Kovozávody Prostějov Siebel Si.204D (KPM0331) 1:72

[Mike]

Siebel Si.204D (KPM0331)

1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov

 

 

The Siebel Si 204 was based on the earlier Siebel Fh 104 Hallore, and was originally designed as a light transport and trainer aircraft.  It was initially ordered by the Luftwaffe with its canopy altered to the stepless type, possibly to replicate that of the He.111 that pilots might later progress to.  The last variant, the 204E was intended to be a light bomber and trainer, although it was perilously close to the end of the war, so not many were made.  As a footnote to its German service a 204 had the dubious honour of possibly being the last aircraft to be shot down by the Allies in WWII on the 8th May 1945.  After WWII, Czech company Aero produced almost 200 airframes in training (C-3A), bombardier training (C-3B), transport (D-44) and civilian (C-103) flavours, which carried on in service until the end of the 40s and beyond, while a few airframes soldiered on a little longer in Hungarian service.

 

 

The Kit

This kit’s origins can be traced back to a relatively recent tooling in 2010, and has been re-released as a Si.204D in German, Swiss and Hungarian colours.  It arrives in a strong end-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the front and the decal options on the rear.  Inside is a re-sealable clear bag that holds two sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue in a separate Ziploc bag, and the decal sheet in the A5 portrait instruction booklet, printed in colour on an inkjet printer.  The detail is good, having fine engraved panel lines and rivets over the surface, and fabric effect on the flying surfaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the cockpit, with two pilot seats side-by-side in a wide cockpit, separated by a central console, having moulded-in seatbelts and separate rudder pedals in the footwells below the twin binnacles that house the instrument panels, which have decals depicting the dials.  The cockpit is finished off with a pair of yokes, then it is inserted into the starboard fuselage half along with two partial bulkheads that hold it square in the fuselage halves, with another bulkhead with doorway just behind the pilots, then two more sections of interior floor that stretch back to the rear of the passenger compartment.  Before the two fuselage halves are closed up the four windows are inserted from the outside on each side, after which you can glue and clamp the fuselage while you prepare the wings.

 

The first step is to create the main gear bays, adding the thick gear legs to the bay roof along with three retraction jacks.  The gear strut will need a little fettling here, as the moulding has a fairly obvious seam along the length of its moulding.  The completed assemblies are inserted through the bay aperture from inside and are glued in place so that the upper wing can cover them over, and the engine nacelles can be made up.  The exhausts are inserted from within the two cowling halves with a bulkhead at the front that has a depiction of the cylinders that will be seen through the opening in the front of the cowling, which is next to be glued in place.  The twin-bladed prop is made from a centre spinner with serrated top cap, which have the two blades inserted into holes in the sides and after the glue has dried the prop is butt-joined to the front of the cowling.  The nacelles are attached to the wings by a seam with a ledge around the edge, and the gear bays are each given a pair of doors, with a small tail-wheel fixed to the back of the fuselage.

 

The elevators are fitted to the rear of the fuselage on a single pin per side, relying on contouring of the mating surface at the root to conform to the shape of the fuselage.  Care will need to be taken when fitting them to ensure that they are correctly oriented and aligned with each other, as a mistake here will be amplified when adding the H-tail rudders.  There are two horn balances on the elevator surfaces, two on the top and two more on the bottom.  The canopy comprises two parts, the domed nose, and the large greenhouse canopy behind it, both of which are nice and clear to see your hard work on the cockpit when the model is complete.  Another clear dome is supplied for the spine for one of the decal options, and a pair of fairings fit over the top seam of the fuselage, which if you plan ahead could save you from seam sanding some sections of the upper fuselage.  The final task is to make the main wheels from two parts each, and fix an antenna to the rear of the main canopy that inserts into a small slot in the back of the glazing for ease.

 

A final set of profiles show the location of the various antenna wires that the 204 carried, running from the antenna pole behind the cockpit to the starboard rudder panel, with a line running up from the cabin behind the cockpit.

 

Markings

There are three decal options included on the sheet, as previously mentioned, and although those are based mainly on shades of green, the markings are different enough to appeal to a great many modellers.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

 

 

Decals are printed in-house, with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

There has been quite an influx of Si.204 kits of late, and it’s quite an interesting-looking aircraft.  This kit is well-detailed and should build into a creditable replica.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of