Dornier Do 26, Amodel 1/72
The Dornier Do 26 was a mail & passenger flying boat produced before WWII by Dornier Flugzeugwerk. It was operated by a crew of four and was intended for the Lisbon to New York route.
This is the Amodel 1/72 kit released in 2014. The kit overall is pretty accurate in shape and is well detailed. But the fit is very poor. Surface detail is soft and inconsistent, varying from very shallow to very deep. Many panel lines are not straight, as if they were done by hand. Clear parts are poor.
Building this kit was a long and often grueling process. Much time was spent on bodywork, and rescribing and adding rivets. Based on photos, I removed the molded-in exhausts and fashioned new from brass. The loop and mast antennas are scratch. The beaching dolly is from the kit, but I fashioned a new support structure that looks a lot more believable.
All the markings (except the LUFTHANSA tag below the cockpit and the Lufthansa logo & DORNIER on the tail) were masked and painted. The masks were cut on a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine.
MRP paints were used. Research suggested the hull & wings were painted RLM 03 Silbergrau, a color that apparently was deleted from the RLM list prior to WWII. I used a 1:1 mix of MRP white and Alclad aluminum for this. Upper wings are MRP RLM 04 Gelb.
More build photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qte1Gskfz2n7LzT76
40 additional images. Click to enlarge.
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- 1. Aug. 2021
Shun said on October 14, 2019
Hi, John.
Of all flying boats in and around WW2, I like Do26 the best because of its beautiful style.
I admire your skillful and patient work that render the model alive.
Congratulations for the finish!
Allan J Withers said on October 14, 2019
Great job on this Amodel kit John, looks good, not something seen every day, I like it, welcome to iModeler !
Tom Cleaver said on October 14, 2019
A triumph of stubbornness and talent over plastic, with a superb result. Welcome aboard!
Peter Klin said on October 14, 2019
Kudos for having successfully completed an A-model kit with modifications and details based on research work. Your Do26 is a museum quality model, indeed! Liked
Marc Barris said on October 14, 2019
What an unusual build, I love it, well done, great perseverance.
Pedro L. Rocha said on October 14, 2019
First time I see the Do.26 in model, whatever scale or maker. Just for that I congratulate you for this post. Now add the solid build and spectacular paint work and it’s a winner... you set the bar high for a first post here John 🙂
gary sausmikat said on October 14, 2019
Your efforts payed off well. She's a real eye-catcher! Well done.
Tom Bebout said on October 14, 2019
Great work and an excellent choice for your first post. I really admire your perseverance on completing this kit. Nicely done.
Erik Gjørup said on October 14, 2019
A bit late to comment - they all said it; WOW - such a splendid result! (and the pictures are awesome too!) Well done!
Craig Abrahamson said on October 14, 2019
Yep...I second what they all said - welcome to the site.
dale travis said on October 14, 2019
Great work on a pretty bad kit. This one reminds me of the Heinkel 70 I did in 1/48.
Josh Patterson said on October 14, 2019
German aircraft design is a strange thing. A majority of their planes were angular and clunky looking, but once and a while a gem comes out. This is one of them. The He-111, He-219, Fw-190 and Me-262 are others IMO. I really like the retractable float idea. Looks far sleeker than even Consolidated's version on the Catalina. (The Blom&Voss 222 was the first time I had seen the concept although it had four rather than two.) Stunning build John! Welcome to iModeler!
Haslam Yeoman said on October 14, 2019
That is a seriously good result from a seriously average kit. Well done and welcome.
Jirka Kuchynka said on October 14, 2019
Great work.
George R Blair Jr said on October 14, 2019
Lots of work, but the result was worth it. The Do 29 was a really elegant plane, and your paint scheme is a real stand out. Looking forward to some more articles.
Greg Kittinger said on October 14, 2019
Very nice! Such an uncommon subject, and great work getting the sub-par kit into shape!
Paul E. Owens said on October 14, 2019
John, this is stunning. thanks for posting and welcome!
Dirk Derks said on October 20, 2019
Hello John,
Masterpiece. You went trough a lot of extra work.
But, it paid off. I have never seen this model completed before.
Regards,
Dirk
Paul Higgins said on October 26, 2019
Hi, John...
A lovely rendition of this difficult kit. I made the military version a while back and it was an awkward kit in many places, but with patience, it builds up well, as you have demonstrated.
Kind regards,
Paul