Dora, I see what you're doing

Dora, I see what you're doing, and I like it!

If you follow the Rumourmonger forum on Britmodeller.com (and you should, because it’s one of the most lively conversations about upcoming releases), you may have noticed an interesting series of releases from newcomer Dora Wings.

Beginning in January 2017, and continuing through this year, Dora Wings has announced a series of new tool kits of the P-63 Kingcobra. That wouldn’t be particularly remarkable except that the kits span three scales — 1/48, 1/72, and 1/144.

To be fair, other manufacturers have done that. Hasegawa has F-16s in 1/32, 1/48, and 1/72. Monogram released kits back in the day of the F-105 in two scales. Trumpeter has released several tanks in 1/35 and 1/72. But what makes Dora Wings’ releases interesting to me is the close succession in which they’re coming to market.

I was intrigued by this strategy, so I messaged the company and subsequently had a nice conversation with the proprietor, Eugen Evtushenko. As I suspected, Eugen is taking advantage of 3D technology to release these kits across many scales. From his original 1/48 P-63, it's relatively easy to scale down the design to 1/72 and 1/144. “It’s a marketing move,” he said. “Let’s see if it’s right.” Based on the responses to other manufacturers’ new releases, where modelers often chime in with “wrong scale” remarks, I think Eugen is onto something.

Eugen said he produces kits that are interesting to him. Recently it’s been the Kingcobra, hence all the kits we’re seeing. As a modeler himself, he prefers 1/48 scale but realizes there’s a demand for 1/72 in particular.

His next three-scale release will likely be the Fairey Delta 2, and he has plans for at least two other models in two scales.

Looking further ahead Eugen tells me he’s most inspired by the Golden Era of aviation. “There are a lot of undeservedly forgotten prototypes, which are unprofitable for large producers to produce. Short-run manufacturers can help,” he said. "The cost of production for us is much less, and we can afford to produce a model with a circulation of 500-1000 copies."

Eugen casts a wide net when designing a new kit. He’ll search out books, magazines, and drawings, and is not averse to reaching out to the modeling community for assistance. One Britmodeller member, he told me, was key in providing references for the Dora P-63 racer.

Scrolling through Dora’s Facebook page you'll see many new and exciting releases. There’s a Percival Proctor and Vega, Bellanca CH300 and CH400, a Bf-109A/B, Dewotine D.501, and Gee Bee R1. I’m excited to see what Dora Wings will produce in the coming years.

Until then, here are a links to a few reviews of Dora Wings models.

1/72 P-63E on Hyperscale.

1/48 P-63E on KFS Miniatures.

1/48 TP-63E on Scalenews.