1/72 - PZL TS-11 Iskra by Arma Hobby - Iskra Bis DF 'Expert' set build (completed) - Iskra Walkaround

 

My completed 72nd scale Arma Hobby Iskra. And a small selection of 'walkaround' views of the areas that I felt I needed to see when building the kit, especially the cockpit, the seat, the various 'bumps' around the jet pipe and the foward gear bay. There isn't a forward gear bay in the kit and you really need to build one up from card in order to put the lead weights somewhere and hide them from view. The etch was tricky to work with, especially for the FOD guards which I completely messed up.

Part 1 of this build is posted here

1/72 - PZL TS-11 Iskra by Arma Hobby - Iskra Bis DF 'Expert' set build (part 1)

 

The PZL TS-11 Iskra (or 'Spark') is a Polish jet trainer and light strike aircraft, developed and manufactured by aircraft company PZL-Mielec. It first flew in the year of my birth, 1960, with an imported British jet engine and was notable as being the first domestically-developed jet aircraft to be produced by Poland. The Iskra was designed to meet a requirement by the Warsaw Pact countries for a basic trainer. Although it lost the contract to the Czechoslovakian L-29 Delfin the Poles kept it and put it into service. It is a real Cold War relic, having flow with the Poles for over 50 years. Some went to India. Up until recently examples of the TS -11 flew with the Polish AF Biało-Czerwone Iskry aerobatics display team. This kit was one of Arma Hobby's first injection molded 72nd scale products. This 'Expert' set comes with photo etch and acetate film for the instrument panels and masks.

A few of my photos of the Iskra on display at the RAF Manston History museum. This machine was previously owned by TG Aviation (ex-Red Arrows pilot Ted Girdler) at Manston before being bought by the museum in 2013 and repainted in the Polish aerobatic team colours.  

with thanks to "Tommy" -I couldn't have got this far without referring to your build!

Starting with the ejection sheets, these have a couple of details that should be replaced with PE, most notably the foot rests. The assembly instructions aren't very helpful to say the least. I just couldn't figure out how the etch should work - in the end I decided that the plastic parts looked just fine! 

 This is an "old-school" method of getting dials and other details - no prepainted PE here. A printed sheet of acetate that is painted on the reverse - although that is not stated anywhere on the Arma instruction sheet, and, again I doubt I'd have realised that without referencing Tommy's build!  But given that this image is about 3x actual size it is impossible to see anything anyway! Note film is supplied for the (gun)sight in the front cockpit and the 'screen' that blocks off the two cockpits.

Despite having a tray of greys I didn't have any 'Dark Ghost Grey' for the cockpit walls so used 'Light ghost grey' instead. Apparently the 'Dark' version was made by adding black to the lighter colour. Although the ejection seats can be left out until near the end of the build I preferred to put them in the cockpit. The instrument panels will 'balance' ingeniously in the 'cut-outs' on the sills. I didn't use the PE seat belts as I much prefer to use wine-bottle foil. 

IBG Models PZL P.11 b (Romanian service) in 72nd

 

Ahead of the arrival of their new Fw 190 Dora kits, here are a few more pics of my recently completed PZL P.11 from IBG. IBG's family of PZL P.11 models in 72nd scale are very nicely detailed kits, well-engineered and superbly molded. For around £12 you get a huge box, three decal choices, a detailed IAR 9K engine and a photoetched fret with some tiny details such as throttle lever, seat harness, rudder pedals, gun-sight, undercarriage strengthening wires and the windscreen frame. Much of the sheet in fact is not required for this kit. Inevitably perhaps - for those of us with 'fatter' fingers and poorer eyesight - not every etch part will be used. Not every plastic part either - I have still the fit the two venturi tubes either side of the cockpit. Elsewhere the control surfaces - elevators, rudder and ailerons- are all separate parts. Fit is very good - as it has to be with so many small parts. Decals are by Techmod with options for three Romanian machines. 

I can recommend the IBG PZL P.11 fighters.  Although I haven't seen it, the Arma Hobby kit is perhaps an easier build. Just add the Karaś from Heller, P-7a from MasterCraft and PZL P-37 Łoś from Plastyk (or MasterCraft) to complete a set of Polish combat aircraft from the German attack on Poland - "September 1939".