Adding to the airfleets, A Pair of Poles

 

 

don't let the primitive box-art fool you, this is NOT a modern kit

        In an effort to fully establish my Polish air-force I was hunting around on Ebay when I discovered Southampton Books. These fine folks have (aside from a significant collection of books) have a surprising array of 1/72 scale kits, many of which are of very unusual subjects. I picked up a pair of Ruch PZL-23 Karas Polish bombers for the 1939 Polish campaign and another pair of L-S G3M3 Type 96 Nells for my collection of Sino-Japanese War, all for under forty dollars. Both sets of kits are older than most wargamers but the quality of the casting and fit of the parts (especially on the L-S kits) was top-notch.

        I have a special affinity for the Polish Air Force of 1939, they fought bravely and well and flew an interesting assortment of aircraft. The fact that they were left to twist in the wind by their "Allies" makes their heroism all the more poignant. The PZL P-23 Karas was an innovative design in the early thirties when it first was designed but developments in aircraft technology (especially engines) meant that in 1939 it was obsolescent. Despite being a bit long in the tooth the Karas  served well and had the distinction of being the first Allied aircraft to bomb Germany.

       Despite being first released in 1964 this kit is well thought-out and assembles easily. The parts fit was very good but the details were, well, primitive. No hint of an interior beyond three crude seats despite having an enormous amount of glass, no crew and a lot of details molded onto the surface rather than as separate parts. As a scale model for display this kit definitely shows it's age, however as a wargaming item all those tiny fiddly bits aren't there to plague me during assembly or to get knocked off during handling. If you are looking for a scale model check out the Heller kit. I do regret not snapping pictures during assembly. All in all the RUCH kit makes an excellent wargaming toy, and at six dollars each they are far cheaper than the Heller kit. But enough of my blathering, on to the pictures!

 

they certainly look the part

 

the decals, which weren't very good to start with, 

suffered badly from fifty years of storage in various climates 

I stole the "10" from another sheet but the rest are original

 

as is so often the case there were no crew so I was force to pillage the spares bin 

the cock-eyed wing insignia is legit, they were very much to the left of the norm

 

 

of course there are several nails buried inside the fuselage so I can use my magnetic flying bases 

        I still have a few PZL-11c to build as well as a PZL-24 fighter. A pair of PZL-37 Los bombers round out the combat aircraft alongside a few interesting trainers and civilian types. This is a collection that I might legitimately "complete",