A Little Fokker

The German Fokker E. IV (eindecker) was designed as a replacement for the highly successful E. III to counter the British RAF over the trenches of the Western Front in World War I. Unfortunately, the E. IV was found to be less reliable, slower and much less maneuverable than its predecessor. And it proved to be a poor climber, adding to its woes. Only 49 were built.

This 1/72 scale model represents the aircraft flown by Leutnant Kurt Wintgens of Feld Flieger 6b in 1916.

Wintgens was a pilot of some note in the German air service. He unofficially claimed the first German fighter kill in history on July 1, 1915, when he shot down a Nieuport Parasol. While that kill went unconfirmed, Wintgens went on to become an ace with an official tally of 19 kills. He was the fourth pilot to be awarded the Pour le Merite, the famous Blue Max.

One of only three German pilots known to have worn glasses during World War I, Wintgens went on to receive numerous other awards. before being shot down and killed on September 25, 1916 while defending a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft. We was only 22 years old.

Only one example of an E. IV still exists, housed at the Science Museum in London.

I built this model several years ago from the ICM kit. The rigging is made from paint brush bristles, my tried and proven technique for 1/72 scale aircraft. All in all, it make for a nice addition to my collection of World War I aircraft.