HUMA Modell 6000 Plastic kit Dornier Do J II Wal — 1:72

The manufacturer — HUMA Modell

HUMA Modell was a small German manufacturer based in Hanau, Hessen, and became particularly well known among aircraft modellers for subjects that the larger companies tended to overlook. Rather than concentrating solely on famous combat aircraft, HUMA produced a fascinating catalogue of German prototypes, trainers, experimental aircraft, civil aircraft and unusual military types.

The company's kits are now of particular interest because many are discontinued and have never been replaced in mainstream injection moulding. The HUMA range consequently occupies an interesting niche between ordinary vintage plastic kits and specialist short-run production.

The Dornier Do J II Wal was one of HUMA's more ambitious projects. A contemporary retrospective on the kit describes it as an unusually complex subject for a small manufacturer and notes that the boxed version appeared in 1995, following an earlier bagged release. The original boxed kit reportedly sold for approximately 55 Deutsche Mark, equivalent to roughly €27 at the conversion used by the article.

That is significant because the Wal is a very large aircraft for 1:72 scale, requiring a sizeable hull, large parasol wing and the characteristic twin-engine nacelle arrangement.
The HUMA 6000 kit

The HUMA kit represents the Dornier Do J II Wal in 1:72 scale. The kit is documented as covering several versions rather than representing just one individual aircraft.

The documented marking choices include:

Dornier Do J IIb Wal — Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule, including the famous Grönland-Wal associated with Wolfgang von Gronau.

Dornier Do J IId 16 Wal — Luftwaffe machines, including 60+F12/G12/H12/I12.

Dornier Do J IIe Wal — Deutsche Luft Hansa D-2068 Passat.

Dornier Do J IIe Wal — Deutsche Luft Hansa D-2069 Monsun.

This gives the modeller a particularly useful selection because the Wal had an unusually diverse career: commercial transport, mail service, exploration, military reconnaissance/patrol and training.

One important point when cataloguing this kit is that HUMA's designation covers a family of closely related Wal variants. The kit therefore shouldn't automatically be assumed to represent the earliest 1922 aircraft simply because the general aircraft name is "Do J Wal."

A specialist kit-review article considers the HUMA Wal one of the manufacturer's particularly successful mouldings, noting that despite HUMA's small-run status, the kit's moulding quality was surprisingly good for its period, with well-defined major components and considerably less of the roughness often associated with short-run kits.

The kit is also significant historically within the modelling world because 1:72 scale Dornier Wal kits were exceptionally scarce. A recent survey of available Wal kits lists HUMA 6000 alongside later AModel, Hispano Aviokit and Mauve releases, demonstrating how unusual the subject remains in this scale.
The full-size Dornier Do J Wal

The Dornier Do J Wal, German for "Whale", was one of the most important flying boats of the 1920s and early 1930s.

It was designed by Claude Dornier and evolved from the earlier Dornier flying-boat work developed under the Zeppelin organisation. The Wal incorporated a number of features that became characteristic of Dornier's metal flying boats, most notably its broad hull and distinctive side sponsons.

The aircraft was an unusually advanced machine for its time. It was constructed almost entirely from metal and used a high-mounted parasol wing. Two engines were installed in tandem in a central nacelle above the wing, with one engine driving a tractor propeller and the other a pusher propeller. This arrangement kept the engines clear of the water while allowing them to be concentrated near the aircraft's centreline.

The prototype made its first flight on 6 November 1922.
Why production moved to Italy

The Wal's story is closely connected with the restrictions imposed on Germany after the First World War.

Under the Versailles settlement, Germany was severely restricted in the construction and operation of military aircraft. Dornier therefore established production at Marina di Pisa in Italy, where the aircraft could be developed and manufactured without being subject to the same German restrictions.

The Italian production organisation became CMASA — Costruzioni Meccaniche Aeronautiche Società per Azioni.

Research into the Italian production records indicates that CMASA built 129 Dornier Wals between 1922 and 1932. By 1927 production had reached approximately three or four aircraft per month.

The arrangement proved highly successful. The Wal became an international aircraft rather than simply a German design, with production or licensed construction extending to several countries.
A pioneering commercial aircraft

The Wal was particularly important because it helped establish long-distance flying-boat operations during a period when large stretches of the world's transport network lacked suitable airports.

The aircraft could operate from water, making it possible to connect coastal cities and island locations without constructing conventional runways.

Commercial Wals were used by airlines in several countries and were particularly important in South America and the Mediterranean. The type was also involved in the development of long-distance mail services.

The Science Museum's historical description of its Dornier Wal model notes that the aircraft was used for commercial, military, research and long-distance flying, and that the type participated in the development of the first regular mail service across the South Atlantic.

The aircraft could be configured for passenger service, with accommodation for approximately ten passengers in some versions. Its ability to combine useful payload, long range and water-based operation made it an important aircraft during the formative years of international commercial aviation.
Roald Amundsen and the North Pole expedition

One of the most famous chapters in the Wal's history occurred in 1925, when Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen used two Dornier Wal flying boats on his attempt to reach the North Pole.

The aircraft were designated N-24 and N-25.

Amundsen's expedition demonstrated one of the great advantages of the flying boat: it could land on water or ice without needing an established airfield.

The expedition did not achieve its ultimate objective of reaching the Pole, but the two Wals successfully demonstrated the type's ability to operate in extremely remote conditions. The aircraft became closely associated with one of the most famous polar expeditions of the inter-war period.

One of Amundsen's Wals, N-25, later acquired an additional remarkable history. It was subsequently operated by Wolfgang von Gronau, who used it on a successful North Atlantic crossing in 1930 after the aircraft had been re-engined and redesignated. AirHistory records the aircraft's subsequent history and its preservation in Munich, where it was later badly damaged during the Second World War.

This explains why the HUMA kit's Grönland-Wal marking is historically significant rather than simply being an arbitrary decal option.
Dutch service and Aviolanda

The Wal also became extremely important to Dutch naval aviation.

The Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD) purchased Dornier Wals for service in the Dutch East Indies. Dutch industry subsequently obtained a licence to manufacture the aircraft.

Aviolanda at Papendrecht built Wals for the Dutch service, with production records showing numerous aircraft entering service during the late 1920s and remaining in operation into the 1930s. The Dutch aircraft were used for a wide variety of duties including:

reconnaissance

maritime patrol

transport

rescue

general utility work

operations throughout the Dutch East Indies

The surviving Dutch service records show individual Wals operating for many years, illustrating how useful and durable the design was.

The type's Dutch history also connects it with one of the most dramatic episodes in Dutch colonial history. A Dornier Wal was involved in the Dutch military response to the 1933 mutiny aboard the cruiser De Zeven Provinciën.
Military versions

Although remembered today primarily as a pioneering civil and exploration aircraft, the Wal was also an effective military flying boat.

Military Wals were used for reconnaissance and maritime patrol and could carry defensive machine guns and bombs depending on the particular version.

The military configuration generally had an open cockpit and gun positions, while civilian versions could have a more enclosed passenger cabin. This explains the considerable external differences between photographs of individual Wals.

The aircraft was operated by a surprisingly large number of countries, including:

Germany

Italy

Spain

Netherlands

Argentina

Chile

Norway

Portugal

Uruguay

Yugoslavia

Soviet Union

Japan

Spain and the Netherlands were among the countries that built the aircraft under licence.
Production

The precise production total varies between historical references because the Wal existed in numerous versions and was manufactured by several organisations.

A commonly quoted overall figure is around 300 aircraft, while some broader sources give higher figures depending upon which derivatives and licensed production batches are included. The Norwegian reference source gives approximately 300 aircraft, with roughly half produced in Italy.

The aircraft was manufactured in:
Production

Italy

Spain

Netherlands

Japan

Germany

Production continued into the 1930s, with Dornier eventually resuming production in Germany after the earlier restrictions had eased.
The Do J II

The Do J II represented a later and more capable development of the original Wal.

By this stage the aircraft had grown substantially from the early 1922 machine. Different Do J II subtypes used different engines and equipment, so published performance figures vary according to the precise configuration.

For example, the Do J II d is documented with BMW VI V-12 engines, while earlier aircraft could use engines such as Rolls-Royce Eagle or Hispano-Suiza powerplants. One reference gives the Do J II d a wingspan of approximately 23.20 metres, a length of approximately 18.30 metres, a maximum take-off weight around 8,100 kg, and a maximum speed around 230 km/h.

That is an enormous aircraft to reproduce in 1:72.

A 23.2-metre wingspan becomes approximately 32.2 cm in 1:72 scale, while an 18.3-metre fuselage becomes approximately 25.4 cm. This helps explain why the HUMA 6000 is a comparatively substantial model despite being in the standard 1:72 aircraft scale.