1:72 PZL P.11c Engine and Closed Engine Cover

The engine and closed engine cover for the PZL P.11c in 1:72 scale

This item is not a model of an aircraft but an accessory for the build. It offers the powerplant of the Polish PZL P.11c fighter together with the closed engine cover. It is the engine area that tends to be most on show on small high-wing aircraft, because nothing covers it and the viewer sees it straight from the nose. A resin casting here can capture the finning on the cylinders and the small pipes that an injection mold cannot manage in 1:72 scale. The maker is the Polish brand IBG models.

The real subject

The PZL P.11c was the most widespread production version of the Polish high-wing fighter with the cranked gull wing. Against the older forms it had a cockpit moved back and a lowered forward fuselage, which markedly improved the pilot's view ahead. It was powered by a Bristol Mercury radial engine built under license in Poland. In September 1939 the P.11c bore the main weight of the fighter combat, and although it no longer matched the contemporary German machines in performance, good handling and the courage of the crews let it achieve appreciable successes.

Usage and painting tips

Wash the castings in lukewarm water with detergent, so that no mold release agent is left on them. Cut the casting blocks off with a saw and level the surfaces by wet sanding; on the circular engine cover work carefully so that it stays round. They are bonded with super glue, that is cyanoacrylate. Assemble and paint the engine separately before you cover it: once the cover is seated you will not reach it. The cylinders come out well if, over a dark metal base, you pick them out with a dry brush and let a dark wash run into the recesses.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building the PZL P.11c in 1:72 scale
• Builders who want the engine area at the level of the rest of the model
• More experienced hands used to working with resin
• Anyone interested in Polish aviation of 1939