PZL P-11F "In Rumania" - 1:72 Azur Frrom

[Paul A H]

PZL P-11F "In Rumania"

1:72 Azur Frrom

The Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft introduced into service in the early 1930s. The all-metal aircraft was designed using the high mounted gull wing that first appeared in 1929 with the P.1, and which became known as the 'Polish Wing'. The P.11 was a development of this aircraft, but with a larger and more powerful Bristol Mercury engine or, in the case of the P.11F, a Gnome-Rhone engine. For a short time, the P.11 was considered the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world.

Over 150 P.11s were in service at the time of the German invasion in September 2013, and in theory they were no match for the more modern Bf109s and Bf110s of the Luftwaffe. In practice, however, they proved to be tough and manoeuvrable, and thanks to the bravery of their pilots, they accounted for at least 110 Luftwaffe aircraft before the final defeat of Poland. A sole example survives, preserved in the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow. The P.11f was licence built in Romania using an uprated Gnome-Rhone 9Krse engine and a modified cowling.

Azur Frrom have already produced kits of a number of early war aircraft from Eastern Europe and the Balkans, including the P.24 which we reviewed earlier this year. This isn't the first kit of the type in 1:72 however. Revell released a kit in the 1960s, followed by Heller in the 1970s. Both models have been rereleased at various points over the years. Azur Frrom's kit is a completely different proposition, however, as it shares most of its sprues with the Azur kit which was released earlier this year. The kit is comprised of around forty injection moulded plastic parts, as well as just over a dozen resin components and a small fret of photo etched parts. The kit looks excellent on the sprue, with plenty of detail and surface structures comprised of fine, engraved lines and fasteners. The fine corrugated surface of the metal skinning on the flying surfaces is particularly well done.

The cockpit is fairly well appointed, being made up of a floor, rear bulkhead, instrument panel, control column, seat and rudder pedals. It also benefits from a number of photo etched parts, including a full set of harnesses for the pilot's seat and some straps for the rudder pedals. The sidewalls also feature some nice moulded details which further enhance the busy feel of this part of the model. Once complete, you should have a very nice cockpit on your hands without having to resort to any aftermarket items.

Once the cockpit has been assembled, the fuselage halves can be joined together. There are a couple of resin parts to add to the outside of the front fuselage at this point, including the radiator and the barrels of the 7.7mm machine guns. Once the fuselage is complete, the wings can be
assembled. The upper wing is moulded in a single span to which the port and starboard lower wing halves have to be added. There are a number of resin parts to add to the lower surface of the wing, including ejector chutes for the machine guns, trim tabs and the pitot tube. The ailerons themselves, along with the horizontal stabilisers, are all moulded in place, but the aforementioned corrugated metal effect on the wing is superb.

The V-shaped cantilever landing gear struts join to the fuselage via a couple of small indentations, and Azur Frrom suggest the addition of some fine wire to represent the hydraulic brake lines. The instructions contain information which will help you to achieve the correct angle for these parts, but they look like they will be quite fragile once assembled so some wire re-enforcement might be a good idea. You have a choice of injection moulded wheels or resin skis depending on which version you wish to build. A resin fitting for a towed target is also included, which is a nice touch. The tail skid is all-plastic, and as with the main landing gear, it looks quite delicate.

The engine is a one-piece nine cylinder affair, to which must be added a resin exhaust pipe and the two-bladed airscrew. The cowling is moulded in two pieces. Be sure to use the correct parts though, as all the parts for the Bristol Mercury engine and cowling are included on the sprues. Finishing touches include the windscreen, which is injection moulded plastic, and a resin ring and bead gun sight which slots into the upper fuselage in the dip between the wings. The attachment points for the radio aerial wires are included too, and are also cast in resin.

An impressive five different aircraft are provided on the decal sheet, surprisingly enough all belonging to the Romanian Air Force:

• P.11F No. 79, flown by Pilot Adjutant Stag. Av. Ioan Dimache, Squadron 43, Grupul 3, Vanatoare, Baden Airfield, August 1941;
• P.11F No. 87, flown by Pilot Adjutant Stag. Av. Marian Voica, Squadron 50, Grupul 4, Vanatoare, Baciolu Airfield, August 1941;
• P.11F No. 51, flown by Pilot Sergeant Tr. Av. Romeo Neacsu, Squadron 43, Grupul 3, Vanatoare, Baden Airfield, October 1941;
• P.11F No. 91, Grupul 3, Vanatoare, Baden Airfield, Summer 1941; and
• P.11F No. 122, Test Squadron 43, Pipera Airfield, (Bucharest), Winter 1941-2;

The decals are nicely printed and will hopefully perform well. A colour view of each of the aircraft is printed on the back of the box.

Conclusion

This looks to be a nice kit of an interesting subject. As with many kits of this nature, a little care and attention will be required to get the best out of it, but the end result should be a well detailed model. The quality of production, from the moulded detail of the plastic parts to the finish of the cast resin items, is high and it should be an enjoyable model to build. If you are a fan of pre-war or early-war aircraft then this kit can be highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of