ICM

1/72 Pfalz E.IV

Kit Number: 72121

Reviewed by  Brian Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $11.95 Introduction The Pfalz Flugzeug-Werke was established in 1913 and financed by the Bavarian Government because they wanted to have some control over the aircraft they used in their air service. Initial production aircraft were Otto pusher biplanes, and later types included license-built Morane Saulnier H and L monoplanes. At the beginning of World War I, Pfalz monoplanes were designated A I and A II depending upon powerplant, and these were used for reconnaissance and photographic duties. Later Pfalz biplanes and triplanes were not related to these aircraft. The original E.1 was a shoulder winged development of the Morane Saulnier Type H, and when this was fitted with a Fokker interrupter gear in 1915, it became a true fighter. About 60 E-1's were built, followed by the E. II and E.III, of which small numbers were produced. The E.IV came next. It was strengthened to take a 160 hp.14 cylinder Oberursel rotary engine. The engine was not too reliable, and only 24 were built. Their service life was short, and they wound up in training units. Although the Pfalz E series aircraft were almost indistinguishable from the Fokker E types, their method of construction was radically different, having completely wooden airframes instead of the Fokker's welded steel tubing construction. Pfalz monoplanes also were marked with crosses on virtually every flat surface on the airplane, unlike the Fokkers, which carried standard German military markings. A reason why the Pfalz monoplanes lasted only a short time was their eclipse by more modern types. In addition, the Pfalz airplanes used wing warping, a marginal control system at best when compared with the more efficient ailerons on contemporary types. The twin row engines were also unreliable, so no widespread production was initiated. Sources There are many sources of information for the Pfalz monoplanes. The best is probably the Peter Gray and Owen Thetford GERMAN AIRCRAFT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR, while other materials are available on the web. Harleyford's books on World War I aircraft also contain good three view drawings. The Kit The kit is typical of the ICM kits I have built, with excellent molding, very little flash, and good surface detail. The kit contains three sprues and one clear plastic windshield, a total of 48 parts. Decals are provided for two aircraft, with only minor differences. The decals are thin enough, and do not really need to be trimmed, although I did trim the large wing crosses. They snuggled down over the fabric and rib patterns with no problems. Assembly The cockpit detail is good, and should be assembled and painted first. Parts include a seat, instrument panel complete with decal, a fuel tank which must be painted a copper/brass color, a stick complete with a control rod underneath the seat, rudder pedals, some kind of booster pump which could be either that or a fire extinguisher, and a throttle arm mount, although there is no actual throttle lever. These parts all fit nicely, and the parts are easily installed even after the fuselage halves and rear top decking are assembled. Then the firewall should be installed, along with the rear elevator horns. The horns, however, do not really fit, as they should protrude below the rear fuselage, but don't. The upper cowl decking should then be fitted, and this also, does not quite properly fit, although a small amount of putty will solve the problem. The side cowling fairings should also be attached at this point, as the cowling mounts to these, and the fit is quite tight. Pins and holes in the fuselage sides should be used for locating these parts. It would be wise to paint all of the external surfaces at this point. The main fuselage except for the forward part, the wings, and the tail unit, should all be painted beige to represent unpainted linen covering. On many Pfalz aircraft, the edges of all of the flying surfaces, along with the corners of the fuselage, were trimmed in black. I followed a suggestion in a previous review of an earlier version of the kit, and just went along the edges with a permanent black marker pen, and the results were satisfactory. Now the model was ready for final assembly. One problem I have encountered with a previous ICM kit, although not so serious this time, was the fact that the kit is extremely weak when assembled. The wings attach with small pegs, and there is no strengthened fuselage structure to support them. The tail unit mounts in the same way, with little to support the elevators and rudder. Therefore, I would advise applying the decals before final assembly. The nose section and cowling, along with all of the struts and landing gear parts, are painted black, and this should be done before the wings are attached. NOTE: the instructions are incorrect here, as they list the color white instead of black. The drawings, however, show black, so this should not be too confusing. Just change Model Master color 1749 from white to black and you'll have it right. I would suspect that the error is in the English translation, as the Ukrainian words for white and black appear to be different. Also, the machine guns and the windshield can be installed at this time. Now we are ready for the most problematic part of the kit, the landing gear. The drawing shows only the location of one gun, although the aircraft carried two. This is no real problem, as the locations are self evident. The wings can be attached to fuselage easily. Just glue them on using the small protruding tabs. The fuselage has holes which make this a snap. The tail unit attaches the same way, although the whole structure is fairly weak. Once attached, don't handle these parts any more than necessary. Handle the airplane by the rear fuselage. The gear is made up of two main struts, a V strut in the center, two axles, and two cross spreader bars that are located ahead of and behind the main axles. This appears to be pretty complicated, and it is. A drawing shows the proper location of these parts, although the V spreader bar strut doesn't seem to fit correctly, and the axles had to be replaced with plastic rod. I waited until the wheels were mounted on the gear before attaching the front cross spreader bars, which I also replaced with thin plastic rod. A front fairing underneath the forward fuselage completed the assembly of this part, although a rear V strut and a couple of fittings had to be located behind the landing gear. These were EXTREMELY small, so work under a magnifying glass and don't lose them. Once the airplane is dry and on the wheels, the tailskid arrangement can be mounted. This is also complicated, but everything fits OK, so there should be no problems there. A three view drawing of the airplane in the instructions in 1/72 scale would have helped, although I did have the same in one of the Harleyford books. Once the gear is installed, the top deck details can be attached. These consist mainly of a V strut and a very small part which represents the wing warping mechanism. In addition, the engine, which should have already been painted silver with black cylinders, should be fitted to the firewall, with the crankshaft protruding through the opening in the cowling. I was unable to get the small crankshaft to fit inside the engine without extensive trimming, so I drilled it out and hoped for the best. I don't spin props anyway, so the fact that the prop is permanently attached to the engine and unable to spin is of no consequence. For those who spin props, I'd recommend Tonka toys. The finishing touches should include the rigging wires. A good diagram is provided in the instructions, but any of the three views on the market will be adequate. I used the electronic wire rigging method, as I think it is superior to stretched sprue. I mounted the underside flying and control wires first, followed by the elevator cables and the top landing and control wires. This was one of the easiest models to rig that I have seen. A coat of Testor's dull finish laquer completed the model. Recommendations This is a kit of a rare airplane, and appears to be one in a series of kits issued by ICM. The Mercedes-powered version of the airplane could be built from this kit as well, but this would take some nasal surgery to accomplish. The single row rotary versions are probably available in another kit already released. This kit takes some work, but the basics are there, and the result will be a nice little model when completed. Don't pass this one up. You won't find an easier 1/72 scale World War I airplane to build. Thanks to ICM and John Noack at IPMS for the review sample. Happy Modeling!

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