COVER COMMENT
VULTEE VENGEANCE
By R. C. Jones
(With acknowledgements to Barry Pattison and Larry M. Petersen)

The Vultee Vengeance attracted little in the way of publicity during the war years but the ground troops quickly appreciated the worth of this dive-bomber as R.A.F. and Commonwealth pilots provided truly "close support" bombing attacks, at times only yards in front of the advancing allied infantry.

The Vengeance Mks. I, II and III in R.A.F. service were all externally very similar. Although the Mk. I's had only one machine gun in the rear cockpit local modifications eventually brought these up to later standards. Similarly on the Mks. II and III external bomb-racks were added beneath the outboard wing panels.

The Northrop company built this dive bomber under licence as V-72's designated Vengeance I and la (the latter being Lease-Lend machines). However, the identification of R.A.F. variants I, la, II was somewhat confused and generally for the modeller the Mk. I and la can be "identified" by the single gun armament in the rear cockpit while most Mk. M's (and some referred to as Ill's) had twin machine guns for the rear gunner. All these aircraft carried two machine guns in each wing. Vultee-produced Vengeances were designated A-31 (Vengeance I) with suffix added for the Mks. II and III for the R.A.F.

To meet American requirements the aircraft was improved by fitting the R-2600-13 engine and adding an additional gun in each wing. This was known as the A-35B. The A-35A was similar to the original A-31 but with American equipment fitted. The A-35B was redesignated by the Allies as Vengeance IV though few saw service with the R.A.F. Several were taken on charge by the U.S.A.F. and were used for target towing and similar second line duties, as was 131589 attached as a "hack" to 446 (Heavy) Bomb Group In England. Externally the Mk. IV/A-35B was identified by the large air intake offset to port which was added beneath the cowling. The extended exhaust pipes fitted on the production line were usually removed in service. Provision for six wing guns was also apparent. On the A-35 the dimensions of the inboard wing were slightly different. The measurement from root join line to the join line of the outer wing trailing edges was decreased from 6' 8" on the A-31 to 5' 9 1/2" on the A-35, the outer ailerons being 9' 2 3/4" on the A-35 and 9' 5" on the A-31. The length of the wing trailing edge, between the outer wing join line and the inboard ends of the ailerons being 5' 6 3/4" on the A-35 and only 5' 5" on the A-31. For the 1/72 scale modeller these differences are comparatively minimal. All other dimensions remaining constant between the two type numbers except the angle of incidence which on the Mk. IV was 4° but earlier Marks had negative incidence.

The FROG kit is an attractive representation of this aircraft and even when built "from the box" it is a pleasing model. However, the cross section of the forward fuselage and lower cowling is slightly too square and reference to photographs indicate the need to round-off the lower sides of the cowling and nacelles. The short stub exhaust pipe can be drilled out, although the model looks better if the moulded pipe is removed and a large diameter hole drilled into which is inserted a new exhaust pipe from scrap plastic.

The undercarriage doors are somewhat complex in shape. One can either build up those provided in the kit with body-putty and then sand to the correct shape or alternatively make new undercarriage doors from scrap. The small intake beneath the underside of the fuselage just forward of the wing leading edge can also be made from plasticard although this was usually seen to be retracted into the lower fuselage when the aircraft was on the ground.

The wire guards on the undercarriage can be made from stretched sprue and the gun-ports in the wing can also be cleaned up.

The cowling gills were not so noticeable on the Vengeance although they were often slightly open when the aircraft was parked. The really keen modeller could perhaps cut away the "moulded" gills as on the kit and replace these with fresh gills cut from 050 plasticard.

Although not very well known, the Vengeance is an important addition to any collection of representative World War II aircraft. With the variety of camouflage schemes applicable to both the R.A.F. and Australian Vengeances, not forgetting the colourful "hack" illustrated on our drawing page, this kit deserves more attention from the modeller than it has been receiving. Unfortunately references to this aircraft are few but we provide two photo-pages which will illustrate some of the detail mentioned and doubtless you can find other "improvements" to add to your model. The doors of the fuselage bomb-bay were operated in a manner similar to that on the Grumman TBF/M Avenger and with a little care one could complete the model representing a parked machine with the bomb doors hanging, gills slightly open and similar detail.

The interior of the cockpit on R.A.F./R.A.A.F. Vengeances were in the main in the U.S. Interior Green colour, matched by Humbrol ITALIAN AIR FORCE colour Overall Green; (although as this was a "mixture" of Yellow Zinc Chromate and Olive Drab or Black paste the shade varied between any of the GREENS as provided in the ITALIAN (HUMBROL) PAINT SET COLOURS. Wheel wells were also usually in this medium Interior Green colour although on some R.A.F. machines in Burma with Azure Blue undersides, the same colour was also applied inside the undercarriage doors and wheel wells. Several styles of roundels were apparent ranging from the early war Type A1 fuselage insignia of equal diameter Red/White/Blue/Yellow, through the White/Blue and later Azure (or mixed) Blue/Roundel Blue. On the Australian Vengeances the early roundels were Type "A" Red/White/Blue with the red area painted out but the dimensions of the roundels were later changed as can be seen by reference to photographs. On the R.A.F. machines the fin flashes were always modified (with the introduction of the two colour type fuselage insignia) by extending the White or Blue (Azure or mixed) to cover the original area of Red and White.

The IPMS magazine, JUNE 1971 Vol. 8 No. 6

Hasegawa/Frog
Hasegawa Seisakushu Ltd. Co., 600-6, Higashi Nitta. Shizuoka-Shi, Japan
Period: 1967-1974?

The co-operation between Frog and Hasegawa is one of the most successful between two independent companies and also one of the most extensive. But it is not unique. Airfix had a similar arrangement with Eidai during the same period, to mention one example, although this was limited to Eidai selling Airfix kits and not vice versa.

The first contacts were made by Rovex in early 1967, on the suggestion of UPC - themselves large buyers of Japanese kits and also a customer of Frog mouldings. Initially both LS and Hasegavva were considered as potential suppliers, but the latter was soon found to be the better of the two.

Under the agreement reached, all kits were moulded by the originating company who sold the bagged mouldings to the other company. Hasegawa thus added boxes, instructions and decals at their own factory. The decals used were often based on the original Frog ones, although in some cases changes were made by adding or deleting options. E.g., the Vimy had RAF decals, the Ju 87 Hungarian markings only and the P-38 an additional two USAAF options apart from the two in the Frog issue. All box artwork was new and of good quality.

Hasegawa was one of the few companies to issue former Frog kits in more than one box style. The first kits came with the old Hasegawa logotype, but around 1969 this was changed to the new one still in use today. Many kits can therefore be found with two different box styles. Unfortunately, no detailed information is available on the subject and the details given below should be considered as provisional only.

It should be noted that the Ju 88 and Beaufighter were first sold in their original form and later on with Spin-a-Prop modifications added (although never sold as Spin-a-Prop kits by Hasegawa).

The reason for discontinuing the co-operation between the two companies is not quite clear, since both sides were apparently satisfied with the arrangement. The probable reason is that the receivership imposed on Rovex in the early 1970s caused a desire to withdraw from any long-term commitment. Be this as it may, Rovex delivered the last batch of mouldings in early 1973, and these were probably sold out by Hasegawa within the year.

The Hasegawa kit numbers were allocated roughly in order of issue, the last new Frog kits being released in 1971. While most kits did have the JS-prefix to their numbers, it is worth noting that at least some of the new style boxes (e.g. that for the Shark) lacked this.

The production quantities given below are based on incomplete information and should therefore be treated as strictly provisional.

Repeated inquiries to Hasegawa regarding some of the above have, unfortunately, remained unanswered. Of all the companies contacted, they are one of the few not to respond in any way.

FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom

Vultee V. 72 Vengeance D.B.II

FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom

Vultee V. 72 Vengeance D.B.II

FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom

Novo Novo Toys Ltd., Maxey, Peterborough, England PE69HQ Period: 1976-1981

Few, if any other kit companies have been subjected to as much rumour spreading, speculation and ill-informed guesswork as Novo. Neither has any other company name been so misused, and perhaps it is best to start by putting this straight.

As can be seen above, Novo was a British company, and it always was. Although the company name itself was derived from Novoexport, their Soviet trade partner, Novo was never owned by the Russians. In recent years, Novo has been used as a collective name for any ex-Frog kits coming out of the USSR, but nothing could be more wrong or misleading. Only kits actually packed in Novo packaging should be called Novo kits. Anything else can only be described as kits by the Soviet factory in question (BFI, Krugozor, Tashigrushka etc.). If a collective name is really necessary, then one might perhaps use MLI (for the Soviet Ministry of Light Industry, who supervise most of these factories).

The events leading up to the creation of Novo have been covered in the Frog history section of this book and will not be repeated here. Suffice to say that a General Agreement was reached between Dunbee-Combex-Marx (the owner of both Novo and Rovex) and V/O Novoexport in August 1975. This agreement stipulated that DCM was to deliver moulds, tools and materials to Novoexport, who would pay for them by sending back finished goods from the same moulds. It must be pointed out that apart from model kits the agreement also covered a wide range of other toys. Novo Toys Ltd. was set up by DCM in 1975 to handle this business.

The finer details of the arrangement were set out in twelve contracts, three of which concerned the ex-Frog kits. A theoretical value (based on remaining production life and other factors) was set for each mould. These were totalled for each contract and a suitable mix of kits to the same amount was worked out, meaning that payment for a particular mould did not necessarily consist of kits from that very same mould only.

Once the agreed quantity of kits had been delivered by Novoexport, the moulds were considered their property and all future purchases by Novo had to be paid for in cash. In the event, no such follow-up orders were ever placed by Novo.

The first moulds were sent out to the USSR in early 1976 (i.e. almost a year before Frog production by Rovex finally ceased) and these were distributed among the several Soviet factories undertaking the actual production. With the exception of the Dennis Ambulance, Firefly Dinghy and the Axis aircraft sold to Revell, all Frog moulds still with Rovex in 1976 were shipped to the Soviet Union over the next year or so. Of these, the Britannia, R-100 and the car kits were considered to be of little interest to the Western market, and consequently no Novo numbers were ever assigned. Although not specifically mentioned in any contract, it is believed that the Soviets also took delivery of the old Drifter and Tug Boat moulds.

The Novo kit number incorporated the original projected year of release (e.g. 76001). Some kits were in fact delivered to Novo in 1976, but not until 1977 was a marketable range available and released. Due to this, no additional kits were planned for 1977, but instead delayed until 1978 and given numbers starting with 78. The many gaps in the sequence were partly filled by other Novo products.

Getting the Russians to keep up with the delivery schedule was the main Novo headache. From the very start and until the very end, Novoexport were constantly behind in their deliveries. The reasons were of course many, but a few of these warrant some comments.

Problems with production facilities and moulds were common. Although certain Soviet factories were fairly well-equipped, others had obsolete and unsuitable machinery. Staff competence and maintenance levels also sometimes left something to be desired. This not only slowed down production, but also led to some moulds being damaged. The Mirage mould, for example, was left out-doors one winter and was of course thoroughly rusty by spring! (It was later restored to usable condition.)

The mould for the old Typhoon, when returned to the UK for repairs, was found to be missing all six original locking bolts holding the two halves together. These had been replaced by four new ones of inferior material. Had these broken during operation (remembering that plastic was being injected with a pressure of over 500 p.s.i., or 35 kp/cm2), the mould would probably have been completely destroyed along with the injection machine and its unfortunate operator. The same mould had also been repaired by the Russians, using brass instead of toughened steel.

All in all, Novoexport complained about problems with some two dozen moulds. Of the eight subsequently repaired in the U.K., five had damage caused by the Russians.

But the main problem was the inferior plastic used in the USSR. All Frog moulds were tuned to use Shell SI73 polystyrene (or equivalent), having a Melt Flow Index of 35. Soviet polystyrene, on the other hand, was found to have an index of around 4! This meant that, in order to make the plastic fill the mould, the temperature had to be increased by some 50°C and the injection pressure up to 100%. Not only was this very damaging to the moulds (several subsequently had to be repaired), but also often led to sub-standard mouldings. This since the extreme pressure forced the mould halves apart, letting plastic overflow into the gaps and form flash.

Neither was the low MFI the only problem with the plastic. An independent evaluation carried out in 1978 reads like a catalogue of faults: "Izod (= impact strength) very low .. . abnormally low I.V. (= inherent viscosity) . .. colour is poor and contamination excessive ... poor surface finish and gloss ... extremely brittle and not very rigid .. . must make good colouring difficult and appearance of finished article to be doubtful quality."

The third major problem was politics. Soviet laws take a pretty grim view of anything "fascist", which was why all German, Italian and Japanese aircraft were sold to Revell instead of being sent to the USSR. But other problems were to come up.

The original boxes for the Tupolev SB-2 showed one Luftwaffe marking alternative. Novoexport refused point-blank to touch these and Novo eventually had to print a replacement batch of some 105,000 box bottoms. The Luftwaffe portion of the decals were also cut away.

Later on, the Soviet Ministry of Culture classed the Fokker D.XXI as a "fascist aircraft" since it had been used by the Finnish AF in WWII. The fact that the Finns also used e.g. M.S.406, P-40, Lysander, SB-2, Hurricane, Gladiator and Blenheim - all of which were also included in the Novo range - did not seem to bother them, however. Subsequent Novo attempts to get this decision changed were all in vain. It should be noted that Novo had replaced the original Finish AF marking alternative with a Danish one, to avoid this very problem.

The next casualty was the Sea Fury. Due to a slip-up, the 1980 Novo catalogue described it as having shot down some MiG-15s during the Korean War. Novoexport were much upset by this and refused to deliver any more Sea Fury kits! Only a few kits from an earlier trial consignment ever reached the market. The same fate probably befell the Sea Venom, only this time the catalogue mentioned Egyptian MiGs destroyed in 1956. Only a small number of Sea Venoms were delivered, anyway.

Despite all difficulties, business was good for Novo and their kits sold well - mainly due to very competitive prices made possible by the unique set-up of the production. The downfall of Novo was thus not caused by economical problems as has often been suggested, at least not directly. However, Dunbee-Combex-Marx Ltd. fell into severe financial difficulties in 1979 and eventually had to go into receivership. Since DCM owned Novo, legal requirements forced Novo to do the same and the company passed into the hands of the receivers in February 1980. No buyer could be found in time and Novo Toys Ltd. was wound up later in the same year, although formal liquidation only took place five years later.

The last Soviet deliveries were made in mid-1980 and all kits had been sold out by early 1981. Remaining stocks of boxes, decals and instruction sheets (all printed in the UK) were handed over to Novoexport together with some original box artwork and other bits and pieces.

Box styles, artwork, decals and instructions were in general very similar to the late Frog issues. Indeed, early box mock-ups were almost identical to the Frog boxes except for the removal of the Frog logotype. Apart from the mock-ups, a small batch of similar test boxes were also printed before the style eventually used was finally agreed upon.

Although most Novo kits were boxed, it should be pointed out that kits 76001-76031 were packed in plastic bags with header cards.

Apart from box style, there were also some changes in artwork and decal sheets. Sixteen of the kits used completely new box top art and a few others had slightly changed versions of the Frog originals. In addition, five kits used art previously only utilised on Air Lines boxes.

The only all-new decals were those for the Dart Herald, F-82, Baltimore, VC10 and Boeing 707, although the first three probably had the new designs completed while still with Rovex. Either way, the design work was carried out by Dick Ward of Modeldecal. Apart from the previously mentioned Tupolev and Fokker, the only other known change was that the P-38 had its Chinese markings alternative replaced by a second USAAF one. Although the HMS Trafalgar box art showed the ship with the "RO9" pendant number of HMS Cadiz, the actual decals gave "D77" which was the post-war number of Trafalgar.

A great deal of speculation has taken place over the last few years as regards which kits Novo actually released. And this with some right, since it is indeed a very complex subject.

To begin with, a large number of kits were undeniably released. The kit listing which follows gives production quantities for these.

Secondly, certain kits belonging to the third phase of the third contract were definitely never released. They arc all marked "t" in the list, and for these kits no boxes, decals or instruction sheets were ever printed.

This leaves us with some twenty-three kits which were never officially released but nevertheless had all boxes etc. printed. In the list they all have the official production quantity zero. Regrettably, this does not represent the whole truth, and that for two reasons.

The first one is that trial consignments were often received by Novo and, although not included in the official production quantity, these kits were eventually sold by them. It is also possible that a few batches of slightly faulty and previously rejected kits were also sold out at a discount when Novo closed down. These consignments might number anything from a few dozen to several hundred kits, in some case perhaps more than a thousand.

In connection with this, the Boeing 707 is a special case worth mention. A batch of some 3,000 707s were received by Novo and quickly distributed. However, it was soon found that most kits suffered moulding defects and in the end all but a very few were recalled by Novo or returned to them by irate buyers.

The second reason is that when Novo closed down, Novoexport held enough "paper work" to produce another 2,750,000 Novo kits. It is a fact that some of this has since been used by the Russians. In many cases only the box has been used, omitting the decals and substituting the instruction sheet with a Russian one (or a photo-copy of the Novo original). But sometimes all three original items have been used and the only clue that these are "fake" Novo kits might be the somewhat odd plastic colour (Novo usually managed to avoid the more disgusting ones of the strange shades apparently beloved by Soviet plastic producers). However, in a few cases even this gives nothing away. Since these kits are produced in the same factories as before, using original Novo boxes, decals and instruction sheets, they are - for all practical purposes - Novo kits.

To give some (admittedly subjective) indication of the quantity known to exist of the "zero production" kits, one or two pluses have been added. Thus "0+ + " indicates that a reasonable quantity - perhaps a few hundred - has found its way on to the Western market. "0+" indicates that very-few, or none, have yet been seen. But this may of course change at any time; who knows when the Soviets decide to make use of their 46,000 sets of Twin Mustang packaging...

Finally, the four Russian aircraft - Anatra, MiG-3, LaGG-3 and Yak-3 - must also be mentioned. Produced by Rovcx in accordance with the 1975 DCM-Novoexport agreement, the moulds were kept with Novo in England for many years. But for various reasons they were never included in any of the actual contracts with Novoexport, nor were kit numbers assigned. When Novo closed down, the Russians were most interested in buying the moulds but lacked the hard currency needed. Later attempts by the receivers to sell them to other kit manufacturers - including Lindberg, Monogram, Revell and Starfix - all failed. Not until 1983 were they finally disposed of, to Red Star (which see).

Throughout the list, the Novo number has been given as kit number. But all the kits also carried the old Frog number on the box; indeed, on the 76xxx kits this was more prominently displayed than the Novo number.

+ Project only, never released
* Existence probable but as yet unconfirmed
** Existence possible, information uncertain
*** Existence unlikely but not totally impossible

FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom

Novoexport
V/O Novoexport, Bashitovskaya 19. Moscow 103287, USSR
Period: (1976 to date)

Novoexport is one of several state-owned Soviet export organisations, each specialising in a different type of merchandise, with Novoexport handling all sales of toys and similar goods.

Apart from the role played in connection with Novo (which see), Novoexport also had - and probably still has -an ambition to export kits produced from the old Frog moulds under their own name.

The first attempt took place in the mid-1970s, parallel to the introduction of Novo kits. Novoexport expressed a desire to export kits under their own name while simultaneously supplying kits to Novo. Novo had no objections and helped print a test batch of some 2,000 pieces each of fifteen header cards. No new instruction sheets were made, however. The cards were basically identical to those used by Novo, but with a red rather than blue border and a new logotype. However, Novoexport soon fell behind with their deliveries to Novo and, to ensure that no part of the Soviet production was diverted to other outlets, Novo refused to supply further header cards. The initial batch was never used commercially, but some cards have since surfaced from east Europe with Novo instructions and newly produced kits.

Attempt number two was initiated in September 1982, when contact was established with Capital Model Supply, a London hobby shop since gone bankrupt. After lengthy discussions a range of 24 kits was agreed upon (although the 1/96 scale Lancaster was later dropped) and by August 1984 a contract - giving CMS exclusive distribution rights -had been drawn up. However, at this point the financiers finally became aware of the true economic situation of CMS and consequently pulled out - only 48 hours before the contract with Novoexport was due to be signed!

Since no instruction sheets were printed for the first group, these kits have also been marked as projects only.

The observant reader will have noted that the last nine kits in the second group have numbers different from the Novo issues. These numbers are shown on a recent Soviet list and would in all probability have been used on the kits in question, had they been released.

2nd group

+ Project only, never released

FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom

Red Star
Red Star Model Kiis Ltd., 16 Whitecroft Road, Beckenham, Kent, England BR3 3AG
Period: 1983 to dale

Of the 169 Frog moulds completed from 1955 to 1977, only six are believed still to remain in Great Britain. Two of these (the Dennis Ambulance and Firefly Dinghy moulds) are with Hornby Hobbies and the other four with Red Star.

These four are the so-called "Russian" moulds completed by Rovex specifically for use in the USSR, but in the end never sent there. After several attempts to sell them to established kit producers, the Novo receivers finally found a buyer in the Red Star company; a small firm with a rather unusual story behind it.

The story of Red Star goes back to 1982 when Jim Chapman - the subsequent founder of Red Star - took a holiday in the Soviet Union. Before departure he made enquiries to discover where he might be able to purchase kits for his own use. Before he left he heard from the relevant Soviet authority, who also advised him that the possibility of importing a range of ex-Frog kits to the West was under active consideration.

On his return home, he contacted the Soviet import agency with a view to offer advice on the proposed import project. The initial advice took the form of a review of the alternative kits available. This led to further meetings where it became obvious that the agents had rather vague ideas on the choice of suitable kit subjects and not much practical knowledge on matters such as packaging and decals (at one point a peel-off/stick-on type of markings was seriously considered, and some test sheets on white backing paper were printed!). The question of finding a suitable distributor was also pending, but in the end the agents choose Capital Models Supply (CMS). See Novoexport for more details of this operation.

During his enquiries for the CMS import project, Jim discovered the existence of the four moulds later acquired by Red Star. Initially he was asked to cost a scheme to acquire and market these moulds as an ancillary project to the main import scheme. Although his report snowed this to be feasible, the Soviets did not wish to proceed until the main scheme was well under way.

As by this time he had invested a considerable amount of effort in the project, Jim Chapman was however reluctant to see the moulds disappear to Eastern Europe. He therefore put forward a proposal to a number of people to see if a consortium could be put together to handle the moulds without Soviet involvement. After a number of false starts and changes in the expected participants, a company was arranged to handle the scheme. This was Glenprime Ltd., but the name was soon changed to Red Star Model Kits Ltd.

By July 1983 they were ready to go into production and on October 31st CMS - who had been appointed sole distributor - took delivery of the first 3,000 of the 7,000 four-kit sets ordered by them. In the event, only about 2,000 of these were sold as sets, the balance being repacked singly in polythene bags with header cards, mainly to meet US orders received by CMS in the spring of 1984. Most sets had a red and white label, but a few of the last ones sold after October 1984 had this replaced by a photocopy.

After CMS went into receivership in August 1984, attempts to get the intended backers of CMS' Soviet import scheme to continue were unsuccessful. Jim then put forward various schemes whereby the Soviets could act as their own distributors for at least a limited scheme. When none of these proposals had elicited much of a response by March 1985, Red Star offered to run such a project on behalf of the Soviets and - to ensure that there was no financial risk to the Soviets - offered to surrender Red Star's moulds as payment. This scheme was initially accepted but then the Soviets changed their mind and progress stopped. Other proposals covered an exchange of moulds to enable production to take place in England but this was also turned down.

Finally a simple offer to purchase kits for cash was put forward. This was accepted in December 1985 and an initial range of nine kits (all from the DFI factory) was agreed upon. Of these, the Maryland was subsequently dropped as a small mould defect was found. It was hoped that a further sixteen types (including the Sea Venom and Whitley) would follow later. In addition, the Soviets offered delivery of 1,000 Shackletons from existing stocks.

But nothing has happened since and Red Star are still waiting for their kits. Apparently the Soviets developed cold feet at the last moment and the future of the deal is somewhat uncertain. It is possible that the recent large exports to Eastern bloc countries (to pay for food imports to the nuclear stricken Ukraine) has taken up much of the available capacity. There are two hopeful signs, however. The first is the Soviets' undeniable interest in acquiring the Red Star moulds. The second is the recent changes in Soviet hierarchy. Fresh approaches have recently been made so there is still hope...

† Project only, never released

FROG model aircraft 1932-1976, R. Lines, L. Hellstrom

Hawker-Siddeley Harrier - 1/72 drawing by A.A.P. Lloyd, 600dpi, Аэромоделлер 1969 август