and the Junkers Ju-52 WW II transport.
The Junkers D.1 has been produced by Rareplanes and Pegasus in 1/72 scale and by
Blue Max in 1/48 scale. These kits were acceptable for their time but there was a need
for a new, higher quality kit of this significant aircraft. Roden have filled this need by
adding the Junkers D.1 to their extensive range of World War I aircraft.
I am a big fan of Roden models and have several in my collection. The company
produces accurate and detailed kits of interesting subjects. These kits are, however,
not of the “add glue and shake� variety. They all seem to have some tricky
areas. The D.1 is no exception. The surface detail is excellent and reproduces the
corrugated surfaces very convincingly. The seams are provided in locations that do
not cause the modeler to have to destroy any surface detail if clean up is needed. The
control surfaces are very thin and all of the controls are separate allowing the modeler
to pose them in off-center positions. Internal fuselage construction and cockpit details
are provided along with a nicely detailed engine. (See Photo) The size and shape of
the model confirm to the drawings in the reference material that I used although they
seem to have forgotten to add the thin wood strips that were added to some of the
wing root corrugations to act as a wing walk. I thought about adding them with
stretched sprue but I decided to ignore the item.
The only major problem area was the fuselage assembly. The fuselage consists of
four pieces plus a nose part and the engine must be sandwiched between the two
sides during assembly. The exploded view shows the bottom, both sides and the
engine assembled in one step. The problem is getting the sides to bow outward
sufficiently to match the plan-view curve of the bottom panel. A couple of pins are
molded into the bottom but they allow too much clearance. I ended up gluing the
bottom to one side first. This allowed for a good joint plus I could add the cockpit
module at this time. I then glued the engine to the other half and while the glue was
still not set, I finished the fuselage assembly. This allowed me to get the joint of the
second side to the bottom correct plus I was able to adjust the engine so that it was
more or less centered. I added the nose part at this time to square the front end
correctly. When everything was dry, I mounted the fuselage top panel. The joint to
this last part ended up needing some sanding. I probably should have installed some
shims into the fuselage to force it open enough for the top panel to fit perfectly. Maybe
next time. The correct wing dihedral also requires some care. The wings had some
major ejection pin studs which had to be removed before assembly. Then, when the
wings were attached to the fuselage, they tend to be flat. Try test fitting these parts
before assembly. I ended up shimming and filling the bottom surface of the wing to
obtain the proper dihedral. The exhaust stack also needed some cleaning up. The end
was solid. I used a small drill and the point of the hobby knife to open it up to look
better. The final area of care is the foot step. I should have drilled the two mounting
holes to make the part fit better.
Markings are provided for two virtually identical green and purple machines. I chose to
build number 5180 as shown on the box. I used FS 34097, Field Green for the green
color and found a gamer's color called Liche Purple for the purple. I chose RLM 65 for
the undersurfaces. I painted the prop with a coat of Wood then applied some thin tape
strips and gave it a coat of Leather. This simulates the laminated wood construction of
the original. I built the model basically OOB except that I added some seat belts from
lead foil, a throttle control to the left fuselage side, a windshield and two wire braces to
the under carriage. I was pleased with the final appearance of the model. It clearly
reflects this important World War I design.
Thanks to Roden for providing the sample and to John Noack for letting me review this
kit. The kit is well recommended for modelers who enjoy unique subjects. A friend if
mine is hoping that Roden add this kit to their increasing range of 1/48 scale kits also.
References; Windsock Datafile 33, Junkers D.I by Peter M. Grosz
Profile Publications Number 187, Junkers Monoplanes.
http://www.wwi-models.org/Photos/Ger/Junk_DI/index.html
Check out my other WW I models;
