About the Model:

FOKKER D8 - "The Flying Razor"
Built WITH Meccano - 2005
By Mike Dennis HTMC - RMG - ISM 0328

Introduction

The D8 was one of the last German Air Force "Scout" or Fighter aircraft to enter service in the last few months of W.W.1 and was the type that shot down the last allied aircraft. Had it been available earlier it would have probably been very successful against the R.F.C. as its speed at 5000 ft was in excess of 130 MPH in a dive. The evidence is that an aircraft of this type can claim the distinction of destroying the last allied aircraft prior to the armistice.

The D8 featured a parasol wing, was powered by a 110 HP 9 cylinder Oberursel Rotary engine and had two 7.92 mm Spandau machine guns firing through the propeller arc, via the Fokker cam operated interrupter gear. See drawing.

Rotary & Radial Engines

A Rotary engine rotates on a fixed crankshaft with substantial bearings and is directly fixed to the bulkhead and is usually supported further aft on a fixed outrigger inside the fuselage. The propellor is normally fitted by direct drive with the engine but some had reduction gearing. -- A Radial engine is directly fixed to the bulkhead and the crankshaft rotates with the propellor connected either directly or via reduction gearing.

Leading Dimensions.

Span: 27 ft 6.75 in. Chord: 4 ft 11 in. Area with ailerons: 108 square feet. Length: 19 ft 4 in. Height: 9 feet 3 inches. Tailplane Incidence: 3.5 deg positive. Wing Sweepback: 3 3/4 in. Total area including ailerons: 108 sq. ft.

Fuselage

Maximum cross section dimension: 3 ft 6 1/2 in. - Undercarriage shock-absorbing system: Rubber. Braking device: Tail skid.

Some Meccano was used

The model is 1/12 scale and features special Meccano compatible parts designed by Gesellschaft Motoren Mecarep, and fully working controls. The engine fitted is my prototype Rotarad convertible engine minus intakes and valve gear, which can be made to perform either as a rotary or radial and in this case is controlled by a dog clutch male half and a groove machined into the boss of a 25 T faced off pinion to 1/8" wide running on a standard keyway rod. The electric motor fitted is an MFA 941D41 with a 13T Ashok pinion fitted via a Meccano axle size adapter. The Propellor turns at 1040 RPM on 12Volts DC

Meccano flat and flexible plates have been modified to suit the aircraft throughout. The engine speed is controlled by "blipping" the throttle as the real ones were, by a lever of my own design fitted on the port side of the cockpit linked to a mutilated Meccano handle. The fuselage undersurface is transparent, for viewers to see the controls via the mirror when I play hangar pilots, blip the throttle and do the explanatory chat in public. The wheels are unadulterated tin plate Road wheels, which, along with the engine and its spun Aluminium Cowling, determined the scale. Power to the engine is supplied via a Variable voltage PSU and ground fly lead with a ?" Jack plug fitted into a jack socket on the underside of the fuselage just aft of the cockpit. All the control movements can be seen in a mirror placed beneath the aircraft when on show.

The push rod and cable control principle developed for this model can be used on others. - I have used M3 Countersunk screws, M3 threaded 5/16" cube joints, ¼" x 1/16" M3 threaded strips, ¼" Hexagonal and square M3 threaded spacers and converted narrow strips to replace traditional Meccano and eliminate the use of nuts for ease of assembly where necessary and especially in my opinion, to improve the scale effect and appearance of surfaces.

The 1/12 scale machine guns are machined and fabricated from brass and the cockpit visor (windscreen) which is just visible in the cockpit plan view is made from a mutilated transparent plastic Meccano plate. (What else)

The wing and tailplane stays, the cabane struts and main undercarriage strut assemblies are made from K&S 122, ¼" Streamline section, fabricated and soldered as required. The U/C cross brace, all control rods and the aileron links are 1/16" Dia K&S 163 Brass rod with 10 B.A threads fabricated as appropriate.

The main Aileron draw bar beneath the wing is ¼" x 1/16" BMS flat bar drilled and tapped as appropriate to my special parts and the primary cables from the control column are Meccano'ish black cord, connected to a ½" pitch narrow bell crank (another Dennis special) fitted with three bosses similar to brake cable fixings on cycles. -- The paint colours are, standard Meccano finish, Rover Monza Red and Ford Polar Grey from the Halfords range of Car paints on Grey primed surfaces all as, when or where needed.

The German decals were made to my specification by Grafix Ltd., Whitstable, Kent.

The aircraft is finished in the personal colours of GeschwaderFurher, Herzog von Bradstow - Kaiser Bill's FokkerFlug, currently operating from Blasphemy Hall's private airstrip at Broadstairs on Planet Thanet, where lubrication and maintenance facilities are available at the "Bunker und Den" A Single Malt Whisky/hospitality bar for visiting "mutilators" and "heretics" !