I will be the first to admit that I don't know much about WW1 airplanes, although I always thought they were cool. My experience with multi-wing planes is limited to the ones I fly in a game for my VR glasses. For my first experience building something with more than one wing, I decided I wanted something in a larger scale that would perhaps make it easier for me to see the parts and add the rigging. I have been dragging an old Revell 1/28 Fokker Dr.1 around for many years, so I thought this might be a fun plane to start with. I was looking at my limited research material for WW1 planes, and I came across two photos in the Squadron Fokker Dr.1 in Action book. It was a photo of an unarmed plane used in training. It appears to be in a standard camouflage, but it also has a really cool number painted on the side. The second photo shows a little bit of the deck where the machine guns would be located, so I can get a little idea of what the changes there might be. With these two photos in hand, I am ready to fearlessly jump into building this model. I want to add some details to the model, especially in the cockpit. I want to add the tubular frame to the inside of the cockpit, as well as add the fuel tank, which I think might be visible in the forward fuselage. I hope to design and then 3D print the frame and the fuel tank. I also want to try to make some more accurate gauges in the cockpit. For the exterior, I don't know that I will do much other than convert the deck in front of the pilot to one that is gun-less. I suspect that just doing the limited rigging on this model might be all that I can handle for my first multi-wing plane. Of course, there is that streaky camo to take care of, but one problem at a time. Cheers.

7 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Excellent choice, George @gblair
Looking forward to see this progressing and your approach on the interior.

Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten), John (@johnb), and Carl (@clipper). I think this one will be fun and not too demanding. One of the reasons I like this model is that the bottom two wings are attached to the fuselage, so no alignment problems there. That just leaves the top wing to get aligned.

Hi, Ian (@firelockg). Ease of adding the extra wings is the main reason I wanted to start with a Dr.1. This will be my first multi-wing plane, so I don't think you will be able to learn much from me. I have taking notes on yours, however. I did manage to get a trial framework for the cockpit cobbled together in TinkerCad (a free design program) and I got a trial print done. I still need to cure the parts and clean them up, then check sizes. We spend most of each Sunday at my Daughter's house playing board games and playing with my 4 year old granddaughter, so I won't have time to do much.

Nice progress George, the interior of the German A/C always looks haphazard to me, no instrument panel as such , just stick the instruments where there is a gap, but as an A/C instrument fitter I like to see them in a designated panel, I reckon the pilots would prefer that to.

Thanks, Ian (@firelockg) and John (@johnb). The instruments are an interesting subject. WW1 photos of the interior are difficult to find, but there are a lot of photos from planes in museums. Revell depicts the instruments on a bar that goes across the cockpit in front of the pilot, but I haven't found any photos that show that. I have found photos that show instruments mounted singly in several places in the cockpit, including the floor. Other photos show a few instruments sitting on a simple piece of plywood in front of the pilot. The photos I have found photos of cockpits that people have put into their Dr.1 models and also found a wide variety of instruments. I found a book on Amazon that is supposed to have some good interior photos, so I have my fingers crossed. Having been an instrument technician, Ian, I know you have much more knowledge about this than I do. I was an instructor pilot in the Air Force, but for me instruments either worked or they didn't, and not much I could do about them in flight. The instrument techs were the guys that made sure we had safe and reliable equipment to use. Cheers.

George, I guess that with all the alternatives you cannot get it wrong no mater how the cockpit is done. Your correct about instruments being right or U/S in flight , but you may be surprised at some stories aircrew said they did and on testing they were ok.

I had a lot of family things today, but I had a little time to work on the plane. I got the framework cured and cleaned up. A quick test fit looks good for the fit. I will also have to replace the cockpit floor, which only sort of looks like the photos I have. I thought it might be fun to use one of the kit figures from the kit. There are three figures, and they are really sad looking. The pieces are more than a little bit warped and it is taking some major clamping to get the figure halves to fit together. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

2 attached images. Click to enlarge.