L-20A / U-6A Beaver

Dora Wings, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engine high-wing propeller-driven short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland Canada. It has been primarily operated as a bush plane and has been used for a wide variety of utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application (crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and civil aviation duties.

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland Canada decided to orient itself towards civilian operators. Based on feedback from pilots, the company decided that the envisioned aircraft should have excellent STOL performance, all-metal construction, and accommodate many features sought by the operators of bush planes.

On 16 August 1947, the maiden flight of the aircraft, which had received the designation DHC-2 Beaver, took place. In April 1948, the first production aircraft was delivered to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests.

In addition to its use in civilian operations, the Beaver has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft. The United States Army purchased several hundred aircraft; nine DHC-2s are still in service with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol) for search and rescue. By 1967, more than 1,600 Beavers had been built prior to the closure of the original assembly line. Various aircraft have been remanufactured and upgraded. Additionally, various proposals have been made to return the Beaver to production.

The Beaver's versatility and performance led to it being the preferred aircraft of bush pilots servicing remote locations in the Canadian north, and it is considered by aviation historians to be a Canadian icon. In 1987, the Canadian Engineering Centennial Board named the DHC-2 one of the top ten Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th century.

The Royal Canadian Mint honoured the aircraft on a special edition Canadian quarter in November 1999, and on a 50-cent commemorative gold coin in 2008. Large numbers continue to be operational into the 21st century, while the tooling and type certificate for the Beaver have been acquired by Viking Air who continue to produce replacement components and refurbish examples of the type.*

The Beaver in 1/48 scale

We have not been blessed with many 1/48 scale DHC-2 kits.

Hobbycraft released a DHC-2 Beaver in 1999 that was sound for its day but suffered fron the usual shortcomings of mid-20th century scale models - basic details, minimal features etc.

Enter Dora Wings.

Ukrainian company Dora Wings has a knack for picking interesting subjects, and they have now expanded their range to include an all-new 1/48 scale injection moulded plastic L-20A / U-6A Beaver. This is the American military desgnation for the DHC-2 Beaver.. It only takes a glance in the box to realise that we have a new Beaver champion.

Dora Wings' 1/48 scale L-20A / U-6A Beaver comprises 186 parts in grey plastic, 19 parts in clear plastic, approx. 52 photo-etched parts on one fret, die-cut vinyl masks and decals for four marking options.

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Thumbnail panels:

The plastic is grey in colour. It is very smooth and semi-shiny. Surface textures are made up mainly from crisply recessed, fine and consistent panel lines plus lines of recessed rivets. There are some raised surface textures where appropriate too.

Sprue attachment points are narrow, but they extend onto the visible outside surfaces of the fuselage and wings so do take care when removing the parts and cleaning up.

The cockpit looks really good.

It is fitted out with photo-etched switches, handles, rudder pedals and harness straps with plastic seats, front and rear bulkheads, oxygen bottle, control columns and more.

The instrument panel is made up from three photo-etched panels and a bunch of handles etc. Decal dials are designed to fix between the rear plastic panel and the front photo-etched parts. This should be quite effective.

An alternative all-plastic panel is included.

The cabin behind the pilots provide two more rows of two seats. Photo-etched lap belts are included. The whole area is busy and nicely presented.

The sixteen part engine is made up from finely detailed cylinder banks, push rods, exhaust manifold, crankcase cover but no photo-etched ignition harness.

The engine cowling is all-plastic. Two options are included - one with an intake below the cowl and one without.

Wings are made up from separate upper and lower, port and starboard halves. All control surfaces including the flaps are separate parts and may be posed neutral or offset.

A stumpy wing spar is present at the top of the fuselage sides. The bracing struts will help achieve the slight dihedral required. This combination should result in a pretty solid join.

Main wheels are moulded as tyres split horizontally with spoked hub detail moulded onto the outside of the wheels and options flat photo-etched hub covers.

Two styles of brakes are moulded to the inner hubs but only one style is mentioned in the instructions. Check your references.

Sprue H supplies 13 plastic pieces for skis. These are not required for any of the four marking options in this release, nor are they mentioned in the instructions beyond the parts diagram, but they will be handy if you have some appropriate after market decals.

Clear parts are thin and free from distortion.

The four side "car doors" are moulded in clear plastic.

The windscreen is moulded with part of the upper nose, while the small top and side windows are separate pieces.

Dora Wings has thoughtfully supplied a die-cut, self-adhesive masking sheet for the doors, windows and wheels. Unfortunately they do not include masks for the inside of the doors so you're on your own if you want to pose these open.

The fixed main undercarriage is made up from three parts on each side.

Instructions are supplied on a 20-page, glossy booklet. There are 60 illustrated construction steps.

Markings

The decal sheet is printed by Decograph from Ukraine. The decals are satin in finish.

Markings are supplied for three USAF and one US Army options. The three schemes are varied and interesting..

Registration and printing look good.

This is another great kit from Dora Wings.

Surface textures are very nice and there is plenty of detail in the generous cabin.

It is good to see the ski sprue in the box too, even though it is not mentioned in the instructions for this release. However, if you have decals for the ski version you're on your way.

Strictly speaking, this is a limited run kit as suggested by its lack of locating pins but otherwise it looks very mainstream with its fine recessed surface textures, high quality plastic and fine sprue attachment points.

It is also worth considering that this Ukrainian company has produced and distributed their kits in the middle of a war and with their CEO fighting on the front lines. Buyiing this kit is one small way to support the Ukranian effort.

Beaver fans rejoice!

*Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia

Thanks to Dora Winga for the review sample.

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2024 by Brett Green
Page Created 15 February, 2025
Last updated 6 February, 2025

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