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Aermacchi M.416 (KPM0374) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov After WWII, Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker was keen to get back to work designing and building aircraft that would be of use post war. They developed the S-11 prop trainer, and by as early as 1948 it was showing promise after numerous issues had been dealt with. It was demonstrated widely to European air forces, and others further afield, such as the nascent Israel and some Southern American countries. Italy obtained a license to build 180 airframes of the S-11-3 variant themselves as the Macci M.416, which became Aermacchi as a portmanteau of Aeronautica Macchi. It was powered by a Lycoming O-435A flat-six engine that output 190hp and propelled it to a top speed of 130mph, although a cruising speed of a shade over 100mph was more fuel efficient, giving it a range a hair short of 400 miles on a good day. They were widely used by the Netherlands, Brazil, Israel and Italy, but today only a few are airworthy in private hands around the world, the rest of the remaining airframes relegated to museums, and it should be no surprise that there is an M.416 in an Italian museum, with another being restored. The Kit This boxing is based on a new tool from 2022, with new decals to suit its Italian operators, and it arrives in an end-opening box with a painting of the subject on the front, and the decal profiles on the rear in full colour. Inside is a single sprue of grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet, and instruction booklet printed in colour, with line drawn profiles in black and white on the rear page. Detail is good, with crisp recessed panel lines, raised and recessed surface features, and well rendered scalloping on the aft fuselage. There has been a small amount of mould damage to one of the wheels that will be used, just where it meets with yoke, but this should be easy to repair with a sharp blade or micro-chisel if you have one. Construction begins with the cockpit floor, which has the rudder pedals and a centre console moulded-in, adding the twin control columns to marks on the floor, plus the two crew seats and their decal seatbelts on shallow raised boxes. The two main wheels are prepped by painting them up, as is the rear wheel, then the wings are made by inserting the short inner panel underneath, the landing light in the leading edges, and a cranked pitot probe in the port wing, with an optional straight version you must make yourself from plastic or brass rod. It’s a strange build order, but when do we ever stick rigidly to the instructions? The cockpit is inserted into the fuselage during closure, remembering to paint the internal details that are moulded into the fuselage halves, and adding the instrument panel under the coaming. With the fuselage closed, the front of the engine cowling is glued to the flat nose, and a pair of short lengths of rod from your own supplies are used underneath the cowlings to depict the exhausts. The tail fin is moulded into the fuselage with a separate rudder, then the elevators are butt-joined to the sides, adding the support braces beneath them. The wings are also butt-joints, and even at this scale it might be sensible to add some brass pegs to these and the elevators to give the joints extra strength during handling, especially if you’re a clumsy modeller like me. The final construction phase involves fitting the canopy over the cockpit aperture, and installing a choice of prop with or without a spinner. Speaking of the canopy, if you are feeling brave you should look at the box art and consider adding some of the various grab-handles and other details you can see there. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, the profiles on the rear showing them all as silver finished aircraft in Italian service. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals appear to be printed using the same digital processes as Eduard are now using, and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion It’s a cute little trainer that I’d never heard of before this kit arrived, and now I want one in my preferred scale. Detail is good, and the removable carrier on the decals will be useful on a silver finish. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

When a couple of sets of etched and resin parts came back into stock from my Hannants watchlist, I accidentally bought a second reconnaissance Spitfire. In my defence, it could happen to anyone! It started out because I thought that it might be easier to sell the concept of a pink Spitfire to my other half, as my two small girls might be intrigued by it. Then I did some more research and found out that PRU pink was in fact very, very pale - almost white in fact - but I'd already latched onto the idea so bought it anyway! I'll be doing it as the well-known MK716 - I know loads of other models have been made of it, but I don't own one so I'm not that fussed that it's not uncommon A very minor bit of research shows it to have had some bleed-through of the stripes through the paint once it was overpainted again with pink later in 1944, so I might try to replicate that. The photos here also show it to be relatively mucky with some staining around the ejector ports as well as exhaust staining, so I'll try and replicate that too. It's planned to be another straight out of the box build, although I've got a couple of resin RAF pilots to hand (visible top left) and might use one of those...

This is the KP (Kovozavody Prostejov) Piper PA-18 (actually the L-21B boxing). In the early 50's the US Air Force purchased 242 Piper PA-18-105SP aircraft to use as primary (screening) trainers for new pilots. While they were owned by the Air Force they had no military marking and bore civilian registration number. These numbers all ended in "T" so they were known as Tango Cubs. This is a limited run kit and while the fit of the interior, transparency, and fuselage halves was excellent it suffered from a common limited run failing of a lack of left/right symmetry; the ailerons on the left wing were bigger then on the right and the 2 horizontal stabilizer pieces did not match at all, and the underwing struts were too long. The kit decals did not apply for the trainers so the tail code was printed on my laser printer and the TA numbers were individual letters and numbers. It was a fairly simple build and took 7 days Next up the the Hasegawa A-1H/AD-6 Skyraider. Enjoy.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release in 2018 2019a 1/72nd Aero A-304 Source: Box art V.P.

SA Bulldog T.1 Limited Run (KPM0399) 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 latest in a new range of boxings in 1:72 from KP as a limited edition boxing 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 the Ziploc bag 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 the fuselage halves. A pair of side windows pop in from the inside, and the front is closed 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 a choice of two antennae 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 appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. 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, with civilian options. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release 1/72nd Scottish Aviation S.A. Bulldog kits. - ref. KPM0298 - Scottish Aviation S.A. Bulldog T.1 - RAF Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/s-a-bulldog-t-1-raf/ - ref. KPM0299 - Scottish Aviation S.A. Bulldog T.1 - RAF Special Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/s-a-bulldog-t-1-raf-special/ - ref. KPM0299 - Scottish Aviation S.A. Sk.61 Bulldog - In Swedish services Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/sk-61-bulldog-in-swedish-services/ - ref. KPM0300 - Scottish Aviation S.A. Bulldog T.1 - Overseas services Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/s-a-bulldog-t-1-overseas-services/ V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release 1/72nd AGO C.IV kits Source: https://www.modelarovo.cz/kvetnove-novinky-kovozavodu-prostejov-na-moson-model-show-2023/ - ref. KPM0395 - Ago C.IV - Late Camo Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/ago-c-iv-late-cammo/ - ref. KPM0396 - Ago C.IV Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/ago-c-iv/ - ref. KPM03978 - Ago C.IV - Late Source: https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/ago-c-iv-late/ V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to rebox in March 2023 the AZmodel 1/72nd Bell AH-1G Cobra kit. https://www.modelarovo.cz/novinky-kovozavodu-prostejov-a-azmodel-na-brezen/ - ref. KPM0378 - Bell AH-1G Huey Cobra - Late https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/bell-ah-1g-huey-cobra-late/ - ref. KPM0379 - Bell AH-1G Huey Cobra - Early" https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/ah-1g-huey-cobra-early/ - ref. KPM0380 - Bell AH-1G Huey Cobra - International https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/ah-1g-huey-cobra-international/ - ref. KPM0381 - Bell AH-1G Huey Cobra - Special Markings https://www.kovozavody.cz/produkt/ah-1g-huey-cobra-special-markings/ V.P.

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release a 1/72nd Aero L-159 ALCA kit - ref. KPM0118 Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/kovozavody-prostejov-v-roce-2018/ Box art V.P.

First up, a hearty thank you for @TonyOD and @Col. for hosting this GB: its gonna be a big 'un! My (first?) entry will be the 1/72 KP Seafire Mk.Ib kit, according to the box top a new tool. My KP Spit PR.XI build, currently underway, has shown me that these kits are very nicely produced and so I'm looking forward to cobbling this one together. Obligatory snaps (mobile phone, so not the greatest quality - sorry!): (The Dewoitine D.520 is one my absolute faves, so I may have to build the one I have in my stash fairly soon!) Torch markings and Vokes filter were my first choice, but I have to say the all-blue scheme is rather fetching: Destructions and stickers: And receiving Approval to Proceed: @TonyOD/@Col./@Enzo the Magnificent can I ask - would adding some interior detailing prior to kick-off be permissible? I'd be adding to the parts supplied in the kit, rather than building the kit itself. I'm thinking primarily of additional cockpit and fuselage structure detail. Thanks, guys! Cheers, Mark

I should've kept my big trap shut, but no, I just couldn't help myself! And a contract is a contract, eh @TonyOD? This will be a double-build, a sort of vignette if you will, the idea being to display a USN Wildcat and an RAF Spitfire Vc on a section of the USS Wasp's flight deck, during the second operation to re-supply Malta, Operation Calendar. Now, as anyone who has ever had even the tiniest interest in the defence of Malta will know, the colours of those particular Spitfires are a veritable minefield. Recent research has thrown up a few curved balls but at the same time has perhaps added a greater degree of "likelihood" to the interpretation of their colours than some of the more off-the-wall ideas of the past. But interestingly, there is also a possible variation from the "norm" in the colour of the USN's, and particularly Wasp's, Wildcats at this time, so I'll be going slightly off-piste with that as well. All Good Fun!!! Anyways, that's about it until I get the kits on the bench (which incidentally will be a KP Spitfire Mk.Vc and and Arma Hobby F4F-4). Cheers for now, Mark

Hi everyone. I bought this "what-if" kit from Freightdog at the Telford show. It looked like such an amazing aircraft and a fun build. Also, as a new recruit to the IPMS Hawker Typhoon, Tempest & Sea Fury SIG would give me something new to put on their display table next time. Freightdog's resin parts are packed inside the KP Tempest V kit box (but are also available separately I believe). It also includes an A5 sheet containing historical notes, recommendations for builders and instructions cross referenced to the kit's instructions. Thanks are given for contributions by Paul Lucas & Dominic McEvoy, with a dedication to Mike McEvoy. The historical notes read "Proposed in 1943, the Hawker P.1027 was a Tempest development using the then unbuilt Rolls-Royce 46H Eagle. Changes to the Tempest design included a longer nose cowling foro the powerful 4,020 hp Eagle engine, contra rotating propellers and relocation of the radiators from the nose chin (or later wing leading edges) to mid way on the underside of the fuselage, similar to the Martin Baker MB.5. The P.1027 remained a paper project that, if built, could have seen service into the early post-war period." I think it was intended that the aircraft would be a long range fighter. Here are some shots of the parts.... A decal sheet is not provided with the conversion, but there is the one supplied in the kit itself of course. I'll go ahead with building the model and hope I can decide on a scheme and markings by the time I get to apply paint! Any comments during the build would be most welcome: also any thoughts you may have on suitable schemes! Thanks for looking, Pat

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release 1/72nd de Havilland DH.9A & Polikarpov R-1 kits. Probably a plastic injected kit inspired by the CMR resin kit. - ref. KPM72310 - de Havilland DH.9A - At War Sources: https://www.aviationmegastore.com/de-havilland-dh-9a-at-war-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72310-aircraft-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=186279 https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72310 - ref. KPM72311 - de Havilland DH.9A - RAF Sources: https://www.aviationmegastore.com/de-havilland-dh-9a-raf-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72311-aircraft-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=186280 https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72311 - ref. KPM72312 - de Havilland DH.9A - Silver Wings Sources: https://www.aviationmegastore.com/de-havilland-dh-9a--silver-wings-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72312-aircraft-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=186281 https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72312 - ref. KPM72313 - Polikarpov R-1 Sources: https://www.aviationmegastore.com/polikarpov-r-1-kovozvody-prostejov-kpm72313-aircraft-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=186282 https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KPM72313 V.P.

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.

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.

In 2002 Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to re-release the Směr (link & link) 1/48th Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 "Fresco" early versions kit. Upgraded ? Source: https://www.modelarovo.cz/kp-kovozavody-prostejov-azmodel-2022/ Box art V.P.

First of all, I'd like to give a big shout out and thank you to @mark.au, @AliGauld, @bigbadbadge and @Winded Penguin for the opportunity to join in with this informal PRU Spitfire GB: thanks guys! My choice of subject is Kovozavody Prostejov's 1/72 Spit PR.XI in USAAF guise. I'll be finishing it as an aircraft flown by the 14th PRS of the 7th PRG, in the scheme shown for MB950 (scheme 2), but not necessarily MB950 as I'm a bit of twit when it comes to serials! Obligatory box and sprue pics: Before making a start, I needed to clear a small space in which to begin work: The Quality Control Officer sleeping on the job..... However, the Quality Control Officer soon awoke and gradually encroached, so that at the enforced end of play I'd put the seat frame together and fitted the wheel well walls: And she's sat on the instruction sheet, too! Gotta love that Daisy ❤️ Following @Giorgio N's advice on @AliGauld's build thread, I've hacked the centre out of the rearmost bulkhead which as supplied is the type fitted to pressurised cockpit variants. For a pattern, I used the corresponding part from Airfix's Mk.Vc. I'll also be scratching up a new "floor" as the supplied part is a bit short - thanks Alistair for the heads-up on that. And that's it so far: not much to show for my weekend, but I've got a couple of free evenings this week before taking Jane away for a long weekend for her birthday. Thanks for looking in! Mark

Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) is to release 1/72nd Albatros C.III kits Source: https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95825&start=7740#p2245704 V.P.

Hello, I didn't find any topic via search function about, so delete if already available. Here are first pics of the new double seater CS-199, with is coming in October (if I am correct, coz my czech is not that good). http://www.modelarovo.cz/avia-cs-199-172-rijnova-novinka-kp/

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.

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