1/28 Hobbycraft Fokker Dr.1

Gallery Article by Alvis 3.1

 

The Chrome Count and his Stainless Steel Triplane
Ernst Mach is best known in aviation as the physicist who explained what the speed of sound was, and how it was affected by temperature, altitude, and a a variety of atmospheric conditions. Lesser know is the contribution played out by his nephew, Ferdinand Mach. 

Ferdy was not a typical member of the aristocracy in pre-WW I Austria-Hungary. He was fascinated with aviation, as well as smoking large Turkish cigarettes, He was one of the few members of high society to also not sport a large, bushy beard, a style popular at the time. He had invested heavily in various razor manufacturing companies, but they all wound up going bankrupt as society was just not ready to see real men with smooth faces. As WW I broke out, Ferdy was virtually broke, so he enlisted as a pilot in the Austro-Hungarian Aerial Cavalry. Unfortunately, his unbreakable habit of incessant smoking led to several near-fatal in-flight fires, as the embers kept igniting the doped fabric of the aeroplanes. Facing the humiliation of being dishonably discharged, Ferdy hit upon the idea of using a large supply of stainless steel he had left over from a failed shaving investment to build a fireproof, bullet resistant, strong aeroplane.   

Starting construction in 1915, he encountered many problems, not least of which was the heavier weight of a metal plane. Finally realising he need as much lift as possible, he licensed the Fokker DR-1 design, and based his Ferd M-3 on it.  By the time he had completed the prototype in August, 1918, the war was going badly for the Germans, and he was sent to the Western Front to operationally test the plane. Due to the higher weight, the takeoff run was protracted, the climb rate abysmal, and maneuverability was lacking, but once the plane climbed to altitude, it could outdive anything else in the sky. The metal sheeting not only provided fire proofing and some safety from bullets, but also provided rigidity, and therefore the plane didn't require any of the common bracing wires seen on other WW I designs. 

 

Click on images below to see larger images

The sole operational mission of the M-3 was not a success, however. After trying to attack a formation of Sopwith Camels, Ferdy was pursued by several Canadian pilots low over the advancing troops from Australia. The fusillade of fire from the ground and from behind was not the cause of Ferdy's death, despite claims by both sides after the war. No, he was blinded by the glare of the sun reflecting off the middle set of wings, and crashed into the ground right in the midst of the Australians. The ever resourceful Aussies immediately stripped the plane of its' skinning and had the best supply of  razor blades on the whole British front.

As a postscript, Ferdy's family retained the rights to the three surfaced design, and by selling the patent to Gillette in the 1990s, Ferdy's legacy lives on in the Mach III razor. What was designed as an instrument of war has become a tool for smooth faces everywhere. 

"How I Built It"
The kit is the 1/28 Hobbycraft kit.  Say what you might about Hobbycraft, this is definitely a pig! Since it had no real future ahead of it, wackyland it was destined! The kit was basically built straight from the box, with the only change being in the paint job. A Krylon Grey primer was applied, and Canadian Tire Chrome Silver Spraypaint was sprayed over top of the primer. This metal finsh paint is very shiny, and very corrosive to plastic, thus the grey Krylon primer was essential. Some Bare Metal Foil was also used. The pilot figure came with the kit (including the stogie clenched in his fist) and was painted up according to the voices in my head. Late war crosses were used from the kit. Uhhh, that's it!

Alvis 3.1

      

Photos and text © by Alvis 3.1