Yes it is fully 3D printed ... and by fully we mean 100% ... no need for photo etch ... 3D printing is capable of providing much finer relief detail. Seatbelts will be 3d printed using flexible resin ... preshaped to fit the seat. In short, Fokker D.VII OAW 3.0 is single material type which offers many advantages as different material types (plastic, resin, wood, metal, ...) each have their own material properties which are not always easy to marry.

This is another of those misconceptions in the market ... whereby 3d printing hardware brands want to make you believe that for example 8K achieves twice better results than 4K. That's all marketing. For sure technology has something to do with it ... but our Fokker D.VII OAW 3.0 ... is the result of 10% machine ... and 90% human skill.

We are confident to state that the answer is yes. We achieve wall thicknesses ... to such extent that a fuselage can become see-through ... just as the real aircraft. Is resin subject to conditions such as temperature, humidity and the like ? Of course ... but so does plastic. As long as you don't stick Fokker D.VII OAW 3.0 in an oven ... which it does not deserve ... one should be fine.

The answer is no ... that is if one doesn't want to put it under a microscope. That's inherent to the technology. Our Editions come with a special purpose sponge with double grade stiffness. First of all it's designed to buff the support marks. It doesn't need a lot .. as it is very gentle ... but it one wants to see a flawless result under a microscope .. it can also be used to do some polishing.

Fokker D.VII OAW 3.0 will sport about 60 to 70 parts. We don't know the actual end result yet, because we are still in the finetuning phase. By way of example, if one takes into account our design & engineering philosophy, we are still thinking how many parts a German Inline D.III engine should have to achieve a nice balance between ease of build, sufficient building experience and ease of access for painting. We think 60-70 should sufficient to ensure a true model building experience.

The struts are made from a specially formulated industrial resin, providing the right balance between structural strength and flexibility. We don't see a need for metal reinforcements because our top wing is not printed as a heavy concrete brick. It barely weighs 25g which should be light enough for the struts to hold it.

We believe cutting an aircraft in two halves is just a crime. The funny thing is that over the years people seem to get used to it ... and take pride in hiding those dreadful seamlines. We chose a different path.

A single cockpit cell makes a lot of engineering sense. It gives structural integrity to the entire aircraft. Add-on parts such as the engine, a empty belt box, instrument panel can just be popped on to it. Separate parts have been designed when they need painting in a different color ... to facilitate the ease of painting process.

The top wing is hollow and consists of 5 parts. A one-rib mid section, two full sections (right / left) and two end caps. The scission is at the rib tapes ensuring a nice logical fit. The wing is reinforced with internal vertical supports for lateral strength, pretty much like the real thing. It will not warp ... not even after 10 years. The lower wings are conceived similarly and consist of two parts, the wing and an endcap.

Let us give an example of the axl wing. Instead of 7 parts ... top axl wing .. bottom axl wing ... axl ... and 4 separate struts ... our construction consists of 3 parts ... a front axl wing with integrated struts ... a rear axl wing with integrated struts ... and the axl. Not only does this follow how it was constructed for real ... it ensures a glove fit to the fuselage.

There is a lot of misconception about 3D printing. But then there is 3D printing and there is 3D printing. Our supports are the thinnest in the industry and are surprisingly easy to take off. If we would have shown the single cockpit cell inclusive of the supports ... amidst all those misconceptions and current beliefs ... everybody would have run away immediately. Instead we showed the cleaned up cell @ SMC and demonstrated to interested visitors how easy it is to take off the supports ... even by hand ... although we will not advise this. At the start of this project we envisaged pre-removing the supports in view of present a beautiful product ... yet throughout the design and engineering process we found out that removing the supports is an enjoyable experience and should be an integral part of "modelling". It is just different from removing parts from plastic sprues.

For a start a Fokker D.VII does not need a lot of rigging. Ease of rigging will be facilitated ... either by providing integrated turnbuckles if the set-up allows for it... or through pre-drilled holes in the right angle ... to avoid those awkward situations where turnbuckles and rigging wire are misaligned in an angle.

Other than the Naked/Custom Edition where one will be able to choose to include decals our not ... our Editions will contain translucent laserprinted decals ... also known as the wallpapering technique. Surfaces need to be primed in white or a light color to achieve the desired effect. In addition, laserprinted decals will be lasercut ... also known as kiss-cutting. Sometimes inner cutouts need to be made ... which is not that easy to cut out precisely with a knife. Kisscutting solves that problem ensuring easy application. We strive to cover the entire plane with decal or alternative solutions. It could be that part of it is done through masks. This is part of the finetuning phase.

Unless you want to throw a bucket of paint at it ... an accurate paint job should not have effect. A typical airbrush layer ... which we favor ... represents a layer of just 30 mikrons.

As you have become accustomed with Gaspatch Models products ... Fokker D.VII OAW 3.0 will be laid out in foam. Not only does this make up for a gorgeous unboxing experience ... it also serves to protect the various parts. Before Fokker D.VII OAW 3.0 ... or any other product for that matter ... ships out the door ... we perform a quality inspection. That being said ... as we are human ... it can always happen that a part is broken ... in which case we will replace it. That's part of the service of delivering a premium product.

As far breaking a part during treatment ... we have following to say. Our instructions, both printed and on-line educational content ... should be more than sufficient .... for a modeller to have proper guidance in cleaning up and applying parts. Our suggestion is to take time to read the instructions ... you will find them very enjoyable and engaging educational content. That being said ... mistakes can always happen ... especially in the beginning ... in which case we will replace it. However ... don't expect us to write a blanco cheque. It's a shared responsibility.