So the very last thing to do before I start covering the Mini Fokker D-VII is to install and adjust the wings’ interplane struts. Often referred to as “N” struts because of their shape, these struts give tremendous strength to biplanes.
Above: you see the laser-cut struts made from 1/8 inch 5-ply A/C plywood. I marked each one so I can build them identically to keep each wing panel in proper alignment.
Above: I placed the marking on the inside and at the bottom so the struts all are orientated the same way. I used the 2-56 screws and lock nuts from Robart swivel clevises to attach the plywood strut ends to the lite ply attachment ribs in each wing panel.
Above: Before the diagonal strut is added, you can make minor adjustments to the wing panels so as to keep the washout the same. If you prefer, you can have more in the top wing than in the bottom, but for this plane, I tried to keep them the same top and bottom and left to right! I used Medium Zap CA and kicker to glue the diagonal braces into place between the front and rear vertical ones.
Above: Here’s the completed Fokker Airframe minus the engine cowling which will be made after the model is covered.
Nothing to do with the struts, here’s a photo of my tail skid. It’s made from 1/8 inch ply and I laser etched it to give it a little more class!
