1:72 PZL 37 Łoś [FLY]

PZL.37 Los in 1:72 - a Yahu Models color instrument panel

This item is not a kit of the aircraft but a detail accessory in its own right. Yahu Models supplies instrument panels as finished etched panels printed in color at the factory; the modeler only lifts them out of the sheet, thins the original plastic part if necessary and glues the panel in its place. That does away with the most laborious part of building a cockpit, that is hand-coloring the individual dials and shading them. The panel is made for 1:72, that is for the most widespread size of aircraft models. The exact number of parts in the package and the dimensions of the sheet are given on the packaging.

The real subject

The PZL.37 Los was a Polish twin-engine medium bomber designed in the second half of the 1930s. For its day it was a modern all-metal design with a cantilever low-wing layout, retractable landing gear and fairly clean aerodynamic shapes; for relatively small dimensions it could carry an above-average bomb load. It was built in forms with a single and with a twin vertical tail and served with the Polish Air Force at the end of the 1930s. Relatively few examples were built and some of them went into service outside Poland. The aircraft's cabin was divided into several stations, which makes the instrument panel a prominent feature of any model with an open or glazed cockpit area.

Usage tips

Separate the panel with a sharp scalpel right at the holder and level the cut with a fine-grit file. Do not sand or overspray the colored surface; the printing is final. It is bonded with cyanoacrylate or contact glue in a small drop; solvent cement for polystyrene will not bond metal. The original plastic panel in a kit usually has to be sanded thin, so that the canopy fits once the panel is glued in. The dials can be given depth with a drop of clear gloss varnish or epoxy, which simulates the glass of a dial.

Who the accessory is for

• Modelers building aircraft in 1:72 who want a faithful cockpit
• Anyone interested in Polish aircraft of the 1930s
• Builders who do not want to paint small instruments by hand
• Those who build models with the canopy hinged open or well lit

This is an accessory for further work, not a model in its own right. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.