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Mirage 1/48 PZL P.24F
 

Mirage 1/48 PZL P.24F

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

For a detailed history on the PZL P.24, I highly recommend the new Kagero book on the type. This kit is specifically for the Greek P.24F, which featured twin 20mm Oerlikon cannon armament. During the war against Germany and Italy in 1940 and 1941, Greek pilots flying the PZL P.24 downed forty enemy aircraft, including one Italian bomber that was rammed by Lt. Marinos Mitralexis.

The Kit

The Mirage PZL P.24 kits are little gems that will lend themselves well to building. While the majority of the parts are injection plastic, the kit comes with a handful of resin and etched brass as well, making for a nicely detailed final model. The parts are molded in a light gray plastic, with recessed panel lines and petite corrugation treatment on the wings and tail. Since this is the P.24F, the decal sheet provides markings for a couple of Greek aircraft.

Looking at the interior, this is made up of photoetch and plastic and, coupled with the molded-in sidewall detail, the finished cockpit will look quite nice. The fuselage halves neatly trap the cockpit in place, and from that point forward the construction is very straightforward. The engine is decent, although little will be visible inside the tight cowling, especially with the large cone on the front. The cowling itself is split into two pieces, and the exhaust collectors are cast resin.

The innovative Pulawski wing comes molded as a solid upper piece with right and left lower pieces. the cannon gondolas are molded separately, making multiple versions easy. The arrangement of struts for the wings and landing gear looks to be solid, with positive locators. This should result in a strong assembly well capable of supporting the finished model. Other details include separate side radiators, a choice of spatted or unspatted wheels, and photoetch aileron actuators.

The decals are basic, as the Greek P.24Fs did not carry much in the way of markings. Two options are included, both camouflaged birds. The first is finished in green and light brown over light blue and the second is green and dark brown over light blue. In addition to the Greek roundels, the only other markings were fuselage serials, the first being D106 and the second D129. The decals are printed by Techmod and are nicely done.

Conclusion

This is a wonderful model of one of the unsung aircraft of the Second World War, one which played an important part in the history of the countries that flew them. The basic construction coupled with high detail inside the box should result in a pleasant build.

My thanks to Squadron for the review sample.