Review: 3D printed Polish stopgap

The final kit awaiting replacement decals was the Lukgraph PWS-10 fighter. This is available in 3D printed form from Lukgraph of Poland. One can choose either 1/32, 1/48 or 1/72 scales with prices varying with size. Having used 3D printed parts it was interesting to see how a whole 3D kit would work out.

History

The PWS-10 was developed to replace another failure in Polish service the Spad-61 and ordered (to the tune of 80 aircraft) as an insurance against late delivery of the PZL P.7a. Its service life was brief as its performance was mediocre in the extreme. The main issue was the license built Lorraine-Dietrich LD-12Eb engine used to power it which didn't have enough power and an alarming propensity to catch fire in flight. Manoeuvrebility was poor and the squadron logs of the time are full of complaints about its performance and hopes for quick replacement. The PWS-10 had a top speed of 160 mph and to put this in context, its contemporaries the Hawker Fury Mk. 1 and the Fairey Firefly IIM both biplanes topped 200 mph and were magnificently aerobatic machines. However, it entered service in 1932 with the fighter squadrons of the 3rd and 4th armies and equipped the 131, 132, 141 and 142 fighter squadrons. It started to be replaced in May 1933 and surviving aircraft were allocated to training squadrons. Twenty aircraft were sold to Portugal and then transferred to the Spanish nationalists where they performed the fighter training role.

References

These are rather thin on the ground. I bought the recent Stratus Publications Rare Birds 1 on the PWS-10 by the noted Polish aviation historian Andrzej Glass which contains a fair portion of extant photos and plans and profiles. This helped but not as much as it could have with squadron colour information being sketchy. The Polish internet chat sites were much more useful but there was a lot of information missing particularly which aircraft were allocated to which squadron. I was also able to find several useable but mediocre quality photos on the internet. I don't think there are any high quality photos available but Lukgraph have done a good job capturing the lines of this fighter.

The Model

As I mentioned this is an entirely 3D printed model. Detail, even in 1/72, is phenomenal and very, very refined. The kit includes a very useful and well thought out etched brass sheet and is definitely for the advanced modeller having lots of delicate and small parts. Whilst some location pips are provided one is expected to be able to pin struts and add a spar for the mainplane. Lukgraph's website includes the diameters for each scale but one would have thought that the instruction sheets could have done so. Decals are the same for each scale and one can choose either a Polish or Spanish version. The Polish national logos were out of register and so needed correction. I masked the edge of the red borders and painted over the white (Mr Color red 327 FS 11136 is a perfect match). Then, using a very sharp new blade I cut off the white overun on the other red border. It all came out nicely. The instruction booklet looks nice but is printed on poor quality paper which makes some part locations difficult to comprehend and here Rare Birds 1 is very useful. Another point to note is that the parts are not numbered beyond the individual clusters of 3D printing. One has to be very careful locating and detaching the parts and use sprue cutters.

Colour scheme options

One gets 3 different aircraft in the Polish boxing which seem to have been copied from Polish card models. There is a command aircraft from purportedly from 141 Eskadrę myśliwska (141st fighter squadron) but more likely from the higher unit III/4 Dywizjonu myśliwskiego which was in charge of both the 141st and 142nd squadrons and which has the later wild duck emblem. Polish fighter unit organisation at the time is best thought of as similar to the French group system with an overall group and two or three squadrons. Google translate translates both as squadron which confuses things. Next is an aircraft from 131 Eskadrę myśliwska based on a well known photo and finally an aircraft from the 3rd Army in exercise colours. The 131st fighter squadron aircraft has the option of two different coloured raven emblems. One looks at the photo and makes one's choice - a very good idea as it is difficult to ascertain which is correct. Disappointingly, the earlier wild duck emblems (designed by someone with talent) are not included and as I wanted to include these I ordered custom decals. With the PWS-10, serial numbers are mostly not known for specific aircraft and so the decal sheet includes a range so one can make one's own but in the wrong font. The font chosen for the decals applied to PZL aircraft NOT PWS aircraft, the latter being simpler in nature and more resembling Gill Sans. Underwing tactical numbers are also not known for most aircraft. For my model I omitted both the serial numbers and underwing tactical numbers because there is no information out there.

Building the model

I chose to model aircraft '3' of 141st Eskadrę myśliwska with the early emblem. Research on the serial and tactical numbers drew a blank but I was able to find the right style of 3. One thing to remember about this kit is that despite being 3D printing and fit, it is a resin kit and has all the foibles of these kits. One treats it with caution and takes one's time. The cockpit framing is a case in point - it's molded in one piece and one attaches seat and other cockpit accoutrements to it. Some of these are tiny and the instructions are vague as to where exactly they go. The instructions do also mention the frame bracing which I added from 0.1 mm brass rod - the whole assembly looks magnificent when finished and fits perfectly into the fuselage. One needs to fit the instrument panel lower than the instructions show though otherwise it fouls the fit of the frame. Two seat options are provided but no information on which one is appropriate. One just guesses as no one seems to know. The fuselage joins well but filler is needed. The undercarriage is all separate pieces but if one starts from the centre 'V' strut and works outward it goes together very well. It needs pinning and the wheel holes need drilling out to 0.9 mm for the axle to fit. For the engine you have alternative filler caps so consulting photos is necessary. Always take your time with this kit.

Where the kit does become difficult are the tailplane and cabane strut assemblies. The tailplane needs filing to fit as does the elevator piece. I dropped the elevators to represent an aircraft on the ground which is easy as they are molded as one piece. The cabane struts are too short by 1 mm and have to be replaced. Pin and assemble the mainplane struts then fit the cabane struts paying close attention to drawings and photos. It's important to get the wing at the right level to the windscreen. This is a fiddly assembly but looks the part when finished. Rigging was 0.2 mm brass rod painted steel and Lukgraph have done an excellent job providing attachment points. The final issue to deal with is the too short ailerons. Plasticard plugs are needed. PWS-10s were finished in khaki but the exact nature of the colour is unknown. I used Tamiya XF-49 in preference to PZL khaki and this looks appropriate. I finished off with the etched brass handles and a scratch built pitot tube.

Conclusion

For experienced modellers the kit is a pleasure to build - apart from the cabane strut mess. It looks magnificent when complete and goes together very well. Detail is almost complete but more attention is needed with the decals and instructions. These could and should be higher quality. As it is one ends up with a very impressive little model and the flaws are easily worked around.