Bingowings said:

It might not get visibly hit but you can hear Vader shooting away in the background.

Red Leader doesn't necessarily mean that his engine is blown at that point rather that it's no longer functional.

Vader could hit it again causing it to visibly explode (possibly hitting that tank of wonder-fuel we see getting filled before they take off).

I was a bit more disappointed that the shot of Red Leader hitting the surface stayed.

I never liked the Death Star surface in that shot. My feelings towards it are probably intensified by having it rubbed in my face at an early age thanks to the pan and scan versions shown on television.

It always looked a bit like a piece of hardboard with upturned plastic tubs glued to it (which I would forgive on Blake's 7 but seemed out of place in a film like Star Wars).

Yeah that could be but I would have liked to see it confirmed on film for the perfectionist in me. One of those gotta see it to believe it kinda things...that's kind of an oxymoron asking to believe something that isnt even real..;-)