Background

The latest release from Ukrainian manufacturer Dora Wings is a highly detailed 1:48 kit of the Vultee Vengeance Mk.II dive-bomber. Although it was never used operationally by the USAAF, the Vengeance saw considerable combat with Commonwealth forces in the Far East, eventually establishing an enviable reputation, particularly for its accuracy in true vertical diving attacks. One report after missions in 1944 credited Vengeances with an astonishing 100% hit rate, compared with 50% and 60% for Liberators and Mitchells respectively! Nevertheless, the Vengeance was cancelled after just under 2,000 had been built, because the Allies no longer saw a need for land-based dive-bombers, and the aircraft saw out its service days in second-line duties as a target tug. 

Dora Wings' new Vengeance arrives in a very attractive top-opening box, with the main contents packed together in a resealable bag. The clear parts are in a separate bag, while the etched frets and masks are protected in transit with a card backing.

The kit comprises:

180 x field-grey styrene

14 x clear styrene

92 x etched brass parts

Die-cut vinyl canopy masks

Decals for 4 x colour schemes

Even the briefest inspection shows the Vengeance represents a huge leap in production quality compared with Dora Wings' Bf 109A/B which I reviewed recently and which is only a few years old. The Vengeance is on a par with most modern mainstream kits and, with its inclusion of etched details and canopy masks, actually superior to many produced by larger companies. Hijacking computer gaming terminology, this is an "indie kit" that rivals many "triple A" releases.

One feature that the Vengeance shares with earlier Dora Wings kits is the absence of ejector-pin marks. I don't know how Dora Wings achieve this, but it's a real plus point and a great time-saver when preparing the parts for assembly. I terms of moulding quality, the kit is crisp and sharp, with essentially no flash to worry about and no signs of sink marks on the sample model.

The surface finish is smooth, with neatly engraved panel lines and a few applique panels. Dora Wings have probably wisely avoided overall riveting, concentrating instead on precisely embossed panel fasteners.

Test Fit

Dry assembling the main parts of the airframe is very encouraging. The fuselage halves line up precisely, while the separate forward decking sits neatly in place with the resulting seam looking like nearby panel lines. I installed the forward bulkhead to support it and this is a perfect fit, giving a good indication of how well the interior parts should slot in. The full-span horizontal tail sits solidly in the cut-out provided, but be warned - it is quite flimsy until it's in place.

The wings go together very neatly and are butt-joined to the fuselage. The fit into the shallow locators is excellent. Although there are slots each side which look they are designed for a spar, they are actually locating slots for the short projections on the front pieces of the nicely boxed in wheel wells, and they won't really do much to help support the wing panels. This should be no problem at all, though, as liquid cement will flow along the seams and the fit is tight enough that no filler will be required.

A Few Details

Construction begins conventionally enough with the cockpit, which is beautifully detailed, comprising over 80 parts, with a mix of styrene and photo-etch, with crisply printed decals for instrument faces. The instrument panels are provided in two forms - moulded plastic (not actually shown in the instructions), and a classic etched/styrene sandwich for extra realism. The seats are unusual in being assembled from multiple parts and promising to look much more true-to-scale as a result. Etched belts are provided and the brass is quite thin, so they should conform to shape very nicely. The rear seat mount is an amazing 6-part cat's cradle, and the "office" as a whole is detailed with a myriad of small etched switches and levers. This really is a sub-assembly that will delight anyone who enjoys building detailed cockpits - and the time spent on it will pay dividends, because the work will be clear to admire under the extensive "greenhouse" canopy.

The cockpit floor forms the roof of the bomb bay and, turning things over, this is also very nicely detailed with another 26 parts. The bombs themselves comprise 7 parts each, with etched fins for realism. The bomb doors have delicate actuating arms and benefit from he absence of knock-out pin marks on their inner faces.

Up front there's a 12-part engine with finely rendered cooling fins on the cylinders. It should look very impressive with the addition of ignition wires. This all sits inside a 10-part cowling. If that seems a lot, it's due to inclusion of separate etched cooling gills and vanes for the air intake. The nicely detailed propeller boasts a crisply moulded hub and realistically thin blades (I usually thin down kit blades for a better appearance, but that doesn't look necessary here).

The undercarriage is well rendered, with the mainwheel wells boxed in with a mix of plastic and etched parts, plus a 5-part tailwheel leg assembly. The main gear legs are sturdy and nicely detailed with etched oleo scissors and realistically thin wheel covers. The wheels feature fine detail on the inner hubs and are moulded "unweighted". I'll definitely add slight "flats" to give an impression of the bulk of a loaded Vengeance. 

Of course, one of the key features of the Vengeance is its dive-brakes, and these are supplied as etched parts with separate actuators. They are designed to be pose them open and there's no option shown in the instructions to assemble them closed, but a quick test lining up the parts looks encouraging if you want to do that. 

Rounding everything off is an excellent multi-part canopy. It's thin and crystal clear, and Dora Wings provide a neat seat of vinyl masks to make painting the crisply defined frames easy. The instructions show the canopy assembled closed, but it may be possible to pose it open to display the interior to best effect. If so, that will also show off the nicely produced pair of machine guns that are fitted with etched armour and sights.

Instructions & Decals

The assembly guide is printed in colour on good quality glossy stock, with clear illustrations and suggested colours keyed to each part. Matches are provided for Mr. Hobby, Tamiya, AMMO MIG, Hataka and LifeColor paints. The general sequence looks straightforward and logical, but experienced modellers will inevitably shake things up a bit to suit their preferred methods.

Dora Wings provide decals for a quartet of Vengeances - three operational aircraft, plus a restored museum example. While all the aircraft are illustrated with Dark Earth/Dark Green supper surfaces (presumably US-produced Dupont equivalents), colour photos of the preserved machine show it finished in possibly Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green. So far, the only original wartime colour photos I've found of operational Vengeances show the Dark Earth/Dark Green camouflage.

The decals by Decograph look to be very good quality, with pin-sharp registration and a satin finish.

Conclusion

I'm hugely impressed by Dora Wings' new kit of the Vengeance! It's definitely their best kit which I've seen so far, and really illustrates the enormous advances in sophistication which smaller companies are making in their products. The Vengeance will be suitable for any modeller with a bit of experience (total beginners should probably beware the etched parts) and, in terms of fit and overall quality, it should be a very satisfying and straightforward build.

With bitterly cruel timing, the sample kit arrived on the very day of Vladimir Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and Russia's invasion has forced Dora Wings to post the following message on their website:

"WAR

Dear friends. Russia attacked my country. The country is under martial law. All shipments have been suspended. Please be understanding. Keep in touch...."

It's impossible to predict when the Vengeance will be generally available (Hannants show it as a future release), but I thoroughly recommend it and urge everyone to support Dora Wings however they can.

 Meanwhile, our only concern must obviously be for the safety for everyone at Dora Wings and their families and friends.

When the Vengeance is available again at Dora Wings, the current price shown is a very reasonable 39.00 Euros.

Many thanks to Eugen at Dora Wings for providing the sample for review.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE