Kovozavody Prostejov Models?

[MDriskill]

21 hours ago, Hornet133 said:

AZ brought the KP brand name only (which was as famous in Eastern Europe as Airfix is in the UK) but did not buy the old 70s-90s moulds. They have since issued a number of brand new moulds under the KP label which have no connection to any other manufacturer. AZ uses the KP brand name for standard, long term, steel moulds.  Their short run items are issued under the AZ label.

 

The OLD KP brand moulds (which AZ does not have) are now issued under labels such as SMER and Mistercraft.

 

 

This is my understanding as well. I haven't seen any of the old kits re-released.

 

Just my opinion, but it seems to me that AZ reserves the KP label for subjects which are of particular Czech interest, and/or kits that are of their top quality level. Perhaps mostly coincidence, but some of the "new" KP kits duplicate subjects in the "old" line - La-5, MiG-21, Siebel 204, Asia S-199.

[MilneBay]

I have fond memories of the old KP kits - so many interesting subjects and with a bit of work they could be turned into nice models.

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello

Alain, AZ and KP may have the same owner, but I never saw Heller Storch being issued under KP label.

When they first appeared four decades or so ago, KP kits were unique. At the time I had no idea Czechoslovakia produced converted Bf 109s post-war, not to mentioned their pre-WWII range of aircraft. A local modeller magazine ran a series of articles about conversions of KP kits, like making Buchons and other Spanish built Bf 109s out of S.199 and CS.199 kits, backdating Avia B.534 series IV into earlier series III and II, converting Aero C.3A kit into Siebel Si 204 E and Nord NC.701 ... All of these types are available in a kit form by one or another manufacturer these days. Still, speaking strictly for myself, conversions and scratch builds seems to hold a certain something that out-of-the-box builds lack. Cheers

Jure

[Graham Boak]

9 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

All I know is that I bought a Spit 1b a while ago in a box from a non-UK or German/American maker and it was very poor in my IMHO,  and as I really can't see a big appeal for this version it must be the same one. 

The old one was not KP.  The new one is very definitely is not the same one under any name,  it is new tooling, and does achieve a better than just reasonable degree of accuracy.  Price parity is out of the manufacturer's control, a mass-produced kit will always be able to be sold at a lower price than a short-run.  Whether you buy it or not is of course up to you. 

 

As for the likely limitations on sales for the version, that is one of the highlights for a short-run manufacturer as the mainstream manufacturers would be unwilling to produce one, whereas the number of Spitfire enthusiasts craving for every variation is enough to shift the boxes off the shelves.  Especially if the difference is small enough to cover a number of variants (although a Mk.Vc is a step too far.)

 

You're the first I've seen to criticise the Tamiya Mk.I for its canopy, as opposed to the wing, fuselage, propeller, exhausts.....  "But it looks like a Spitfire to me!"  Yes, but not enough.

[MACALAIN]

3 hours ago, Jure Miljevic said:

Hello

Alain, AZ and KP may have the same owner, but I never saw Heller Storch being issued under KP label.

When they first appeared four decades or so ago, KP kits were unique. At the time I had no idea Czechoslovakia produced converted Bf 109s post-war, not to mentioned their pre-WWII range of aircraft. A local modeller magazine ran a series of articles about conversions of KP kits, like making Buchons and other Spanish built Bf 109s out of S.199 and CS.199 kits, backdating Avia B.534 series IV into earlier series III and II, converting Aero C.3A kit into Siebel Si 204 E and Nord NC.701 ... All of these types are available in a kit form by one or another manufacturer these days. Still, speaking strictly for myself, conversions and scratch builds seems to hold a certain something that out-of-the-box builds lack. Cheers

Jure

My mistake, it is under AZ label, you have 4 different boxes, first, AZ 7648, Storch in Danube users with, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian and Yugoslavian marking.

2. AZ 7647, Storch in foreign service, Finish, Swedish, Swiss and Italian marking.

3.AZ 7638, Storch VIP service, AVM Broadhurst RAF 44, Keselring, liberation of Mussolini at Grand Sasso and a Croat plane.

4.AZ 7637, 4marking for Czechoslovak airplanes

 

Alain

[Giorgio N]

10 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

All I know is that I bought a Spit 1b a while ago in a box from a non-UK or German/American maker and it was very poor in my IMHO,  and as I really can't see a big appeal for this version it must be the same one. Luckily I managed to sell it as a job lot as it was well beyond my skills, especially given the very poor canopy and crude moulding, so I'm still of the opinion that the KP version is the same one.

 

My modelling skills are very modest and I prefer to build 'out of the box' if at all possible but also happy to invest if the basic details are there, such as the Special Hobby Kittyhawk Mk.1A (my current project) which is well worth the effort and quite superb. However this 'unknown' Spitfire 1b' was well beyond my level of skill when I bought it and I seriously doubt it has been radically improved given its niche appeal so my interest is now at an end.

 

Just think, how many decent Spit Mk1a's are out there at the moment (a big seller)? Not that many given that the Tamiya kit has a major long standing issue with the canopy and the Airfix kit has over sized panel lines, and let's not even mention the recent Revell Mk2a which is/was a major disappointment.

 

So logically new up to date Spit 1b  and 2b moulds seem rather unlikely given their very niche appeal and limited sales volume/revenue, especially for folks like me who expect a reasonable level of accuracy for £13 quid, so I will keep my wallet closed for the time being. Of course KP/AZ/Airfix etc..etc.. could always issue a nice MkXII as well, long over due and just as significant.

 

I have a suspect that what you bought was the old AZ short run kit of the Ib. They offered a number of early variants, including this one, and because of their short-run nature they were not the easiest kits to build.

While the KP brand today is owned by AZ, the Spitfire Ib they sell today is not the same as the old short-run kit. You can see the parts here:

Original short-run AZ kit:

https://www.super-hobby.it/products/Supermarine-Spitfire-Mk.IB.html

Current more-mainstream KP kit:

https://www.super-hobby.it/products/Spitfire-Mk.IB.html

 

The KP kits have much cleaner moulds compared to the old AZ kits and are easier to build.

[Graham Boak]

Giorgio:  I'd forgotten that one.  The early Czech short-runs could be a little difficult to assemble, butt-jointed as they were, but still ended up a better representative of the subject than the toy-period Frog/Revell Spitfires.  Of course, a rotten canopy does spoil any kit - one of the drawbacks of the Frog too.

[alt-92]

They're still butt-joining tailplanes, but that doesn't mean it can't be done?

[Giorgio N]

2 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Giorgio:  I'd forgotten that one.  The early Czech short-runs could be a little difficult to assemble, butt-jointed as they were, but still ended up a better representative of the subject than the toy-period Frog/Revell Spitfires.  Of course, a rotten canopy does spoil any kit - one of the drawbacks of the Frog too.

 

Graham, I have 3 of these short run kits that were sold in a one of those "Joypack" boxes that AZ offers once in a while: 3 kits with plastic parts only, no decals or PE parts. As you can see from the sprue shots above the parts allow several different variants to be built, including the Mk.VI. The clear parts however were different in every box and my pack has one for standard internal armour windcreen, one for external armour windscreen and one for the Mk.VI.

Yes, they are not too easy to assemble... or better, once they are cleaned up they actually assemble quite easily, not a easy as a mainstream kit of course but they are quite good for a short run. The problem is that the moulds are not really sharp and parts often need to be cleaned up a lot before assembly. The sprue shot in the link looks pretty clean, none of my 3 however is like that and most parts have lot of flash. Still, I'd build one of these over most older mainstream kits anytime... and probably even over the recent Revell kits, that I've found very disappointing.

What I missed back then, and was only because I wasn't convinced about spending that money, was the PR.Ig ! Az offered this variant too among the others, and today I think I should have just got one when I first saw them. Oh well, not that it's the first time this happens to me with model kits....

 

Some may remember that at around the same time AZ also issued a series of two-stage Merlin engined fighters. There's a Mk.VII for sale at a local shop and I may get it just for sake of comparison with what is available today. These have nothing in common with the later steel moulds Mk.IX series from the same AZ and KP

[Guest]

The AZ VII is pretty decent, still a bit flashy like the older Spits but almost as good as the IX they did.  The wheels however are vile.

 

As for the AZ PR,IG.  Other than the canopy, it's just the plastic of their early mk I/II/Va kits with a vacform canopy and specific decals.  Worth getting one of the early ones as it has the bulged camera hatch as standard on the sprues.

[ptarmigan]

22 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

My interest is primarily in the Spitfire 1b (KPM7255) and IIb (KPM7256) which are described as 'new moulds' but I have my doubts as I previously bought a 1b (can't recall the brand but suspect this is the same kit as nobody else has ever done this version) and it was awful with rubbish canopy and very heavy handed moulding. Poor even when I compared it with my vintage Frog and Revell Spitfire kits from the 60's!

Here is a fittest of the Mk IIB: https://ipmsnymburk.com/forum/viewtema.php?ID_tema=39195 (in Czech, though)

[alt-92]

Tip regarding the IPMS link in the post above me: the forum/BBS software shows the latest posts first. 

[ptarmigan]

4 hours ago, alt-92 said:

Tip regarding the IPMS link in the post above me: the forum/BBS software shows the latest posts first. 

Yep. Just click "ZMĚNIT" on the right hand side of the bar above the first post to change to "oldest first".

[JWM]

On 6/24/2020 at 10:58 PM, Space Ranger said:

Kovozavody Prostejov is an established Czech brand. Their kits were first introduced in the '80s and were generally well-regarded at the time, especially their MiG-21 and Spitfire kits. The brand and kits have since been acquired by AZModel.

Small correction: not 1980s but they started in first half of 1970s.  Their initial set of kits like Avia-b534, Letov-S328, L29 Delfin, Il-10, Avia S-199 (post war variant of Me 109), Aero C-3 (Sibel-204), Mig-17, Mig-19 all were original new tools.

There is a personal story related to them, let me share with you with it. The KP kits were relatively easy available in Poland (and much harder to get in western countries at that time) and with my brother Mike ( @krk4m)  still  as schoolboys we started sending some parcels with them to a model shop in London (I think the address was in Lewisham or similar in East London)  getting back  some new western or Japanese kits in a barter trade..., box for box. We were selling some of those new and most desired among Krakow's modellers. We did it on small scale since this was kind of black market activity under communist regime... Therefore I remember exactly that it started about 1975-76 and ended with some relation to the state border close during Martial law in Poland in 1982...when we were not schoolboys any longer. So for sure, at least in East London. the KP kits were available in second half of 1970s!

 

Regards

J-W

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by JWM

[modelldoc]

Here are some from this first generation:

 

MiG-15:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/6358210951/in/dateposted/

 

MiG-15 UTI

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/17027422142/in/dateposted/

 

 

Mi-8

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/8027927633/in/dateposted/

 

Il-10 (second issue)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16380573222/in/dateposted/

 

MiG-17

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/17028012531/in/dateposted/

 

MiG-19 (Shenyang F-6)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16821464197/in/dateposted/

 

MiG-21 MF

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/17028890535/in/dateposted/

 

 and the Spitfire

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/49389328868/in/dateposted/

 

modelldoc

 

[Giorgio N]

40 minutes ago, JWM said:

Small correction: not 1980s but they started in first half of 1970s.  Their initial set of kits like Avia-b534, Letov-S328, L29 Delfin, Il-10, Avia S-199 (post war variant of Me 109), Aero C-3 (Sibel-204), Mig-17, Mig-19 all were original new tools.

There is a personal story related to them, let me share with you with it. The KP kits were relatively easy available in Poland (and much harder to get in western countries at that time) and with my brother Mike ( @krk4m)  still  as schoolboys we started sending some parcels with them to a model shop in London (I think the address was in Lewisham or similar in East London)  getting back  some new western or Japanese kits in a barter trade..., box for box. We were selling some of those new and most desired among Krakow's modellers. We did it on small scale since this was kind of black market activity under communist regime... Therefore I remember exactly that it started about 1975-76 and ended with some relation to the state border close during Martial law in Poland in 1982...when we were not schoolboys any longer. So for sure, at least in East London. the KP kits were available in second half of 1970s!

 

Regards

J-W

 

 

 

Interesting story, thanks for sharing ! Reminds me of a few classifieds I saw when I started buying what was then (mid '80s) the only Italian magazine (Aerei Modellismo), there were a couple of guys from IIRC Czechoslovakia that offered to send "Communist block" made kits in return for western ones.

At least in Milan however KP kits were available by then in one of the largest shops and I remember when the MiG-21 first arrived that modellers rushed to get one as finally there was a kit that actually looked like a MiG-21.

I had only a year before converted an original Matchbox kit into an MF following an article on the same magazine and when I got my hands on the KP kit I immediately started converting this into a bis... those were the days...

[KRK4m]

16 hours ago, JWM said:

Small correction: not 1980s but they started in first half of 1970s.  Their initial set of kits like Avia-b534, Letov-S328, L29 Delfin, Il-10, Avia S-199 (post war variant of Me 109), Aero C-3 (Sibel-204), Mig-17, Mig-19 all were original new tools.

There is a personal story related to them, let me share with you with it. The KP kits were relatively easy available in Poland (and much harder to get in western countries at that time) and with my brother Mike ( @krk4m)  still  as schoolboys we started sending some parcels with them to a model shop in London (I think the address was in Lewisham or similar in East London)  getting back  some new western or Japanese kits in a barter trade..., box for box. We were selling some of those new and most desired among Krakow's modellers. We did it on small scale since this was kind of black market activity under communist regime... Therefore I remember exactly that it started about 1975-76 and ended with some relation to the state border close during Martial law in Poland in 1982...when we were not schoolboys any longer. So for sure, at least in East London. the KP kits were available in second half of 1970s!

Regards

J-W

Another small correction seems necessary . The original KP started in the 1970 with L-29 Delfin and in next 6 years (thus up to 1976) it was joined by next 9 kits: Avia B.534 and B.35, Il-10, MiG-19S and -17PF, Letov S.328, La-7, Po-2 and Siebel 204. The S-199 of 1977 - although numbered as #10 - started "the next ten", as the Po-2 of 1975 was numbered #30 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of VE-day.

Our "English connection" also looked a little bit different. I was in London for the 1st time in 1971 and my "modeller's activity" then was limited to buying some 25 or 30 Airfix, Revell and Frog kits at various Woolworth stores. Before the next trip in 1972 I have visited the Polish Aviation Museum library to write down the addresses of London modelling shops from the copies of the Air International and Airfix Magazine. This time we (as @JWM joined me this time) have visited several stores, including the Beatties (at Holborn and the Lewisham High St.,), Jones Bros of Chiswick (at Turnham Green Terrace), the Builders Merchants of Wimbledon (at 329 Haydons Road), the multi-storey Hamleys (at Regent St.) and many others, that I forgot the names of (anyway some 48 years elapsed), although the tube station names are still there: Colindale (the RAF Museum shop), Osterley (a giant aviation bookshop just opposite the station), Southgate (a small, but well stocked shop at the runabout), a.s.o. Besides buying for the cash we also offered the crude Polish RUCH PZL-23 Karas, TS-11 Iskra and PZL P.11c kits for trade, but only in one shop an attendant agreed to swap six of them against the equal number of Airfix srs.2 and srs.3 kits.

Then in 1973 various Revell, Heller, Matchbox, KP, Airfix and Italian Polistil kits became available in Poland in huge numbers. The same guy at BMW agreed to repeat the trade - this time 2 RUCH kits against each one Hasegawa or Tamiya 1/72 (as we've lost interest in the European products) kits and from that day on we started the "international cooperation". Alongside the normal (i.e. legal) purchasing of various kits from the Wimbledon shop (paid by bank transfer following the invoice) we were sending some KP kits (the interest in RUCH kits was off) to his private address, receiving some "surplus" kits within the parcel from BMW.

It lasted some 3-4 years and in parallel I've been running similar activity with pal-friends from Czechoslovakia and Russia, getting dozens of Novo (ex-Frog) kits, that were unavailable (for the reasons still unknown to me) on the Polish market. Then the guy from BMW has left the company (or maybe he was fired - I don't know) and I switched to similar pal-exchange activity with MHW Models of Keighley (W. Yorks). Michael also was interested in KP kits in exchange for any kits we wanted from the British market. Then in December 1981 the Martial Law in Poland cut all these activities. In the meantime I have been married, became  "the dad" for 3 children, while MH Watson started his business with Pioneer 2 (PM) kits imported from Turkey IIRC.

Cheers

Michael 

Edited June 27, 2020 by KRK4m

[Work In Progress]

It is great to know the personal history behind these kits! 

[JWM]

1 hour ago, Work In Progress said:

It is great to know the personal history behind these kits! 

only behind TRADING of these kits

Cheers

J-W

[JWM]

Just to add - our visits in England in 1970s. as teenagers were a family summertime meetings - our grandpa lived these days in London due to complex Polish fates in XX Century...

J-W

 

[AltcarBoB]

I remember buying East European kits from a Liverpool newsagents and tobacconist that had sideline in cheap toys from various countries. The model kits often came in cellophane bags with no instructions or even any description of what could be built.

 

The kits were just tipped into some boxes and it was something like five pence per bag. If the shop was busy I would grab a plane a tank or something random. If it wasn't busy I would go through the bags and try and select something interesting. 

 

It was amazing how many sci fi spaceships and flying submarines got built out of kits for T34s, Mig 15s and buses.

[alt-92]

19 hours ago, AltcarBoB said:

It was amazing how many sci fi spaceships and flying submarines got built out of kits for T34s, Mig 15s and buses

Going off-topic but: have you looked at the Millenium Falcon in close-up? Ever tried to count how many Panther tank kit parts were used in that?

 

[AltcarBoB]

7 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Going off-topic but: have you looked at the Millenium Falcon in close-up? Ever tried to count how many Panther tank kit parts were used in that?

 

Does this mean George Lucas owes me some money 🙃