Eduard

1/48 Avia B-534 SVZ - Slovak WWII Fighter

Kit Number: 1146

Reviewed by  Jeff Faucett, IPMS# 43031

MSRP: $34.95 Website: Eduard The Czechoslovakian Avia B-534 SVC is a unique early war bi-wing fighter/bomber that would make a great addition to any World War II aircraft collection. The production of the Avia B-534 was a labor of love for the folks at Eduard, due to its place in Czechoslovak aviation history and its participation in the Slovak National uprising. The box contains 5 sprues of parts (4 gray and 1 clear), a photo-etched fret, a masking sheet, a decal sheet, an 8 page instruction book, and a very nice Slovak Nation insignia pin. There are 4 aircraft options provided in the instructions: a 1939-1940 early war version, two 1941 eastern front versions, and a 1944 late war Slovak National Uprising version. For this build, I choose one of the eastern front versions. In reviewing the instructions, it was noted that there are several part options. However, most of the options do not identify which version of the aircraft they are for. Therefore, the builder should consult their references for the appropriate option.

As usual, assembly starts with the cockpit. After a quick coat of aluminum, some minor detail painting is needed prior to assembly. The pre-painted photo-etched parts take care of the rest and provide excellent detail in this area. Be aware, the PE parts are small and easily gobbled up by the carpet monster. Thankfully, Eduard included some extras of the smaller parts. Once the cockpit was done, test fitting revealed only some slight sanding was needed to obtain a good fit when closing up the fuselage. With the fuselage together, some lighter sanding (and re-scribing of lost detail) was needed to erase all evidence of the seam. A separate nose panel is provided over the engine, which would allow for display of a scratch built or after market engine if the builder so desires. Next came the tail and the lower wing. Both the elevators and the rudder were separate and able to be positioned as desired. Each fit perfect with no need for filler. However, I did have some trouble with the fit of the lower wing. As a result, there was a small seam along the root of each wing that needed to be filled. This was most likely due to my concern with obtaining the proper dihedral and so much the fit. At this point, I choose to paint the aircraft before adding the struts and upper wing to make things a little easier. A coat of gray primer was applied (to revealed any imperfections) prior to the painting of the yellow fuselage and wing markings. While this was drying, I masked the lading gear and the canopy. Enough cannot be said about the easy of using the Eduard masks. Both the wheel and canopy masks fit great and saved a lot time. The bottom color was followed by the top color with masking in between to provide the hard line between top and bottom. Now, the toughest part of a bi-plane (in my opinion) is assembly of the struts and upper wing. Typically, I try to locate schematics of the aircraft so that I can identify the scale distance between the upper and lower wing. From this, I can create a simple cardboard gig to hold the upper wing while I place the struts. The outer struts went on without a hitch, but I had trouble getting the inner struts in place. (Again, this may have been due to my trouble with the lower wing.) As a result, I cut each strut into 3 separate pieces, trimmed each piece to fit, and glued them in place. Although the PE fret included parts for the rigging between the wings, I choose not to add the rigging. I can rig a ship in my sleep, but when comes to aircraft I just can’t get it right. Once the landing gear was assembled and few other items added, the model was given a gloss coat in preparation for the decals. The single decal sheet, which was nicely printed and in register, includes all the markings for each of the four versions of the Avia B-534. The bright red, white, and blue cross and other markings easily transferred from the sheet to the model and conformed nicely with a little MicroSol. A coat of flat clear brought everything together. In summary, this is a great kit for the average model builder. Some proficiency with photo-etched parts and rigging is recommended. This kit is a must have for anyone interested in early World War II subjects or axis aircraft. Thank you to Eduard for providing the sample kit and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it.