Steve's Models

[Sailor Steve]

Next up: The "other" eindekker - the Pfalz E.I. Whereas Fokker started with a used Morane 'H' and did a major redesign, the Pfalz was a precise nut-for-nut copy, and while a little faster than its Fokker counterpart was inferior in every other way. It was less maneuverable, less stable, and less forgiving, particularly when trying to recover from a spin. Peter Grosz, in the Windsock Datafile on the subject, quotes Vizefeldwebel Kurt Jentsch as saying the Pfalz was tail-heavy, taking two men to lift the tail whereas the Fokker could easily be lifted by one. Jentsch also said the Pfalz was heavy on takeoff had to be rigged precisely or else it would fly crooked, leaning to one side or the other. It also took 200 meters to recover from a spin the Fokker would never have gone into in the first place. Jentsch would also go on to say "The Pfalz monoplane was about as well suited for air combat as a cow was for playing the lute."

In the game we're a little more forgiving, with the Pfalz having a worse turn rate than the Fokker, and needing a higher die roll to get one. There are some things it's just hard to game.

The kit is a twenty-year-old resin piece from RagWings. There aren't a lot of parts, and assembly should be fairly quick and easy.



There is a newer kit, in standard injection-molded plastic, from AZ Models, the same company who make the Morane 'L' I built as a single-seater awhile ago. Unfortunately they are fairly expensive. I'm trying to find a cheaper one, as there are two different schemes I'd like to try. Since they are essentially the same exact airplane I am also trying to get their Morane 'H' model. In the meantime I'll be working on this kit. I also have two very old vac kits from Formaplane, but it was one of their early efforts and very basic. It would almost be better to scratch-build one than use that kit.