TKFOKKER

Some more progress tonite. The first picture and the last three is of Achim Engles full scale turtle deck. Following pic's are from the one I built for the half scale. Next is to make the brackets out of aluminum strap stock that hold the deck down. As in the full size pic.
Tom

TKFOKKER

Hi
Finished the mounting brackets and have installed them. The hardware used will be changed, meaning the nuts and bolts. I will use more of a flat pan head machine screw, made of zinc and not brass. I will be waiting for some small nails from Glenn so as to nail along the stringers thru the top surface of the plywood of the fairings every inch as did Achim Engels on his full size
So after that is finished then I will varnish them and remount with proper hardware.
I will most likely work on the landing gear covering and painting next.
Thanks for looking, Tom

TKFOKKER

Hello, I put the airplane on the floor just to see it with it's panels on at that view. My shop is small and that D-8 takes up all the space.
I also weighed the model, it's been yrs. since I checked it's weight. I was surprise and happy to find it only at 38 lbs. I know the wing at it's stage only weighs around 6 lbs. Now thats not with the engine on the front of the fuselage either. So most likely with the covering and paint plus engine, machine guns, dummy engine, I'm likely looking at 75 lbs. finished. At that weight that model will float with the ZDZ 160 on it. Thats if I fly it. It will be for sale when it's done.
Del, Have you gotten your GTM D-8 kit yet? That is going to be a winner. He sure does make awesome stuff hey!! I will be putting my 1/3rd scale up for sale soon. I do want to build Glenn's to get back into the fun again. It will be weird building a kit and not having to make everything. I sure em looking forward to that. Don't be afraid to say Hi Gentlemen.
Tom

puplover

Hi Tom; Good to see you back after getting the bug- to- build again!! Funny how it comes and goes. Looking over your latest photos it's obvious you haven't missed a step. Same superb craftsmanship, same attention to the smallest detail, and all going together to produce a work of art. That is what it is, no different than a fine sculpture or a great painting. same talent, same effort and foresight required for them all.
So, it will be great to see it covered and painted, but after all this time I am going to miss seeing the beautiful work covered up!! I hope whoever buys it takes that into consideration and maybe will have you cover only 1/2 the plane so the structure can be seen on the other 1/2.
Later, Jack

deljon

My Feedback: (4)

Morning Tom,
The plane is really looking awesome, (if I hit the Lottery, I'll buy it)
In an email I got from Glenn last week, he said it would ship Monday (yesterday), so I should have it by the end of the week.
Keep up the good work

Del

Horsepoweraviation

My Feedback: (50)

Hey Tom,
I'm glad to see your back up and running! Hope to see you at some of the Dawn Patrols this year!! Glenn's 1/2 scale cowling is awesome,I bet you can't wait until you receive yours! Your plane is beautiful and that cowling is going to look soooooo sweet when your plane is finished. Call me when you are ready to sell some of your prize possessions
Paul Westrich

TKFOKKER

Hi Paul
I've been watching your D-6 build with great interest and awe! That airplane is going to be mint, mint, mint. I wish you would keep posting, there's alot of people interested. Ya the cowl, how I've dreamed of getting that. It sure will look cool on my D-8. Glenn told me about the 1/2 inch that needs to be cut, also about the face plate. I thought something looked a little out of place in the photo's. Do ya think I can have a go at the controls of that baby?? I've flown ulltralight planes on radio control in the past. What is your plans for the machine guns and dummy engine? I'd like to hear your input on that. Keep up the good work,
Tom

TKFOKKER

Del
Do you have a color scheme for your D-8 yet? Also what will you be powering it with? I will be using a G-62 mounted upright with cooling holes behind the fire wall. That way there you have no restriction for your dummy engine to hang down. Infact that is what will happen on the half scale. so the mufflers are up in the cowl re diverted with tubes to the bottom exiting the cowl. Boy I sure can't wait to build one. There are a lot of cool color schemes to do. I will most surely be doing the multicolored wing. Not the solid olive. I am convinced they were stained different colors. Well back down to the shop, Later
Tom

normgoyer

Hi Tom, My 1/3 scale D-VIII is almost ready to fly, just waiting paint. I found in my vast collection of books a color photo of one that was seized by the Army Air Force and painted in their colors with American insignia. It will be a very unique Fokker D-VIII. I competed in the Nats Scale in 1961 or 2 at Willow Grove, PA with a D-VIII from Calhoun Smith plans. I didn't win but I took it back in one piece in my 1955 VW van to Northampton, MA where I lived. Norm

TKFOKKER

Norm
So nice to hear from you. All the years you traveled back to New England from Cal. to judge our airplanes at the New England Scale Masters Championships was so very much appreciated by all of us. You became a very respected friend of mine. I always enjoyed talking with you. And you seemed to always give me high static scores!!! THANKS for that!!! Anyway I'm happy to hear you still love the Fokkers and are just finishing up a D-8, Very cool. I'm also glad you check in on my build . I'm not a fast builder but I do try to have fun with it. Such a busy life we tend to develope with age. I'm 52 now can you believe that. Can't stay up late like the old days till 1:00 am every night. I have some pic's for you of the old days gone by, Enjoy, Talk again soon,
Tom

TKFOKKER

Tonite I started working on my wheel covers. Here I took of the tires and tubes and covered the rims with linen. I used spray adhesive glue which worked great. Tomorrow I will start doping the linen. Some more pic's

normgoyer

Hi Tom, thanks for the great pix, I remember it like yesterday. You're still a baby at 52, I am 82 and still going 100 mph, flying, writing, building and crashing. Thanks for the memory Tom

Norm

deljon

My Feedback: (4)

Hi Tom, I'm thinking of doing the same scheme as my 1/4 scale:

I really like that scheme, plus I'm a big fan of the unit marking of Jasta 6, i.e. the cowl, stab and wheel covers.
Not sure about the engine yet, will most likely be a twin cyl. (I hate that chainsaw sound of the single cylinders). I have a Roto 70 twin in the Dr.1, flies it great with power to spare.
Probably won't get to start on it right away as I haven't gotten my shop set up yet after our move last fall. (Well, maybe I can start on the smaller stuff like putting the cowl together, subwing, rudder and maybe make up the hinges, etc).
Later

Del

normgoyer

Hi guys, my 1/3 scale Fokker D-VIII will be electric powered. Plan on using large Hacker or AXi depending on costs etc. Batteries will be A123 and receiver and sevos will have their own set of A123 batteries working through a regulator. My 2.4 transmitters have all be converted to poly power as well. Norm

Once I tried large scale electric I was hooked. Largest so far is a 1/4 scale Super Cub that flies much better on electric

jumpinjan

When I was 17 (senior level), competing at the 1968 Nats (Olathe KS), I won the Free Flight Scale with my Fok D8 (Cox TD 049). I silked screened the lozenge camo on to jap tissue and it turned out great enough to get past the Nationals. The covering got pretty brittle after a few months
Jan

TKFOKKER

In response to Del, Norm, and Jan
Del I think that is a nice color scheme, as you know it's the same on my third scale. I like it too!
Norm, Electrics........... Sorry I love those massive loud arm cutting gas burners my self, Heck I have over 40 stiches in my right arm from one of those brutts. Ya gotta love em. They keep you on your toes!
Jan, Wow 68 Nats! that was a while ago, I was doing 049 free flights with my brother in the back yard at that time, I was 11. Cool a D-8 Looks like the D-8's are back, With Glenn's new kit I'm sure there will be quite a few out there.
Thanks for jumping in and saying Hi guys,
Tom

TKFOKKER

Hi Guys
Today I put two coats of nitrate dope on the wheel covers, then two coats of buytrate dope on. I will most likely put two to three more coats on to finish. They will be painted the same yellow color as the upper panels. I also started to cover the sub wing. I used Glenn's four color fabric I had laying around. The reason for this is I need to stay with his linen on this project. That means I will have to wait for Glenn to purchase some more unprinted fabric before I can cover the fuselage. I will have to paint the lozenge pattern on that. The sub wing will be getting painted so the lozenge pattern will not be seen. Until next time,
Tom

THESCALEMAN

hi tom,

really nice stuff tom......been pinching the odd bit here and there for my 1/4 scale build which is coming along....arizona plan.......not the greatest...hence visiting your build to get things right!

hope to use glenn's Ali section for the struts......hopefully he will get back to me soon

looking from this side of the pond.......(UK)

dave

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

It looks like the fabric you are using on the sub wing is 5 color. I spent so much time with it it has burnt a permenant impression in my mind.

TKFOKKER

Dave
Nice to have someone from across the POND watching. I get most of my info thru Achim Engel's site. You must have seen it? Anyway check it out if you have not. I also use the good old WW-1 Aero mags. Actually for years that was my main source before the internet came to play. Keep me posted on your build.
Thanks for saying Hi, Good luck, Tom
P.S. Stick with GTM products you can't go wrong!

TKFOKKER

Verticle Grimmace
The five color I used on the sub wing will be painted the olive green and light blue. It was hard covering the top section. I question myself to if they were even covered at all. There has been argument over this in the past with the full scale guys. My 1/4 scale I built in the 90's did not have covering on the sub wing. Put in the D-8 datafiles it shows the only existing D-8 in the back of book with fabric ripped up on the sub wing. So I guess there's the answer, unless it was added after the war for some reason. Here are a couple more pic's of the sub wing covered last night. Still need to finish doping and trim edges. Then I will paint it.
Take care, Tom

THESCALEMAN

hi Tom,

having to scratch my head more than usual on my build.......arizona haven't even put the CofG on the plan!......anyway i'm not one to flag off a manufacturer.......but i'll remember next time..

ordered my struts from Glenn last night...seems a very helpful chap.....could have talked longer but the missus pay's the phone bill.....he he

yes i am aware of Achim Engel's site.......wow....so much info, that's been a great help as well.....

i'm sure there's loads of questions i would like to ask Tom.......hope you don't mind some coming your way......

most of my work so far has been WW2 warbirds...mustangs/Fw190's........i did build a Flair fokker D.VII some years ago and a 1/4 scale tigermoth....i also enter BMFA scale competitions.......but this is my first entry into to WW1 stuff and i'm really enjoying it......i'm lucky that i live between Duxford and Old Walden (Shuttleworth) here in the UK........off to Duxford this morning.....(i have a yearly pass)......great place....

Old Walden's also great, although no major german fighters, mostly pup's and camel's.......you might be familar with it?

basically using a laser V200 for power, mick reeves wheels (he lives 10 miles from me.....fellow club flyer)......also Glenn's bits...everything else will be scratch.....

anyway that's about for now.......off to germany next week to a trade fair.....not to see WW1 aircraft......shame...have to work sometimes...

be in touch

Dave

TKFOKKER

Hi Dave
I gotta say Arizonia models does not have too good of a reputation here in the states. Unfortunetly he has burned too many bridges.
I'm so jealous you live so close to Old Warden and Duxford. I've always wanted to go to the UK and Europe. I also have another hobby I'm very much involved in WW-2 reinactment. I have a 1945 MB jeep and a very large collection. I am in the 26th Yankee Division 104th B company. My rank is a CPL. We have a great group of 75 guys. trucks, Motorcycles, Jeeps. We do alot of parades, tacticles, and public displays. So France and Germany are really some where I'd love to visit. I am actually away for the weekend from home so I will not be able to work on the D-8 at all this weekend. I will resume work monday night. After I get all the doping done I will have to wait a week before I can paint the subwing and wheel covers. The reason is I use laytex paint. You have to let the gasses in the dope evaporate before painting the latex. I hope I get Glenn's cowl this week. I have to make my own face plate, plus figure out what I will be using for rivets. So much left to do on this model. I'll never do this again, too much work, I can't wait to build a regular wood framed fokker again. I really hope to build Glenn's new D-8 kit. Good talking with ya, Enjoy Germany!!! Wish I was there.
Tom

THESCALEMAN

hi tom,

seems we have more in common....lol.......i'm not part of a WW-2 reinactment but i do dress up in WW2 gear for hanger dances and the Duxford airshows........capt R Morgan.......might ring some bells?.....alittle shorter than my counterpart but all the same, most of my stuff is original......having been buying over christmas from the states and here in the UK....

we also have a local 1940's weekend at RAF Upwood which is about 3 miles from our airfield where we fly...(which is a dissused WW2 pathfinder base...Warboys)......within about a 10 mile radius of huntingdon where i live we have about 5 WW2 american airfields the closest Alconbury which is about 3 miles up the road....my dad said he can remember watching hundreds of B24's and B17's in the sky during the war.....not much left of them now...a few odd buildings.....

off to a LMA do in wigan in a minute...probably see 1/2 and alot of 1/3rd scale stuff......someone has a 1/4 scale TSR2.....(1960's jet)......that's big!

all the best

dave

TKFOKKER

Boy Dave you sure do live where all the action was during WW-2. From aside your country being bombed so bad it was sure a blessing those German's never came across the channel.
90% of the uniforms I do wear are original. Some are repro. It's a great hobby. I actually have a bunch of hours flying a PT 17 Stearman. It's a great plane, lots of fun doing light aerobatics too. I don't get to fly full scale too much any more. I'll most likely post some pic's tomorrow on the D-8 build. You sould include some pic's of your project here on my trend, I'd love to see it.
Take care, Tom