Avia B-534 Serie IV. as Hungarian booty - KP 1:72

Hi All! As You see I don't give up building in 1:72 - old habits die hard 😉 - and don't giveup updating ancient things. This B-534 was in my stash for more than 20 years 🙂 . This wasn't a bad kit back then. Now there are sevaral B-534 on he market in 1:72 and 48 (Eduard, LS) and they are all more modern kits naturally but I hoped for more "sense of achievement" for less money 🙂 - I saw LS kits in box and built at meetings and I thougt that I can something comparable with some elbow grease from this KP.

But first some background: The B-534 was one of the last advanced biplanes developed just before the Word War 2 such Fiat CR.32-42, Gloster Gladiator ans so. On 14 March 1939, Germany forced the partition of Czechoslovakia, with Slovakia being declared as the nominally independent Slovak Republic with Germany annexing the remaining "Czech" part of Czechoslovakia as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia the next day. The Slovenské vzdušné zbrane (Slovak Air Force) was organised out of the units of the Czechoslovak Air Force that were based in Slovakia at the time of partition, and inherited about 71 B-534s and Bk-534s. Slovakia quickly had to use its new formed air force, weakened by the departure of Czech pilots, to defend itself when Hungary invaded on 23 March 1939. Two B-534s were shot down by Hungarian anti-aircraft fire with four more being shot down by Hungarian Fiat CR-32 fighters and another Avia making a forced landing behind Hungarian lines, and being captured. This latter is the subject of this build.

I built a KP 534 several years ago as a kid and now - with some nostalgic feeling - I want to try out what can I do with some years experience with nasty kits under my belly (O.K.honestly this kit is not soo bad just a little bit crude... a little). My example was moulded in white quite brittle plastic. The interior is simple but You can't see anything under the thick and opaque canopy. These had to go. I wanted to do something with the surfaces also so i prepared some scraching and sanding. First I rescribed the whole thing and fashioned the exhaust ports from heated hypodermic needle shaped to oval form. I made the fabric effect scarved with a curved blade and sanded down with rolled sandpapers. The interior made out of plastic sheets and lot of heated sprues and spares. The wing struts are surprisingly in size so i can use them however reinforced all joints with wires. I repositioned all aerodinamic surfaces also to add some interesting. The canopy is vacformed. Number of various small improvements made during the build such as the reworked airscrew or undercarriage.

I havent got decal seet for this camouflage. this was the third and last incarnation the captured plane, as used for training it's code was "G" from "Gyakorló". Earlier the plane used a three tone green-brown-grey camouflage and wedged identification markings. later as the Hungarian AF ID changed to the white cross in a black square. Along this the whole plane was repainted this italian style splinter camouflage with yellow bands. I used Alfaset for tge numbers and an old HAD sheet for the crosses. The plane weared all of the squadron insignias which used it as training or glider towing plane - I painted these by freehand after the photographs. I tried out some filters with various success but I kept weathering subtle overall. As I read they rarely used the plane later stage of the war as spare parts weren't on hand. The airplane stationed at Kecskemét (a town in the hungarian bare) in this form in 1942 so I imagined a small vignette with sheeps, a shepherd and his dogs - a very possible scenario in a WW2 hungarian airfield at that time - they used sheeps as lawn mover. I wanted to catch the moment when the dogs mark the foreign plane as their properties 🙂 . I know that it seem a lot of works with a hopelessly old kit but it was an interesting journey and for me quite nostalgis also:) This is the result, hope You like it.

47 additional images. Click to enlarge.