Julien Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 PZL P.11c Fighter in Romanian Service 1:32 IBG (32002) For its time, the PZL P.11 was one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. While many nations were still using bi-planes, Warsaw-based PZL (Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze - State Aviation Works) had designed and built an all-metal gull winged monoplane fighter. The high wing provided the pilot with a good field of view and produced less drag that the bi-plane fighters of the time. The type drew orders from overseas as well as Poland. The aircraft was ordered by Romania and was built under licence by IAR. By the time of the German invasion of Poland however, the type was outclassed by the Bf 109. The majority of the Polish Air Force was lost fighting bravely against the invasion. The Romanian aircraft were desingated the PZL P.11b. The PZL P.11C would be the final improved version of the aircraft. It features a new fuselage with the engine lower to facilitae a better forward view. The new Mercury V S2 was a smaller and more powerful engine. The pilots seat was moved towards the rear and slightly higher to give a better view. Upto 36 of the improved fighters were flown to Romania and taken on by their Air Force. The Kit The PZL 11 is one of a growing number of aircraft kits produced by IBG Models. Now they are producing the PZL P.11 kits in 1.32 and the quality is as good if not better than their 1/72 kits. The kit arrives on 12 sprues of grey plastic, a clear spure and a sheet of PE. Here construction starts with the main wheels which are built up and set to one side. We now move to the engine. This is built up from a combination of PE and plastic. The main cylinders are in two parts (front & back) with the smaller parts in PE. Once built this is then set aside also. Nw we can move to the cockpit and internals. The cockpit is a framework which sits inside the fuselage, in front of which sits a large fuel tank! The framework side are built up with many smaller components being added, the floor can then be assembled complete with the rudder pedals. The sides and floor can then be brought together and the pilots seat built up and added in. Ancillary parts can then be added, and at the front the engine mounts are added, its noted there is no firewall to protect the pilot or that large fuel tank he sits behind! Lastly to complete this section the engine is mounted to the front and the fuselage can be closed up around the cockpit. Once the fuselage is closed up the side mounted machine guns are added in. Then we can concentrate on the rear flying surfaces. The tailplanes, fin and rudder are all built up and added on along with their bracing bars. The tail skid is also put on at this point On the underside of the fuselage the fuel tank is slid in and its associated mounting plates added. Next up the undercarriage is made up and added with the wheels which were put to one side at the beginning of the build. The engine cowls now go on along with the exhaust collector ring and propeller assembly. The main wings can then be assembled, these come with separate flaps. The left and right wings are joined by a centre section which attached to the upper fuselage. The wing struts then secure them at the right angle. At the top the gunsights and canopy are fixed on and the last remaining side panels added in if the modeller does not want to leave them off to show off the complete interior. Decals The decal sheet provides three options: PZL P.11c, No.312 Flotila (ex Polish 8.36) Grupul 4, Vanarore, Feb 1941. PZL P.11c, No.8-40 (Ex Polish 8.40), Escarrila 50 Vanatoare August 1940. PZL P.11c, No.317 (Ex Polish 8.46), Scoala de Ofiteri Aviatori Iotnisko Calarasi 1942 The decals are nicely printed by Techmod so will pose no issues. A decal for the instrument panel has been included too. Conclusion There appears to have been a resurgence of interest in the early WWII period and this kit adds to the growing number of kits that represent aircraft from that period. again the Polish firm have produced a very high-quality kit of an important aircraft. The level of detail is excellent and the quality of manufacture is up there with the best. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now