The French fielded several advanced fighter designs just before the outbreak of World War II – unfortunately, many were not available in time to have much impact on the outcome of the German invasion. The Bloch MB.155 is a good-looking example of this too little, too late crowd. Numerous versions of the MB.150 series were produced, with early versions seeing brief service countering the invasion. The MB.155 was similar to its predecessors, but had its cockpit moved aft and underwent other minor upgrades.
Dora Wings has released this handsome fighter in 1/48 scale, along with earlier versions. According to references, only about six airframes made it into service before the French surrender, while more saw service with the Vichy-French occupation forces. Dora Wings includes four marking options: three in normal camouflage and one with the Vichy red-and-yellow stripe markings. Be aware that all profile options appear to show a mirror image on the right-hand side, which is incorrect — the upper surface profile gives clues for painting the starboard side. Also included in the box is a set of photo-etched metal (PE) parts for engine and interior details, including seat belts. Helpfully, a set of vinyl canopy masks are also included — I typically do not trust vinyl masks, but these did not lift prematurely.
The seat mixes a PE seat frame and back with a plastic seat cushion, but I must have folded the frame incorrectly as the seat back was too narrow. (I replaced it with a piece of plastic sheet.) The rudder pedals, control stick, and seat-adjustment handles are extremely fragile. Once painted, the cockpit fits securely inside the fuselage halves. The wing fillets are molded as separate parts; I attached them prior to gluing the fuselage halves together and the fit was quite good. Additional sidewall details are molded separately.
Engine detail includes a set of PE ignition wires. A quick bend of the wires destined for the rear bank of cylinders was all that was required. While the engine was simple to assemble, the cowling takes a bit more care. Molded in three pieces with a lower intake ramp, filter, and rear bulkhead, there are a lot of parts to align. Thankfully, the fit is quite good. Be aware that the intake filter G21 aligns with a ridge on the intake ramp H8 not visible in the instructions. Dora Wings also goes to the effort of correctly pointing out that the engine is to be at a slight angle when mounted to the airframe, and the fuselage halves are correctly molded to accomplish the correct angle. Fuselage fit couldn’t be better, including the separate fin and rudder. I added the rear decking just prior to gluing the canopy. The kit clear parts are a bit thick and cloudy with a couple of minor imperfections, but the fit is good.
I was worried by the multi-piece landing-gear-bay assembly, but all six pieces fit perfectly along some oddly shaped angles to box everything in. The wing spar sets the correct dihedral for the wings. Outstanding job, Dora Wings! My amazement continued as I fit the wing center section to the fuselage assembly — perfect fit again! The separate upper and lower outer wing segments needed just a touch of filler. I did have to open the holes for the wing mounted cannon significantly to allow them to fit. I also cut off the rear tab to allow the cannon to be inserted after everything else was complete to avoid breakage.
The vague moldings caused trouble determining the correct angle to mount the horizontal stabilizers. A bit of trial and error and checking the support struts resolved the issue. Another angular problem showed up with the main landing gear: It isn’t clear what angle they or the wheels are mounted. Again, the support struts helped answer the question. The wheels do not fit well on the legs, so make sure to let them fully cure after attachment. Just walk away.
I used the included vinyl paint masks for the flat windows and tape for the rest. I took a chance with the very curved landing light to see how the vinyl would perform, as I often have lifting problems when using vinyl around sharp curves. The masks performed well, however. I used Hataka French Air Force colors to paint my MB.155. The kit decals performed without a hitch.
The inclusion of PE details and a mask set add value, but I wish the instructions were a bit more informative about correct angles. I spent about 19 hours on Dora’s latest and was quite pleasantly surprised at the outstanding fit for a short run kit.