"Cape Cod", a distance record Bellanca - Modified Dora Wings 1/72nd scale

 

 

Cape Cod was the name of a Bellanca Special J-300 plane used by Boardman and Polando in July 1931 to fly non-stop from Floyd Bennett airport, New York, to Istanbul, Turkey, establishing a new distance record of 5011 miles. It was, of course, a specially adapted design, with many changes that distinguished it from the standard CH-300 model.

A newsreel of Boardman and Polando receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross medal from the US president is here (you will hear their voices, which is kind of eerie):

https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/MVTN/id/1340/rec/4

I believe that with time and effort, Dora Wings could in the future produce subjects that are better researched, rendering kits that can score much higher in accuracy and be more comfortable/practical to build. The starting point is good, and their civil subjects very attractive, but their research, and some aspects of their engineering, leave at the moment a bit to be desired.

If you have already built any of the Dora Wings Bellanca boxings, and did not bother checking the original photos of the planes depicted, I am sorry. Dora Wings, who should be no doubt applauded for releasing a civil kit of such interesting and significant plane, on the other hand didn't do proper homework, and omitted, misplaced, or confused many details. In all the boxing I have (3 of them).

To be able to render a more accurate replica, the Dora Wings kit has to be modified, details deleted, changed or added. Even their decals and color calls show some inaccuracies. But fortunately, for this "Cape Cod" release, Arctic Decals makes a proper correction set (that can also be used with a modified Khee-Kha Art Products vacuformed Bellanca kit). Still, with some time, a bit of work, and proper study of references, an attractive model can be made of the Dora Wings Bellanca.

You may like to visit the completed "Liberty" model I made from the same kit:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2021/03/bellanca-j-300-liberty-modified-dora.html

That had similar issues.

On the "Pros" side, the model has good detail overall, and this specific version comes with resin pants.

For an in-depth view of all the pros and cons, and needed mods, please visit the step-by-step building article of "Cape Cod", shared with the "Liberty" model:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2021/01/modified-dora-wings-bellanca-j-300.html

 

As a heads-up, these are some of the things that will need to be done:

- Get the correction decal set (Arctic Decals)

- Change the engine for the proper sub-type (Khee-Kha Art Products resin item used)

- Modify the details on the fuselage top

- Modify the wing tanks detail

- Replace the air scoops for others with the correct shape

- Add rudder nav light

- Further carve the interior of the pants in order to be able to insert the kit's wheels

- Sand partially down the odd "hump" at the front of the fuselage top, which is overly (and inaccurately) thick

- Change the location of the Venturis

- Add missing detail to the landing gear (thin horizontal brace spanwise and diagonal reinforcements)

- Add the missing compass fairing in front of the windshield

- Change the colors of the plane (not orange and black, but yellow and black)

- Change the kit's prop decal for the accurate ones. The right one is an early version of the manufacturer's log, not the modern one

- The kit points to a window on the top of the cabin, but I couldn't find any confirmation in photos, and American Legion, the same airframe, didn't have one, although it could have been of course modified

- I made, installed, and then removed a Pitot tube, as the photos I have don't show one