The Do 215B-4, a variation of the Dornier-built Do 17 “Flying Pencil,” was equipped with 1,159-horsepower Daimler-Benz DB 601Ba engines that produced superior performance compared with previous models. Maximum speed was 292 mph at 13,123 feet. The B-4 variant became the Dornier standard as 105 were produced from 1939-1941.
The kit comes in a large, bright blue, top-opening box with artwork depicting one of the planes for which decals are included. The box sides have profiles of the same aircraft. Gray and clear sprues are bagged separately. In addition to the 20-page instruction booklet, a brief history of the type is displayed on the box cover flap. The bottom of the box has nine black-and-white photos of model details.
The highly detailed instruction booklet includes aircraft specifications, a paint-color chart, symbol keys in Ukrainian and English, and a parts map.
Assembly is sequenced in 93 steps with detailed, thorough drawings. Subassemblies are marked by step number. The last three pages of the booklet show four-view drawings of colors and markings. The only thing I was unable to locate on the drawings was the anchor location for the secondary antenna wire atop the fuselage.
The build begins with the cockpit. The first part installed, Part C41, is the cockpit floor frame, mounted in the left fuselage half. When properly located, this part extends aft into the ventral gun position. The instructions’ cautionary notes at this point should bring pause to those of who “don’t need no stinkin’ instructions” to make sure parts such as this are positioned properly. Everything fits as intended with no extra work required.
The build continues briskly until it is time to install the six MG 15 Flugzeugmaschinengewehr (machine guns). Four guns have ports in the canopy; one has a port in the nose; and one goes into the ventral gun position just forward of the bomb bay. All six of these fragile gun barrels were broken in my kit. I cut off the barrel stubs, drilled the receivers with a barrel-sized drill, and glued in new barrels made from stretched sprue. I salvaged sights from the broken parts.
After masking, I painted from my private stash of AeroMaster Warbird Colors (out of production), using RLM 70, 71, 65, and 02. Testors Model Master gloss clear lacquer prepped surfaces for decals, and Model Master semigloss clear lacquer was the finish. I sprayed the tires with Floquil grimy black.
German firearms of World War II were not the same color as American guns; they were black with just a hint of dark blue. My local hobby shop recommended that I try Model Master gunmetal (No. 1795). It’s a little glossy, but that’s easily toned down with a semigloss clear. This color looks correct for those German blued barrels.
Decals provide for four aircraft: a Do 215B-4, 4/Aufkl. Gr.Ob.d.L., France, August 1940; a Do 215B-4, 1./Aufkl. Gr.Ob.d.L., Luonetjarvi, Finland, July 1941; a Do 215B-4, 3./Aufkl. Gr.Ob.d.L., Ukraine, August 1941; and a Do 215B-4, 1./1 Long-range Recce Squadron of the royal Hungarian air force, Ukraine, August 1942.
I selected markings for the first, and the worst part of this project began. The decal images are very thin and fragile — even after thorough soaking in warm water, many of them shattered when I attempted to slide them from their backing. For these decals, I recommend starting with a coat of Microscale Liquid Decal Film. Neither Micro Sol nor Walthers Solvaset improved the decals’ performance.
Still, ICM has done a super job of engineering this kit. My old-school wooden ruler shows the model is close to scale. Working with the decals and the guns cost me a lot of time — well past 50 hours — but I am so impressed with this kit that I have already purchased a second and will do it as Dornier Do 215B-4, 1./Aufkl. Gr.Ob.d.L., Luonetjarvi, Finland, July 1941 — the one with the yellow fuselage band.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the November 2014 FineScale Modeler.