1:144 Vultee Vengeance

Vultee Vengeance 1:144, a short-run kit

The set captures the American dive bomber Vultee Vengeance in 1:144 scale. It is a short-run model of resin parts produced by 3D printing, that is a different kind of kit from the one modelers know from ordinary injection molds. There tend to be fewer parts and the build is shorter, but the surface is fine and accurate in its dimensions.

The real subject

The Vengeance came into being at the turn of the nineteen-thirties and nineteen-forties as a single-engine dive bomber with a Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial engine. It was an all-metal low-wing monoplane with a crew of two, a striking rounded vertical tail surface and a wing with an unusual incidence angle. The orders came above all from the British and Indian air forces and from the Australians; the machine was put to most use in the Burma theater, where diving attacks against ground targets still paid off. In American service it served rather for training and for target towing.

Building and painting tips

Wash the resin parts in lukewarm water with detergent so that no print resin residue stays on the surface. Cut the print supports away with a saw or a cutter, not with side cutters. The joints are held by cyanoacrylate glue; ordinary cement for plastic does not work on resin. Before painting, a thin filler primer helps, which brings the surface together and reveals small traces left by the printing. In 1:144 scale take care that the layer of paint does not clog the fine engraving; an airbrush is safer than a brush.

Who the model is for

• collectors of aircraft in the small scale of 1:144
• modelers who already have experience with resin
• those interested in less usual Allied machines of the Second World War
• builders of display-case collections where the number of types decides, not the size

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.