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Hi, just got my hands on the Dora Wings 1/72 kit. The instructions don’t mention interior colours, could anyone give me an idea of what colours would be appropriate? Thanks

Well, this a bit like rasping the bottom of the pot for the last bits of stew. These are all old builds, and in retrospect should have been posted at the beginning of these series. They often represent the first, hesitant steps on scratchbuilding. Here is another from 2007, 12 years ago: The fluid, graceful lines of Giuseppe Bellanca’s designs have always captivated me. From his drafting board took off many inspired creations of the sort of what has come to be known as a “Classic”. The Bellanca CF of 1922 was based upon the then in vogue “limousine” configuration, a sort of extrapolation of the coach or carriage arrangement, with four passengers inside the fuselage in two rows facing each other, being the pilot, of course, facing the wind in an open cockpit. The wing was reinforced with what will become a Bellanca trademark, the treatment of the wing struts integrated in a sort of smaller, auxiliary wing. The CF was the first in a series of cabin planes, and soon after being flown for the first time it was presented at a series of events where it earned a very good reputation for its reliable and remarkable performance. No series production followed, but undoubtedly it spawned a line of successors and inspired more than one aircraft designer. The model represents an early version, with squared wing tips and a small, slightly displaced to the left cockpit opening. The interior was allotted with the passenger seats and basic paraphernalia for the pilot. The only tiny decal on the rudder was made to match a photo of the real plane, not the beautifully restored machine at NASM. Besides the canvas, the airframe was partially covered in mahogany. All components were scratch-built, but the wheels came from a donor in the small pile of my “normal” kits, now lying hopelessly at the bottom of my closet.

Bellanca CH/J-300 Record Flight 1:72 Dora Wings The Bellanca Aircraft Company was a manufacturer of light an utility aircraft founded by Italian emigre Giuseppe Mario Bellanca in 1927. The CH-300 was a six seat utility aircraft with a high-wing braced monoplane and fixed undercarriage. The CH-300 quickly gained a reputation for outstanding endurance and load carrying capability, which led to its successful operation in a range of environments, particularly Canada, where the RCAF used them for aerial photography. On 5 July 1933, two Lithuanian pilots - Steponas Darias and Stasys Girenas - took off from Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn in an attempt to cross the Atlantic and reach Vilnius. The crossing was completed, but the aircraft crashed in a forest at Pszczelnik in Poland, killing both pilots. Dora Wings are a Ukrainian company founded in 2017. They specialise in limited run plastic and multi-media kits of mainly civic aviation subjects in both 1:72 and 1:48 scale. This particular kit comes packaged in a neat, top-opening box adorned with artwork of the subject flying past the Statue of Liberty. Inside are four frames of grey plastic, a small frame of clear parts, two resin parts for the streamlined landing gear legs, a small fret of photo etched parts, decals and paint masks. The frames themselves show a lot of sink marks, but the parts themselves are very well moulded, showing crisp detail and no signs of flash or other problems. Construction begins with the engine and cowling. This is quite a complex sub-assembly, with no fewer than twenty-one of parts needed to complete it (albeit nine of them are exhaust pipes). The finished article will be beautifully detailed, however. The cockpit is similarly well appointed, with separately moulded rudder pedals, twin control columns, bench seat and instrument panel. A small decal is provided to represent the details on the instrument panel. Three different options are included for the main landing gear legs, including the resin option which is used for the second of the three decal options. The wings are split into upper and lower halves, while the ailerons are separate parts. Photo etched parts are used to represent the aileron control rods. With the various sub-assemblies complete, the fuselage halves can be joined. Each side of the fuselage includes half of the undersurface, whereas the upper face is a separate part. The engine sub-assembly can then be added, along with the vertical tail and elevators. Full marks are awarded to Dora Wings for making the rudder and elevators separate parts. Once the fuselage is complete, the modeller just needs to add the wings, various struts and the landing gear. Dora Wings have included decals for three different schemes: Bellanca CH-300 'Lituanica'. This is the orange painted aircraft shown on the box artwork; Bellanca J-300 'Cape Cod'. Flown by pilots Russell Boardman and John Polando from Ne York to Istanbul in 1931. This aircraft is finished in orange with a black upper fuselage; Bellanca J-300 American Legion, East Boston Airport, 1930. Ths aircraft is finished in light grey, with blue flying surfaces. Conclusion Dora Wings appear to have done a good job with their CH-300/J-300. Limited run it may be, but the parts are crisply moulded and it looks like it will be an enjoyable build. An interesting selection of marking options are included, and the paint masks and photo etched parts are also a welcome bonus. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A vac from 4 years ago, for a special occasion. This 1/72 scale model was commissioned for the 85th Anniversary of Hawaiian Airlines, to be presented to the owner, being Inter Island Airways the direct predecessor from which Hawaiian Airlines came to be, and this Bellanca the very first plane Inter Islands used. There is an actual flying restoration of this plane, which due to technical aspects had some changes and slightly departs from the original plane in a few aspects. This model is an exact replica of the original, historical plane. It was made from a Khee-Kha Art Products vacuum-formed kit, with some additions and home-made decals. I had a good time researching even further and building this commission, and it helped that I had built another model of this very same plane some time ago (NE: soon to be also re-posted here at BM) I truly enjoy going to Hawaii on vacations, and I was happy to honor part of its past.

After the 1/72nd kits (link), Dora wing is to release Bellanca CH-300 kits - ref. DW48007 In project. Release expected in 2019-2020 Source: http://Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2014889655408268&id=1929101897320378 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2106721216225111&id=1929101897320378 V.P.

Dora Wings has 1/72nd Bellanca CH-200/300 & 400 Pacemaker & Skyrocket kits in project and need your help. - ref. DW72001 - Bellanca CH/J-300 Record Flight - released - ref. DW72012 - Bellanca J-300 Liberty+Warsaw - released https://dorawings.com/1-72/bellanca-j-300 - ref. DW72013 - Bellanca CH400 Skyrocket - released https://dorawings.com/models/bellanca-ch-400-skyrocket - ref. DW72022 - Bellanca CH300 Pacemaker - released https://dorawings.com/1-72/bellanca-ch-300-pacemaker Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2014889655408268&id=1929101897320378 V.P.