Schiffer | Fokker V5/Dr1

Reviewed by Brad Hagen

Fokker V5 Dr1.
by Wolfgang Schuster & Achim Sven Engels Softcover 8 1/12"x 11"
79 B&W photos
6 line drawings

Revell's 1/28th Fokker Dr.1 has been available for quite a few years now and it has stood the test of time better than most kits. Cooper State Models http://www.copperstatemodels.com/ now has a fine line of aftermarket products ranging from decals to a genuine wood prop.

Now what's needed is good reference material. There was Squadron's Fokker Dr.1 in action that was released a few years ago and it is a good reference book, but this book really expands on any other book out there.

It does a fine job of covering the history of the Dr.1, but where the book really shines is in its coverage of the paint schemes the Dr.1 carried. The photos are of course B & W, but have a lot of clarity for their age. It has only one fold out of a color 3 view of Leutnant Kempfs Dr.1 of Jasta 2 Boelke.

The text goes into great detail of the general camouflage, general markings, and the best part of the book, detailed markings of the individual units with the Jagdgeschwadern. The book would have been better if they would have had color drawings of each Jagdgeschwader, but the text is clear on the markings.

There are good detail shots of the guns, cockpit and other areas of the Dr.1, quite a few courtesy of crashed planes! The book also has quite a bit of text explaining the construction of the Dr.1. The book has some nice technical drawings, the only bad part is the center section is 3 pages, one side has the color 3 view while the other side has a detailed side construction view. If you want to view the whole drawing at once, you need to pull it free from the book, but it's easy enough to flip it back and forth to see what you need to.

All in all, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars for the drawings stapled in the center and for the lack of color drawings, although the text does make up for that. It is still the best book on the Dr.1 I have found yet.

Retail price is $14.95 and it can be purchased at Amazon.com www.amazon.com or Barnes & Noble www.bn.com/.

Schiffer | Fokker V5/Dr1

Reviewed by Brad Hagen

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