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Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to (reissue?) release 1/72nd Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk kits - ref. KPM0375 - Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk - w/float Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/curtiss-sc-1-seahawk-w-float/ - ref. KPM0376 - Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk - w/wheels Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/sc-1-seahawk-w-wheels/ V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to (re-issue ?) release a 1/72nd Fokker S-11/T-21 Instructor kits - ref. KPM0371 - Fokker S-11 Instructor Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/fokker-s-11-instructor/ - ref. KPM0372 - Fokker S-11 Instructor - Israël Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/fokker-s-11-instructor-israel/ - ref. KPM0373 - Fokker T-21 Instructor Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/fokker-t-21-instructor/ - ref. KPM0374 - Aermacchi M.416 Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/aermacchi-m-416/ V.P.

KP (Kovozávody Prostejov) is to release a 1/72nd family of Lavoshkin La-5 fighters: La-5, La-5F, La-5FN & ULa-5 (La-5UTI). Release expected in February 2015. (updated) Source: http://modelweb.modelforum.cz/2014/09/06/nova-la-5/?lang=CS V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release a family of 1/72nd Cessna 150/152/180 & U-17 Skywagon kits Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234931186-azmodellegatoadmiral-wwii-aircraft-comments-questions-and-wishes/?p=1518104 V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release in April 2022 1/72nd Salmson Sal.2A2 kits. Source: https://www.modelarovo.cz/novinky-kovozavody-prostejov-azmodel-pripravovane-na-duben/ - ref. KPM0324 - Salmson Sal.2A2 - Czecoslovakia - ref. KPM0325 - Salmson Sal.2A2 - In Polish service - ref. KPM0326 - Kawasaki Otsu 1 - ref. KPM0327 - Salmson Sal.2A2 - USAS service V.P.

Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/supermarine-spitfire-mk-1a-1-72-kp-kovozavody-prostejov/ - ref. KPM72260 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IA - Wats Prop https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/spitfire-mk-ia-wats-prop/ - ref. KPM72261 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IA - Three-bladed Propeller https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/spitfire-mk-ia-three-blade-prop/ https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72261 - ref. KPM72262 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IA - Commanders https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/spitfire-mk-ia-commanders/ https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72262 - ref. KPM72262 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IA - Black and White https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/spitfire-mk-ia-black-white/ https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72263 V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to re-release its 1/72nd DFS Olympia Meise kit - ref. KPM0354 - DFS Olympia - In German Sky Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/dfs-olympia-in-german-sky/ - ref. KPM0355 - DFS Olympia - Silence in the sky Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/dfs-olympia-silence-in-the-sky/ - ref. KPM0356 - DFS Olympia - International Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/dfs-olympia-international/ V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to reissue in late October 2022 the old AZmodel Avia Ba-33 kit - ref. KPM0352 - Avia Ba.33 Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/avia-ba-33/ - ref. KPM0353 - Avia Ba.33 - Metal Prop Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/avia-ba-33-metal-prop/ - ref. KPM0365 - Avia Ba.33 - Thirty-Three Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/avia-ba-33-thirty-three/ V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release 1/72nd SIAI-Marchetti S.211/Aermacchi M-311 & M/T-345 kits in late August 2022. Source: https://www.modelarovo.cz/siai-s-211-m-345-1-72-novinka-kovozavodu-prostejov/ SIAI-Marchetti/Grumman S.211 - US Navy Alenia Aermacchi M-311 Aermacchi M-345NO or T-345A SIAI-Marchetti S.211 - I-RAIX V.P.

SA Bulldog ‘Overseas Service’ (KPM0301) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Bulldog was originally designed by Beagle Aircraft, who sadly went bust before they could honour any orders for this two-seat prop-driven trainer, the first customer being Sweden. A new concern, Scottish Aviation took over and brought the Bulldog to market where it was used most notably by the RAF and Swedish Air Force, but by other countries too, with many African and some Far Eastern operators having used it in the past, a few of which still in service in Africa. The RAF used model 121 as the T.1, while the 101 was developed for Sweden, where it was designated Sk 61 in their Air Force, or Fpl 61 in army use, with another 13 sub-variants tailored to the individual export customers, although they were ostensibly the same aircraft. The pilots sat two abreast, with a wide expanse of Perspex giving excellent forward visibility over the relatively short nose that would have been a great help to a trainee pilot and their instructor. The last RAF airframes left service just after the new millennium, and many have gone into private hands from all variants across the world. The now familiar Grob Tutor replaced the Bulldog as the entry-level trainer with the RAF and continues to serve today, with some avionics upgrades to keep pace with technology. The Kit This is the fourth in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP that brings modern levels of detail to this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the type on the front and the profiles for the decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet, the clear parts safely enclosed in their own Ziploc bag. Detail is good, although there’s a tiny amount of flash here and there, but it’s minimal and mostly confined to the sprue runners. If you’ve been reading the reviews of the various boxings, you’ll be getting a feeling of déjà vu around about now, but when a similar model is put together in exactly the same way, what more can one say? Skip to the decal section if you’ve read this before. Construction starts predictably with the cockpit, with the blank instrument panel receiving an instrument decal to detail it, and both seats getting decal belts. Check your references to see whether the option you want to depict will have the rear seats fitted, but you’ll have to make those up yourself as they’re not included in the box. The floor is moulded into the one-part wing and has raised areas for the seats that are detailed with a pair of control columns, centre console and rear bulkhead, while the instrument panel is glued into the front of the cockpit opening after closing up the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed up by adding the nose cowling, which has a depiction of the front bank of piston inserted behind it that will show through the oval intakes either side of the raised prop shaft surround. The wings and fuselage are joined, and the single-part elevators with their ribbed flying surfaces moulded-in are glued into their slots in the rear. The canopy is a single piece that has the framing engraved in, and it’s a crystal-clear part that will show off your work on the interior once its finished. There are a couple of choices of antennae on the spine behind the cockpit, and a clear landing light fits into a recess in the leading edge of the starboard wing. To finish off the build, the landing gear legs are glued onto raised teardrop shapes under the cockpit, and it might be an idea to drill and pin these for extra strength, with the one-part wheels attached to the stub-axle on each leg. The nose leg has its oleo-scissor link moulded in, and the wheel fixes to the axle moulded into the one-sided yoke. The two bladed prop is moulded as one piece with a spinner sliding over it, and behind it there’s a cowling under the nose with two exhaust stacks sticking out, then at the rear are another pair of antenna and a blade antenna under the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage. Markings The stencils are numerous and they are covered on the rear of the instruction booklet to avoid overly-busy diagrams on the back of the box, and there are three decal options, from which you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion The Bulldog is a small aircraft, so the model is commensurately small and a simple build that’s very friendly to your pocket. Clean up those moulding seams and you should end up with a really nice replica of this common trainer in Malaysian, Hong Kong and Jordanian service. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Polikarpov R-1 (KPM0313) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The DH.9A light bomber that the R-1 was a copy of, was the successful offspring of its underpowered and disliked DH.9, resulting from a strengthening of the airframe and replacement of its weakling Puma engine with the V12 Liberty unit that put out an impressive 400hp for the time. As the name suggests was an American product, used as the intended Rolls Royce option was in short supply at the time. Ironically, the prototype flew with a Rolls Royce power plant as the Liberty wasn’t yet available, but it eventually entered service in early 1918 with the RAF sporting the American engine. It served on after the war, becoming the de facto standard light bomber in British service, with almost 2,000 rolling off the production lines during the two years that they were running. They were opened up again due to foreign orders and conversions of the earlier DH.9s, while the newly minted Soviet Union began making their own unlicensed copies as the Polikarpov R.1, although their power plants varied widely from airframe to airframe. In British service as the standard light bomber, the type remained on charge until the beginning of the 30s, which shows how staggeringly unprepared for WWII the British were at that point. During this period they served all over the British Empire and assisting Russia’s incumbent Czarists, where a squadron of airframes were left behind during the Russian Revolution, possibly acting as patterns for Polikarpov’s engineers. The R-1s stayed in service with the Soviets around the same length of time as it did in British service, while the projected service of license-built DH.9As in the US was cancelled after the end of the war, but not before they had experimented with changing the aircraft substantially to suit their needs, and managed to set the first world altitude record in the process, flying from Ohio in 1921. The Kit This is another boxing of the new tooling from Kovozávody Prostějov but in Soviet colours and covered in red stars. It arrives in a medium-sized end-opening box, with one large sprue inside, plus a large sheet of decals and the instruction booklet that also serves as instructions for the original Airco DH.9A, so ensure you follow the correct steps for this boxing. Detail is good, and moulding crisp with not a shadow of flash on the sprue, while the engraved panel lines, raised details and the ribbing detail on the wings is perfect for the task in hand. Construction begins with the cockpit, which revolves around the extensive floor that takes the comfy pilot’s seat and the gunner’s bench seat both with decal lap belts; additional ammo containers; a box that represents a camera that was sited behind the observer’s position on frame 10 of the aircraft; The instrument panels; control columns and rudder bars. Before the fuselage is closed around the cockpit, a two-part platform with detail on the underside is inserted under the exhaust outlets to represent the sump of the engine, painted in black, grey and with a wooden surround. The front of the fuselage is closed up by inserting the radiator in and under the nose, then the single-span elevator with twin supports is added to the top of the tail, followed by the rudder and tail skid. The lower wings are each single parts and have excellent ribbing detail moulded-in, fitting on pegs that slot into matching holes in the bottom of the fuselage sides, with a dihedral engineered into each wing that should see the tips 5mm higher than the root, as per the accompanying scrap diagram. Various accessories are dotted around the top of the engine cowling and the deck in front of the pilot, plus his asymmetric machine guns on both sides of his position. At the rear, the observer is supplied with a ring mount and a Lewis gun on a curved riser, after which the pilot has his tubular gunsight placed on the deck, and a set of curved exhausts inserted into the holes in the sides of the cowling, pushing the efflux from combustion away from the crew in the process. An optional chin radiator is fixed to the underside of the engine, and while it is upside down, the bombs can be made up on their racks and glued to the lower wing using the red lines on the diagrams to locate them precisely, plus the larger bomb on a pylon that you will need to add some 0.3mm wire to, in order to complete the assembly. The smaller bombs are single parts, but the larger belly-mounted bomb is moulded in two halves to avoid sink-marks. There appear to be two steps missing from this initial batch of instructions, as the step numbers rise from 8 directly to 11 on either side of the same page. I’ll let KPM know, but from what I can make out, the missing steps include adding aileron actuators on the upper wings, and a cooling flap under the nose, and also seems to be a curved wind deflector missing, but it doesn’t look like the one in the instructions, so I’m a little confused. We’ll ignore the rigging (mostly), but rest assured that the instructions contain diagrams showing where the wires should be, and there are quite a few, so make sure you have plenty of your chosen thread to hand before you start. There are four interplane struts and two cabane struts supporting the upper wing, plus a pair of skids under the lower wings, and unbelievably the aircraft even carries a spare wheel under the observer’s station. The landing gear is sturdy, with two splayed V-shaped struts that rest on an aerodynamically faired axle that accept the wheels on each end, with a two-bladed prop inserted into the hole in the radiator, painted in wood grain, which sounds easy. The penultimate page of the instructions shows the rigging locations, and suggest 0.3mm thread or wire as your weapon of choice. The last page contains five profile drawings that could be of use when rigging the model, although two side profiles are duplicated, when I suspect a front view would have been of more use. Markings As seems usual with Kovozávody Prostějov kits, there are three decal options on the sheet with lots of red stars and patriotic slogans, and from that you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelt decals on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion It’s a well-detailed kit of this copy of a surprisingly long-lived and widely used aircraft that was colloquially known as the Ninak by the British crews and mechanics. Whether the Soviets had any nicknames, who knows? Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

De Havilland Airco DH.9A ‘At War’ (KPM0310) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The DH.9A light bomber was the successful offspring of its underpowered and disliked DH.9, resulting from a strengthening of the airframe and replacement of its weakling Puma engine with the V12 Liberty unit that put out an impressive 400hp for the time. As the name suggests was an American product, used as the intended Rolls Royce option was in short supply at the time. Ironically, the prototype flew with a Rolls Royce power plant as the Liberty wasn’t yet available, but it eventually entered service in early 1918 with the RAF sporting the American engine. It served on after the war, becoming the de facto standard light bomber in British service, with almost 2,000 rolling off the production lines during the two years that they were running. They were opened up again due to foreign orders and conversions of the earlier DH.9s, while the newly minted Soviet Union began making their own unlicensed copies as the Polikarpov R.1, although their power plants varied widely from airframe to airframe. In British service as the standard light bomber, the type remained on charge until the beginning of the 30s, which shows how staggeringly unprepared for WWII the British were at that point. During this period they served all over the British Empire and assisting Russia’s incumbent Czarists, where a squadron of airframes were left behind during the Russian Revolution, possibly acting as patterns for Polikarpov’s engineers. The R-1s stayed in service with the Soviets around the same length of time as it did in British service, while the projected service of license-built DH.9As in the US was cancelled after the end of the war, but not before they had experimented with changing the aircraft substantially to suit their needs, and managed to set the first world altitude record in the process, flying from Ohio in 1921. The Kit This is another new tooling from Kovozávody Prostějov, and it arrives in a medium-sized end-opening box, with one large sprue inside, plus a sheet of decals and the instruction booklet that also serves as booklet for the Soviet R-1, so ensure you follow the correct steps for this boxing. Detail is good, and moulding crisp with not a shadow of flash on the sprue, while the engraved panel lines, raised details and the ribbing detail on the wings is perfect for the task in hand. Construction begins with the cockpit, which revolves around the extensive floor that takes the comfy pilot’s seat and the gunner’s bench seat both with decal lap belts; additional ammo containers; a box that represents a camera that was sited behind the observer’s position on frame 10 of the aircraft; The instrument panels; control columns and rudder bars. Before the fuselage is closed around the cockpit, a two-part platform with detail on the underside is inserted under the exhaust outlets to represent the sump of the engine, painted in black, grey and with a wooden surround. The front of the fuselage is closed up by inserting the radiator in and under the nose, then the single-span elevator with twin supports are added to the top of the tail, followed by the rudder and tail skid. The lower wings are each single parts and have excellent ribbing detail moulded-in, fitting on pegs that slot into matching holes in the bottom of the fuselage sides, with a dihedral engineered into each wing that should see the tips 5mm higher than the root, as per the accompanying scrap diagram. Various accessories are dotted around the top of the engine cowling and the deck in front of the pilot, plus his asymmetric machine guns on both sides of his position. At the rear, the observer is supplied with a ring mount and a Lewis gun on a curved riser, after which the pilot has his tubular gunsight placed on the deck, and a set of curved exhausts inserted into the holes in the sides of the cowling, pushing the efflux from combustion away from the crew in the process. An optional chin radiator is fixed to the underside of the engine, and while it is upside down, the bombs can be made up on their racks and glued to the lower wing using the red lines on the diagrams to locate them precisely, plus the larger bomb on a pylon that you will need to add some 0.3mm wire to, in order to complete the assembly. The smaller bombs are single parts, but the larger belly-mounted bomb is moulded in two halves to avoid sink-marks. There appear to be two steps missing from this initial batch of instructions, as the step numbers rise from 8 directly to 11 on either side of the same page. I’ll let KPM know, but from what I can make out, the missing steps include adding aileron actuators on the upper wings, and a cooling flap under the nose, and also seems to be a curved wind deflector missing, but it doesn’t look like the one in the instructions, so I’m a little confused. There may be more however. I’ll update the review if I get any more information. We’ll ignore the rigging (mostly), but rest assured that the instructions contain diagrams showing where the wires should be, and there are quite a few, so make sure you have plenty of your chosen thread to hand before you start. There are four interplane struts and two cabane struts supporting the upper wing, plus a pair of C-shaped skids under the lower wings, and unbelievably the aircraft even carries a spare wheel under the observer’s station. The landing gear is sturdy, with two splayed V-shaped struts that rest on an aerodynamically faired axle that accept the wheels on each end, with a two-bladed prop inserted into the hole in the radiator, painted in wood grain, which sounds easy. The penultimate page of the instructions shows the rigging locations, and suggest 0.3mm thread or wire as your weapon of choice. The last page contains five profile drawings that could be of use when rigging the model, although two side profiles are duplicated, when I suspect a front view would have been of more use. Markings As seems usual with Kovozávody Prostějov kits, there are three decal options on the sheet, and from that you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelt decals on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion It’s a well-detailed kit of this surprisingly long-lived and widely used aircraft that was colloquially known as the Ninak by the crews and mechanics. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Messerschmitt Bf.109E-7 Club Line Kit (CLK0007) Pilot SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov With almost 34,000 examples manufactured over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Initially designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar general arrangement with the Spitfire, employing monocoque construction and a V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than the carburettor used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The E variant, or Emil as it was more affectionately known was the first major revision of the original design, including an uprated engine and the attendant strengthening of the airframe that was required. It first saw service in the Legion Condor fighting in the Spanish civil war on the side of Nationalist forces of Military Dictator Franco, and then in the Battle of Britain where it came up against its nemeses the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane during the critical fight for the survival of the RAF, which was key to halting Operation Seelöwe, the invasion of Britain by the Nazis. As the Spitfire it fought was improved incrementally through different marks, the Emil was similarly tweaked to keep pace, with the E-7 having additional long-range tankage, plus structural improvements and a simpler squared-off canopy with clear frontal armour, but apart from various field modifications and a few low-volume sub-variants, it had reached the end of its tenure, and was phased out in favour of the Friedrich. The Kit This is an Emil from KP Models’ 1:72 line of Bf.109s, which is quite broad already but is still growing steadily. We have seen some of the plastic already, but this is a Club Kit that is intended to be finished as the personal mount of a rightly reviled hard core Nazi, Reinhard Heydrich, who met his end in a staff car in Prague at the hands of a couple of brave but ill-prepared Partisans. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of the aircraft on the front, and four-way profiles of the markings on the rear. Inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a tiny sprue of clear parts, two small decal sheets and the instruction booklet, which is generic to the Bf.109E and is intended for most Emil variants, as are the sprues. Detail is good throughout, including sidewall and gear bay roof detail, plus instrument and seatbelt decals to add detail into the cockpit. Panel lines and rivets are finely engraved, as are other raised/recessed details that all add visual interest. Construction begins with the cockpit, with detailed painting instructions provided in colour, giving the modeller plenty of detail plus the decals for the instrument panel and seatbelts, and a clear gunsight. The cockpit and platform for the chin radiator are sandwiched between the fuselage halves after inserting the exhaust stubs from within. The lower wing is a single span, and is joined to the two upper wing halves after adding radiator details in the fairings and painting the cooling pathway. It is joined to the fuselage, and a scrap diagram shows that the dihedral should result in a 10mm gap between both wingtips and the mat when the model is laid flat on its belly. The narrow-track landing gear is made up from the strut, wheel and captive bay door on each side, locating in sockets in the upper wing halves, while the tail-wheel is a single part that slots into the underside of the rear fuselage. The cannon troughs on the upper engine cowling are a separate insert that receives a pair of cannon stubs from within before it is glued in, a scrap diagram showing that the barrels project asymmetrically from their recesses. The prop diagram is small and could be confusing, but the E-7 sports a pointed spinner that slips over the three-bladed prop, enclosing it by adding the back-plate that has a peg moulded into the rear to attach it to the nose. A squared-off supercharger intake is applied to an outline on the port side of the engine cowling, and the single-part canopy isn’t really single, as it also has a piece of armour added to the windscreen before it is glued down. At the rear the elevators are fixed in their slots and are propped up by a pair of diagonal supports, then you can choose to load a bomb or additional fuel tank on their particular pylons on the centreline, adding a pitot and two horn balances to the ailerons while the model is inverted. A scrap diagram shows the correct placement for each carrier, although the diagram is a little on the small side for us older folks, so don’t forget your spectacles. Markings There are two decal sheets in the box, one pertaining to the stencils, which are detailed on the rear of the instructions, while the other sheet provides decals for the lovely Mr Heidrich, as shown on the rear of the box. From the box you can build the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion If you’re a WWII modeller and don’t have an aversion to Axis models, the Bf.109 is a staple for your collection, with the personal mount of this notable baddie an interesting decal choice, yet safe in the knowledge that he got his just desserts eventually. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Spitfire Mk.IXc Club Line Kit (CLK0006) Pilot Sqn. Leader Johnny Plagis 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Supermarine Spitfire was the mainstay of British Fighter Command for the majority of WWII, in conjunction with the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, with the Mk.IX being the most popular (with many) throughout the war, seeing extended periods of production with only minor alterations for the role that it was intended for that differentiated between the sub-variants. Originally requested to counter the superiority of the then-new Fw.190, a two-stage supercharged Merlin designated type 61 provided performance in spades, and the fitting of twin wing-mounted cannons in wing blisters gave it enough punch to take down its diminutive Butcher-Bird prey. The suffix following the mark number relates to the wings fitted to the aircraft, as they could vary. The C wing was also known as the Universal Wing, and saw extensive use because it mounted two 20mm cannon in each wing, the outer barrel usually covered by a rubber plug. The main gear was adjusted in an effort to give it more stable landing characteristics, and bowed gear bays removed the need for blisters on the upper wing surface, helping aerodynamics. The gun mounts were redesigned to need smaller blisters in the wing tops to accommodate the feeder motors, and there was even more room for fuel than earlier wings. Lastly, the wings were able to have longer or clipped tips fitted, the resulting shorter wingspan giving the aircraft a faster roll-rate, which would be useful in low-altitude combat especially. The Kit The original tooling of this kit debuted in 2012, so is still a relatively modern tooling. This reboxing with a special decal sheet under the Club Line branding arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of the subject just completing a victory over a fiery Fw.190, and on the rear there are four profile views of the decal option, as well as some words about the pilot, Sqn. Leader Johnny Plagis. Inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a single canopy part in clear styrene, two sheets of decals and the instruction sheet that is also intended for E-wing Spits, so take care to follow the appropriate instructions when building your model. Detail is crisp, and the outer skin of the model has a polished surface that shows off the engraved panel lines and restrained rivets. Construction begins with the cockpit that a lot of modellers will find instantly familiar. There is a decal for the instrument panel, and the Mk.IXc uses an unaltered armour panel behind the seat. The control column, mass of greeblies in the footwell and the Bakelite resin seat with pencil quilted cushion in the rear are all added during the painting process, with plenty of additional detail moulded into the interior face of the fuselage, although possibly a little soft by today’s standards. The cramped cockpit and scale means that this probably won’t notice however. The fuselage is closed up around the cockpit and exhaust stacks that are inserted from inside, and a gunsight is applied to the top of the instrument panel. The wings are full span out to the tips on the underside, and have narrow boxes glued over the tunnel where the struts rest in flight, before the upper wings are dropped over the top and glued down. For the C-wing, the tips, gun barrels and shallow blister fairings are all fitted into their respective spots, taking extra care to get the blisters aligned with the airflow and each other, as there are no pegs or outlines to follow. It might be wise to glue them on before the fuselage is between them, making alignment easier. Under the wings are two big box fairings for the radiators, which have front and rear faces fitted within, their location shown by cross-hatching in the shallow bay in which the parts sit. An offset T-shaped pitot probe is inserted into the port side of the wing, then the landing gear with separate oleo-scissors and captive bay doors are made up along with the chin scoops of long and short variety. The fuselage is inserted into the space between the wing uppers, a choice of elevators are slotted into the tail, with another choice of two styles of rudders plus the tail wheel underneath. By this time the Spit’s extra power was being delivered by a four-bladed prop, which is a single part clamped in place between the spinner cap and back plate, joined by the longer chin scoop on the C-wing variant. A choice of two tyre types are fitted to the axles at the end of the main gear legs, the other end of which is inserted into a hole in the inner edge of the bays. A scrap diagram shows the correct angle of the revised undercarriage from the front. Markings The stencils for this kit are shown on the back of the instruction sheet using quite small diagrams, but a lot of us could probably put them in the correct place blindfolded, but if you’re not one of those, just make sure your glasses or magnifier are to hand. There is just one decal option in this boxing, but that’s the whole point of the Club Line. From the box you can build the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion A Spitfire model is a pretty easy sell to most modellers, and this one no different, having the additional interest of being the mount of a well-known Rhodesian pilot that fought against the Nazis during WWII, with 16 confirmed kills, many of which were over Malta. It’s also keenly priced. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sk 61 Bulldog In Swedish Service (KPM0300) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Bulldog was originally designed by Beagle Aircraft, who sadly went bust before they could honour any orders for this two-seat prop-driven trainer, the first customer being Sweden. A new concern, Scottish Aviation took over and brought the Bulldog to market where it was used most notably by the RAF and Swedish Air Force, but by other countries too, as we’ll find out in later boxings. There were several models made, many of which were designed for the export market, with the RAF using the 121 as the T.1, while the 101 was developed for Sweden, where it was designated Sk 61 in the Air Force, or Fpl 61 in army use. The Swedish aircraft differed mainly due to the additional two seats in the rear of the crew compartment behind the pilots who sat two abreast, with a wide expanse of Perspex giving excellent forward visibility over the relatively short nose. The last RAF airframes left service just after the new millennium, and many have gone into private hands from all variants across the world. The now familiar Grob Tutor replaced the Bulldog as the entry-level trainer with the RAF and continues to serve today, with some avionics upgrades to keep pace with technology. The Kit This is the third in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP that brings modern levels of detail to this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the type on the front and the profiles for the decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet, the clear parts safely enclosed in their own Ziploc bag. Detail is good, although there’s a tiny amount of flash here and there, but it’s minimal and mostly confined to the sprue runners. If you’ve been reading the reviews of the various boxings, you’ll be getting a feeling of déjà vu around about now, but when a similar model is put together in exactly the same way, what more can one say? Construction starts predictably with the cockpit, with the blank instrument panel receiving an instrument decal to detail it, and both seats getting decal belts. Check your references to see whether the option you want to depict will have the rear seats fitted, but you’ll have to make those up yourself as they’re not included in the box. The floor is moulded into the one-part wing and has raised areas for the seats that are detailed with a pair of control columns, centre console and rear bulkhead, while the instrument panel is glued into the front of the cockpit opening after closing up the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed up by adding the nose cowling, which has a depiction of the front bank of piston inserted behind it that will show through the oval intakes either side of the raised prop shaft surround. The wings and fuselage are joined, and the single-part elevators with their ribbed flying surfaces moulded-in are glued into their slots in the rear. The canopy is a single piece that has the framing engraved in, and it’s a crystal-clear part that will show off your work on the interior once its finished. There are a couple of choices of antennae on the spine behind the cockpit, and a clear landing light fits into a recess in the leading edge of the starboard wing. To finish off the build, the landing gear legs are glued onto raised teardrop shapes under the cockpit, and it might be an idea to drill and pin these for extra strength, with the one-part wheels attached to the stub-axle on each leg. The nose leg has its oleo-scissor link moulded in, and the wheel fixes to the axle moulded into the one-sided yoke. The two bladed prop is moulded as one piece with a spinner sliding over it, and behind it there’s a cowling under the nose with two exhaust stacks sticking out, then at the rear are another pair of antenna and a blade antenna under the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage. Markings The stencils are numerous and they are covered on the rear of the instruction booklet to avoid overly-busy diagrams on the back of the box, and there are three decal options, from which you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion The Bulldog is a small aircraft, so the model is commensurately small and a simple build that’s very friendly to your pocket. Clean up those moulding seams and you should end up with a really nice replica of this Swedish trainer. If you don’t do it in splinter camo, I’ll be coming round to slash your tyres. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release in 2021 a family of 1/72nd Hawker Tempest kits. Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/novinky-kovozavody-prostejov-na-1-q-2021/ - ref. KPM0219 - Tempest Mk.V - Wing Commanders https://www.aviationmegastore.com/hawker-tempest-mkv-wing-commanders-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72219-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=175515 - ref. KPM0220 - Tempest Mk.V - Clostermann https://www.aviationmegastore.com/hawker-tempest-mkv-clostermann-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72220-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=175516 - ref. KPM0221 - Tempest Mk.V - Srs.1 https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72222 https://www.aviationmegastore.com/hawker-tempest-mkv-srs-1-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72221-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=177481 - ref. KPM0222 - Tempest Mk.V - 486.(NZ) SQ https://www.aviationmegastore.com/hawker-tempest-mkv-no-486nzsq-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72222-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=175517 - ref. KPM0226 - Tempest Mk.II - Export - ref. KPM0227 - Tempest Mk.II/F.2 - ref. KPM0228 - Tempest F.2 - Silver Wings V.P.

SA Bulldog T.1 RAF Special (KPM0299) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Bulldog was originally designed by Beagle Aircraft, who sadly went bust before they could honour any orders for this two-seat prop-driven trainer, the first customer being Sweden. A new concern, Scottish Aviation took over and brought the Bulldog to market where it was used most notably by the RAF and Swedish Air Force, but by other countries too, as we’ll find out in later boxings. There were several models made, many of which were designed for the export market, with the RAF using the 121 as the T.1, while the 101 was developed for Sweden, where it was designated Sk 61 in the Air Force, or Fpl 61 in army use. The Swedish aircraft differed mainly due to the additional two seats in the rear of the crew compartment behind the pilots who sat two abreast, with a wide expanse of Perspex giving excellent forward visibility over the relatively short nose. The last RAF airframes left service just after the new millennium, and many have gone into private hands from all variants across the world. The now familiar Grob Tutor replaced the Bulldog as the entry-level trainer with the RAF and continues to serve today, with some avionics upgrades to keep pace with technology. The Kit This is the second in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP that brings modern levels of detail to this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the type on the front and the profiles for the decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet, the clear parts safely enclosed in their own Ziploc bag. Detail is good, although there’s a tiny amount of flash here and there, but it’s minimal and mostly confined to the sprue runners. Construction starts predictably with the cockpit, with the blank instrument panel receiving an instrument decal to detail it, and both seats getting decal belts. The floor is moulded into the one-part wing and has raised areas for the seats that are detailed with a pair of control columns, centre console and rear bulkhead, while the instrument panel is glued into the front of the cockpit opening after closing up the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed up by adding the nose cowling, which has a depiction of the front bank of piston inserted behind it that will show through the oval intakes either side of the raised prop shaft surround. The wings and fuselage are joined, and the single-part elevators with their ribbed flying surfaces moulded-in are glued into their slots in the rear. The canopy is a single piece that has the framing engraved in, and it’s a crystal-clear part that will show off your work on the interior once its finished. There are a couple of choices of antennae on the spine behind the cockpit, and a clear landing light fits into a recess in the leading edge of the starboard wing. To finish off the build, the landing gear legs are glued onto raised teardrop shapes under the cockpit, and it might be an idea to drill and pin these for extra strength, with the one-part wheels attached to the stub-axle on each leg. The nose leg has its oleo-scissor link moulded in, and the wheel fixes to the axle moulded into the one-sided yoke. The two bladed prop is moulded as one piece with a spinner sliding over it, and behind it there’s a cowling under the nose with two exhaust stacks sticking out, then at the rear are another pair of antenna and a blade antenna under the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage. Markings The stencils are numerous and they are covered on the rear of the instruction booklet to avoid overly-busy diagrams on the back of the box, where you will find three decal options, two in black and yellow, and one in civilian service, from which you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion The Bulldog is a small aircraft, so the model is commensurately small and a simple build that’s very friendly to your pocket. Clean up those moulding seams and you should end up with a really nice replica of this much-loved RAF trainer in some more unusual colours. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Cessna U-17A Skywagon (KPM0231) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov Cessna have a history of producing civil aircraft with the occasional military variant forthcoming now and again. The C-185 was a development of their own 180 series, which was a 4-6 passenger light aircraft although the last two passengers would have to be children or headless. It had a strengthened fuselage and more powerful motor from Continental (with some exceptions) that allowed it to fly at a maximum speed of almost 180mph. It first flew in 1960, with production beginning the next year and continuing well into the 80s, with a hiatus after which a reduced selections of variants were available of both the 185 and the 180 from which it was developed. The military U-17 was sold in numbers and a few variants by America to various overseas customers, many from South America but also other parts of the world where cost was a major consideration. Like many Cessna aircraft it was a jack of all trades, but the back seats are particularly cramped, and only just qualify as back seats because of children needing less headroom, so many operators and owners removed them and used the space for baggage or equipment. Its rugged engineering and fuel-injected engine led to a light maintenance burden, and it was a relatively easy aircraft to fly although it is known to be somewhat tail heavy at times. Its low stall speed of just under 60mph was particularly useful when landing in very cramped fields in remote places, which could be advantageous, especially if carrying out clandestine missions. Although production finished to all intents and purposes in the early 80s, there are still a good number of the civilian variants pottering around, although not so many of the militarised version survive. The Kit This is a new tooling from KP, and it’s the initial military boxing. The Skywagon is a relatively small aircraft even in 1:1, but at 1:72, it’s about the size of a WWII fighter, so arrives in the same style of small end-opening box, with a single sprue of parts in grey styrene, plus a separately bagged clear sprue, a sheet of decals and a short instruction booklet. Staring at the solitary sprue, there is a little flash in evidence on the sprues, a modicum of which has strayed onto the parts themselves, but it’s quick work getting rid of it and is always preferable to short-shot parts. The surface of the aircraft’s skin is moulded with finely engraved panel lines and a few rivets, with a choice of two rudder fins, wheel types and a two- or three-bladed prop, as either could be fitted at the owner or operator’s preference. One of the tails and an underslung stowage locker aren’t used on this edition of the kit, but will doubtless come in useful for other boxings. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is based around the floor, which has moulded-in rudder pedals and a shallow centre console, plus bases for the twin front seats, and the bench-style rear seats, then a bulkhead behind where the fifth and six seats would otherwise be. The seats have decal shoulder straps, and the instrument panel has a decal included to add some detail to the area before inserting the yokes in the left, right or both as befits your decal choice. The fuselage halves are prepped by adding three window panes in each side, and upon joining the halves together around the cockpit, a front bulkhead is inserted too, but you are advised to adjust this by sanding in order to get a good fit with the fuselage and the rounded windscreen part. The fuselage is completed by adding the front of the engine cowling with the two mirrored D-shaped intakes and central hole for the prop shaft. The elevators are both single parts each and have the prototypical corrugated flying surfaces moulded-in, as does the full-width wing, which has curved tips moulded-in, but they can be cut off and replaced by a pair of straight tips that are on the sprues. A pair of strakes are added to the half-way joint on the topside, and a clear lens is inserted into the leading edge of the port wing, then the wing is glued to the top of the cockpit to form its roof, so remember to paint inside. The wing supports stretch from holes in the underside of the wing to the sides of the fuselage, and the landing gear struts are mounted in more holes nearby, with two-part tyres at the end of each. The instructions include mounting twin rocket-launchers under each wing for the military variant, as it was capable of carrying light armament if necessary, although this was by no means its primary role. The tail-wheel with integral strut is mounted under the rear. You have a choice of three props, two blades with or without spinner, and a three-bladed unit with a different spinner for obvious reasons. Adding the rudder finishes the structural part of the build, then you have a choice of three sensor fits on the top of the fuselage. The first option has a single blade antenna on the spine, the second has a raised blister in the same place, while the third has twin blades over the cockpit, and another two on the starboard fuselage just next to the tail fillet. There may also be some additional antenna fits for the various decal options, so check the profiles on the back of the box and your references if you want to get it as accurate as possible, as I spotted one under the belly that’s not mentioned in the instructions. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, all of which are camouflaged for their role in the military. From the box you can build one of the following: Cessna U-17A, 291, Greek Air Force Cessna U-17A, 721, South African Air Force Cessna U-17A, Jamaica Defence Force, Jamaica The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion This is the first group of kits in injection moulded plastic of this type in any scale, so if you’re in the market for one and you find some unusual military operators in camouflage attractive, you now have what you’ve been waiting for! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Cessna C-185 Skywagon (KPM0234) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov Cessna have a history of producing civil aircraft with the occasional military variant forthcoming now and again. The C-185 was a development of their own 180 series, which was a 4-6 passenger light aircraft although the last two passengers would have to be children or headless. It had a strengthened fuselage and more powerful motor from Continental (with some exceptions) that allowed it to fly at a maximum speed of almost 180mph. It first flew in 1960, with production beginning the next year and continuing well into the 80s, with a hiatus after which a reduced selections of variants were available of both the 185 and the 180 from which it was developed. Like many Cessna aircraft it was a jack of all trades, and it found itself being used in many situations, even with floats added to some airframes so they could land and take-off from rivers, lakes and even the sea. The back seats are particularly cramped, and only just qualify as back seats because of children needing less headroom, so many owners removed them and used the space for baggage or for some other function. Its rugged engineering and fuel-injected engine leads to a light maintenance burden, and it is a relatively easy aircraft to fly although it is known to be somewhat tail heavy at times. Its low stall speed of just under 60mph led to some aircraft being fitted with balloon tyres and used as bush aircraft, landing in very cramped places at the back of beyond. Although production finished properly in the early 80s, there are still a good number of the type about. The Kit This is a new tooling from KP, and it’s a very civil offering. The Skywagon is a relatively small aircraft even in 1:1, but at 1:72, it’s about the size of a WWII fighter, so arrives in the same style of small end-opening box, with a single sprue of parts in grey styrene, plus a separately bagged clear sprue, a sheet of decals and a short instruction booklet. Staring at the solitary sprue, there is a little flash in evidence on the sprues, a soupçon of which has strayed onto the parts themselves, but it’s quick work getting rid of it and is always much better than short-shot parts. The surface of the aircraft’s skin is moulded with finely engraved panel lines and a few rivets, with a choice of two rudder fins, wheel types and a two- or three-bladed prop, as either could be fitted at the owner or maintainer’s preference. One of the tails and an underslung stowage locker aren’t used on this edition of the kit, but will come in useful for other boxings. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is based around the floor, which has moulded-in rudder pedals and a shallow centre console, plus bases for the twin front seats, and the bench-style rear seats, then a bulkhead behind where the fifth and six seats would otherwise be. The seats have decal shoulder straps, and the instrument panel has a decal included to add some detail to the area before inserting the yokes in the left, right or both as befits your decal choice. The fuselage halves are prepped by adding three window panes in each side, and upon joining the halves together around the cockpit, a front bulkhead is inserted too, but you are advised to adjust this by sanding in order to get a good fit with the fuselage and the rounded windscreen part. The fuselage is completed by adding the front of the engine cowling with the two mirrored D-shaped intakes and central hole for the prop shaft. The elevators are both single parts each and have the prototypical corrugated flying surfaces moulded-in, as does the full-width wing, which has curved tips moulded-in, but they can be cut off and replaced by a pair of straight tips that are on the sprues. A pair of strakes are added to the half-way joint on the topside, and a clear lens is inserted into the leading edge of the port wing, then the wing is glued to the top of the cockpit to form its roof, so remember to paint inside. The wing supports stretch from holes in the underside of the wing to the sides of the fuselage, and the landing gear struts are mounted in more holes nearby, with two part tyres at the end of each. The instructions mention mounting twin rocket-launchers under each wing, but that’s for the military variant. You wouldn’t be very popular with control if you pressed the wrong button and launched a few rockets at them on approach. The tail-wheel with integral strut is mounted under the rear. You have a choice of three props, two blades with or without spinner, and a three-bladed unit with a different spinner for obvious reasons. Adding the rudder finishes the structural part of the build, then you have a choice of three sensor fits on the top of the fuselage. The first option has a single blade antenna on the spine, the second has a raised blister in the same place, while the third has twin blades over the cockpit, and another two on the starboard fuselage just next to the tail fillet. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, all of which are pretty colourful compared to your average military aircraft, in vibrant red, white or blue. From the box you can build one of the following: C-GTAA, Canada G-BDKC, Great Britain F-BNLC, France The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion This is the first kit in injection moulded plastic of this type in any scale, so if you’re in the market for one, you now have what you’ve been waiting for! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release 1/72nd Dornier/Dassault-Breguet (DDB) Alpha Jet A/1B/E/MS.1 & MS.2 kits. A new tool kit or an updated, with some new parts, from the vintage Heller kit, like the 1/50th Gazelle (link) or 1/72nd Potez 540 (link)? Today, with KP/AZmodel you never know. Wait and see. Sources: http://www.modelarovo.cz/dassault-dornier-alpha-jet-a-1-72-kp-kovozavody-prostejov/ https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1632027106991132&id=182206638639860 V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release a 1/72nd Hillson Praga E-114 Air Baby kit Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/fr/nova-praga-e-114-od-kp-rendery/j V.P.

AZ model Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release a brand new tool 1/72nd Cessna UC-78 Bobcat Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234931186-azmodellegatoadmiral-wwii-aircraft-comments-questions-and-wishes/?p=1518104 V.P.

SA Bulldog T.1 RAF Service (KPM0298) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Bulldog was originally designed by Beagle Aircraft, who sadly went bust before they could honour any orders for this two-seat prop-driven trainer, the first customer being Sweden. A new concern, Scottish Aviation took over and brought the Bulldog to market where it was used most notably by the RAF and Swedish Air Force, but by other countries too, as we’ll find out in later boxings. There were several models made, many of which were designed for the export market, with the RAF using the 121 as the T.1, while the 101 was developed for Sweden, where it was designated Sk 61 in the Air Force, or Fpl 61 in army use. The Swedish aircraft differed mainly due to the additional two seats in the rear of the crew compartment behind the pilots who sat two abreast, with a wide expanse of Perspex giving excellent forward visibility over the relatively short nose. The last RAF airframes left service just after the new millennium, and many have gone into private hands from all variants across the world. The now familiar Grob Tutor replaced the Bulldog as the entry-level trainer with the RAF and continues to serve today, with some avionics upgrades to keep pace with technology. The Kit This is the first in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP that brings modern levels of detail to this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the type on the front and the profiles for the decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet, the clear parts safely enclosed in their own Ziploc bag. Detail is good, although there’s a tiny amount of flash here and there, but it’s minimal and mostly confined to the sprue runners. Construction starts predictably with the cockpit, with the blank instrument panel receiving an instrument decal to detail it, and both seats getting decal belts. The floor is moulded into the one-part wing and has raised areas for the seats that are detailed with a pair of control columns, centre console and rear bulkhead, while the instrument panel is glued into the front of the cockpit opening after closing up the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed up by adding the nose cowling, which has a depiction of the front bank of piston inserted behind it that will show through the oval intakes either side of the raised prop shaft surround. The wings and fuselage are joined, and the single-part elevators with their ribbed flying surfaces moulded-in are glued into their slots in the rear. The canopy is a single piece that has the framing engraved in, and it’s a crystal-clear part that will show off your work on the interior once its finished. There are a couple of choices of antennae on the spine behind the cockpit, and a clear landing light fits into a recess in the leading edge of the starboard wing. To finish off the build, the landing gear legs are glued onto raised teardrop shapes under the cockpit, and it might be an idea to drill and pin these for extra strength, with the one-part wheels attached to the stub-axle on each leg. The nose leg has its oleo-scissor link moulded in, and the wheel fixes to the axle moulded into the one-sided yoke. The two bladed prop is moulded as one piece with a spinner sliding over it, and behind it there’s a cowling under the nose with two exhaust stacks sticking out, then at the rear are another pair of antenna and a blade antenna under the trailing edge of the wing/fuselage. Markings The stencils are numerous and they are covered on the rear of the instruction booklet to avoid overly-busy diagrams on the back of the box, and there are three decal options, from which you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are seatbelts and an instrument decal on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion The Bulldog is a small aircraft, so the model is commensurately small and a simple build that’s very friendly to your pocket. Clean up those moulding seams and you should end up with a really nice replica of this much-loved RAF trainer. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIa "Far From Home" (KPM0304) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain along with the Hurricane and a few other less well-known players, and it’s an aircraft with an amazing reputation that started from a bit of a damp squib in the shape of the Supermarine Type 224. The gull-winged oddity was the grandfather of the Spitfire, and despite losing out to the biplane Gloster Gladiator, designer R J Mitchell was spurred on to go back to the drawing board and create a more modern, technologically advanced and therefore risky design. This was the Type 300, and it was an all-metal construction with an incredibly thin elliptical wing that became legendary, although it didn’t leave much space for fuel, a situation that was further worsened by the Air Ministry’s insistence that four .303 machine guns were to be installed in each wing, rather than the three originally envisaged. It was a very well-sorted aircraft from the outset, so quickly entered service with the RAF in 1938 in small numbers. With the clouds of war accumulating, the Ministry issued more orders and it became a battle to create enough to fulfil demand in time for the outbreak and early days of war from September 1939 onwards. By then, the restrictive straight sided canopy had been replaced by a “blown” hood to give the pilot more visibility, although a few with the old canopy still lingered. The title Mk.Ia was given retrospectively to differentiate between the cannon-winged Mk.Ib that was instigated after the .303s were found somewhat lacking compared to the 20mm cannon armament of their main opposition at the time, the Bf.109. As is usual in wartime, the designers could never rest on their laurels with an airframe like the Spitfire, as it had significant potential for development, a process that lasted throughout the whole of WWII, and included many changes to the Merlin engine, then the installation of the more powerful Griffon engine, as well as the removal of the spine of the fuselage and creation of a bubble canopy to improve the pilot’s situational awareness. Its immediate successor was the Mk.II with a new Mk.XII Merlin, followed by the Mk.V that had yet another more powerful Merlin fitted, which returned the fright of the earlier marks’ first encounters with Fw.190s by a similar increase in performance of an outwardly almost identical Spitfire. The Kit This is a new 2021 boxing in KP's line of Spitfire kits from 2016. As is usual, they have produced a number of boxings that vary in decals and parts, giving the modeller plenty of choice which one(s) to get. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box, and inside are three sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and A5 instruction booklet, with the decal options printed in colour on the back of the box. Detail is excellent for the scale, and clever engineering has resulted in a modular kit that can squeeze additional versions from the plastic just by swapping out some of the parts. There are plenty of unused parts on the sprues including other set of wings, different props, spinners, masts, a chin intake filter; and exhausts which suggest different marks can be made from this kit, or you will have a fair few spare parts. Construction begins with the cockpit, the front bulkhead gets its instrument panel, with the instruments being provided as decals. The seat back and head armour attaches to the rear bulkhead and this is fitted to the floor members. The control column is added followed by the seat. Belts are supplied as decals. At the front of each fuselage half blanking plates go in for the exhausts and then the cockpit can go in the and halves be closed up. Moving onto the wings the left and right uppers can be added to the single part lower wing making sure the small parts for the wheels wells go in first. The radiator and oil coolers go on. The wing can now be fitted to the fuselage and at the rear the tail surfaces and rudder are fitted, along with the tail wheel. The main gear can be built up and added along with the chin intake and prop. On top the canopy and aerial mast is added. Markings There are three decal options in the box to represent Czechoslovak units in the RAF. From the box you can build one of the following: Decals are printed in-house and have good registration, colour density and sharpness, with a very thin carrier film cut close to the printing. Conclusion Another great release from KP with excellent detail, and plenty of choices. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Supermarine Spitfire PR.Mk.XI "USAAF" (KPM0291) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain along with the Hurricane and a few other less well-known players, and it’s an aircraft with an amazing reputation that started from a bit of a damp squib in the shape of the Supermarine Type 224. The gull-winged oddity was the grandfather of the Spitfire, and despite losing out to the biplane Gloster Gladiator, designer R J Mitchell was spurred on to go back to the drawing board and create a more modern, technologically advanced and therefore risky design. This was the Type 300, and it was an all-metal construction with an incredibly thin elliptical wing that became legendary, although it didn’t leave much space for fuel, a situation that was further worsened by the Air Ministry’s insistence that four .303 machine guns were to be installed in each wing, rather than the three originally envisaged. It was a very well-sorted aircraft from the outset, so quickly entered service with the RAF in 1938 in small numbers. With the clouds of war accumulating, the Ministry issued more orders and it became a battle to create enough to fulfil demand in time for the outbreak and early days of war from September 1939 onwards. By then, the restrictive straight sided canopy had been replaced by a “blown” hood to give the pilot more visibility, although a few with the old canopy still lingered. The title Mk.Ia was given retrospectively to differentiate between the cannon-winged Mk.Ib that was instigated after the .303s were found somewhat lacking compared to the 20mm cannon armament of their main opposition at the time, the Bf.109. As is usual in wartime, the designers could never rest on their laurels with an airframe like the Spitfire, as it had significant potential for development, a process that lasted throughout the whole of WWII, and included many changes to the Merlin engine, then the installation of the more powerful Griffon engine, as well as the removal of the spine of the fuselage and creation of a bubble canopy to improve the pilot’s situational awareness. Its immediate successor was the Mk.II with a new Mk.XII Merlin, followed by the Mk.V that had yet another more powerful Merlin fitted. With the development of new Merlin 60 powered Spitfires, both the Mk VII and VIII were to have photo-reconnaissance (PR) variants. T he Mk XI was based on a combination of features from the marks VII, VIII and IX. It was the first PR variant to have the option of using two vertically mounted F52 cameras in the fuselage behind the cockpit. Other configurations could also be fitted, depending on the mission. The Mk XIs had a deeper nose fairing to accommodate a larger 14.5 gal oil tank and used the unarmoured, wrap-around PRU windscreen. Booster pumps for the wing tanks were fitted these being covered by teardrop shaped fairings under the wings. Retractable tailwheels were fitted as standard and the majority of the Mk XIs built had the later large-area pointed rudder. 260 Mk XIs were powered by Merlin 61, 63 or 63A engines, while the remaining 211 used the high-altitude Merlin 70. All of the Merlin 70 and 198 of the Merlin 60 series aircraft were fitted with the Vokes Aero-Vee dust filter in the extended, streamlined carburettor air intake under the nose. All Merlin 60 powered aircraft featured the fuel cooler in the port leading edge wing root. Additional slipper drop tanks could be fitted under the centre-section; in common with the Mk IX these could be 30, 45 or 90 gal capacity and, for the Mk XI, a tank of 170 gal capacity was also available. The aircraft were capable of a top speed of 417 mph (671 km/h) at 24,000 ft and could cruise at 395 mph at 32,000 ft. Normally Spitfire XIs cruised between these altitudes although, in an emergency, the aircraft could climb to 44,000 ft. However, pilots could not withstand such altitudes for long in a non-pressurised cockpit.[info from Wikipedia] The Kit This is a new tool 2022 boxing in KP's line of Spitfire kits. As is usual, they have produced a number of boxings that vary in decals and parts , giving the modeller plenty of choice which one(s) to get. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box, and inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and A5 instruction booklet, with the decal options printed in colour on the back of the box. Detail is excellent for the scale. Construction begins with the cockpit, the front bulkhead gets its instrument panel, with the instruments being provided as decals. The seat back and head armour attaches to the rear bulkhead and this is fitted to the floor members. The control column is added followed by the seat. Belts are supplied as decals. At the front of each fuselage half blanking plates go in for the exhausts and then the cockpit can go in the and halves can be closed up. Moving onto the wings the left and right uppers can be added to the single part lower wing making sure the small parts for the wheels wells go in first. The radiators go on. The wing can now be fitted to the fuselage and at the rear the tail surfaces and rudder are fitted, along with the tail wheel. The main gear can be built up and added along with the chin intake and prop. On top the canopy and aerial mast is added. At the front the prop is fitted. Markings There are three decal options in the box to represent The USAAF 14th Photographic Squadron of the 8th Air Force, which operated Spitfire Mark XIs from November 1943 to April 1945 Decals are printed in-house and have good registration, colour density and sharpness, with a very thin carrier film cut close to the printing. Conclusion Another great release from KP with excellent detail, and plenty of choices. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of