Big Fokkers: An F100 Wishlist

Production of the F100 in 1:400 scale has been rather lopsided with only a small variety of models made focusing on the two US giants and a group of later operators. There is certainly plenty of scope for more F100s if only JC Wings and Gemini Jets can be convinced.

Fokker’s bankruptcy in 1996 was not a reflection of the excellence of their Fokker 100 product line, which had proven itself more than a worthy successor to the F28 and successfully managed to break into the US marketplace with mainline airlines such as American and USAir.

The F100 mould owned by JC Wings, as part of their broad and decent regional aircraft line, and used by Gemini is excellent. It is a shame that it has been quite ignored by both manufacturers especially when the F100 got over the hump of losing its original manufacturer and the subsequent spare parts shortage to gain something of a second life with a variety of operators in Europe and Australia.

Having not really made much of a dent in Asia it isn’t especially surprising that JC Wings have largely ignored their mould but even they would you expect have produced a China Eastern version. Gemini have less excuse but they are after all Gemini and models from the last century simply rarely fit their criteria for being made.

A few F100 releases over the past couple of years show the mould is still available and I think there is fertile ground for more F100s, especially when Europe is taken into the equation. It is quite easy to come up with over 50 big Fokkers just begging to be made. Here’s a rundown by geographic region of 50:

UK

Northern & Mid Europe

Michel Gilliand [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

christian hanuise [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

Torsten Maiwald [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

Germany

Sergey Ryabtsev [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

Konstantin von Wedelstaedt [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)]

Rob Hodgkins [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Juergen Lehle [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]

Michael Frische [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

The Med & Balkans

Fabrizio Berni [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)]

North America

American (with 75) and USAir (with 40) were the big US operators but F100s also wore the attractive yellow of Midway and hopped across the border to serve with JetsGo. InterCanadien has already been done but it’s short-lived rename to Intair is still a possibility.