AeroModeller – June 2018

33

right. For today’s FF builder an ancient

D.C. Dart or one of the long stroke CS

diesels at 0.5cc or below would be about

right, or possibly one of the sub 0.5 cc

modern diesels built to vintage design

with piston-controlled induction.

The plan is shown for a Free Flight

model as the idea of an RC version

at this size in 1954 would have been

unthinkable. However, with modern micro

RC I’m sure a 2, 3 or even 4 channel RC

conversion could be made, and possibly

the added power of a hotter 0.5 cc

engine could be used. And of course,

there is also the all-electric option but

Dad may not smile down so benignly on

your model!

The colour photos of the Fokker D.VIII

shown here are of the second Ron

Moulton designed model built by Dad in

2005. I’m lucky to still have this actual
      model. Dad then want on to enlarge the
      plan and build a 36 inch span version for
      1.0 cc diesel. This I also have and when
      I can find the time to clean up the plan, it
      may appear in a future issue. Hence the
      heading photo of Ron Moulton with two
      different sized Fokker D.VIIIs.

Building Suggestions

Later in this article you will find Ron’s

original build instructions for the Fokker

D.VIII, but I thought I would make a few

suggestions to improve the durability and

building of the model, given that this was

one of Ron’s earliest scale designs.

Do make sure you build the model

light, particularly the rear end. The

bearers have significant right side thrust

built in, which should be retained. To

make it easier to align the bearers you

may want to add some angled 1/8 inch

ply fillets, a little extra weight at the front

end of a short nosed model like this will

not be a problem. Know which engine

you are going to use and drill the bearers

accordingly before gluing them in

the nose.

This is a relatively simple model to

build, but the wires for the cabane

struts and of the undercarriage are

slightly daunting. When bending the

symmetrically shaped pianowire parts,

start with the first bend closest to the

centerline, then bend the opposite side

of the centre and continue to the end of

the bends, alternating from side to side.

Ron describes using a piece of sheet

wood as a dummy centre section to help

when aligning the parts of the cabane

This was my father David Boddington’s first Ron Moulton Fokker D.VIII built

in the 1950s’.

Both of the 22 inch span Fokker D.VIIIs that my father built were powered by

E.D. Babys.

To ensure that the cabane wires were in the right place for the wing retaining

tubes, Dad built this temporary box jig around the fuselage which had

tubing in the right positions for the strut ends. Once the cabane structure is

finished (with bound and soldered joints) the box is dismantled.

The cabane struts are squeezed together and then released to mount the

wing. Dad’s wing was covered in silk and the fuselage in tissue, the red and

white finish is from car touch-up spray cans.

FOKKER D8 FREE PLAN.indd 37 26/04/2018 14:45