1:32 IBG PZL p.11c

[FlyingMachines]

I started building this kit about two months ago. I’ve been a fan of this scrappy little fighter for a long time, so I was excited when the kit first arrived and I saw the impressive level of detail in the molding and the PE which comes with the kit. My excitement began to ebb as I finished building the major components of the engine and moved on to the cockpit. There are numerous very delicate part to the cockpit, including quite a bit of very fiddly PE. My frustration wasn’t with the delicacy of the parts - rather it is with the instruction manual which I found quite lacking. Lots of cursing as I tried to figure out exactly how the seat is assembled - so much swearing that I finally had to set it aside and walk away for a couple of weeks, letting the puzzle knock around in my subconscious in hopes the solution would come to me one day.

That day finally arrived today, so back to the bench I went. After three hours at the bench, the cockpit assembly finally came together. Despite the poor instructions, I’ve fallen back in love with this little kit after seeing how this delicate little cockpit assembled and ready for primer. I didn’t want to stop there, so I dry fit the cockpit, engine and fuselage, and I must say it all fits perfectly. Now on to painting…

[HubertB]

Looking forward to follow the build thread  !

My build is on hold ATM, but I shall resume it this year. As I do not like drab khaki aircrafts, mine will be finished as the Paris Air Show 1934 prototype, in red and white livery. Although it will never reach the level achieved by Marcin Matejko on the same subject …

If it’s any consolation, I struggled with the assembly of the seat, just like you …

Hubert

[Martinnfb]

Nice start, the cockpit looks really good. Welcome to the forum.

Cheers

Martin

[FlyingMachines]

24 minutes ago, HubertB said:

Looking forward to follow the build thread  !

My build is on hold ATM, but I shall resume it this year. As I do not like drab khaki aircrafts, mine will be finished as the Paris Air Show 1934 prototype, in red and white livery. Although it will never reach the level achieved by Marcin Matejko on the same subject …

If it’s any consolation, I struggled with the assembly of the seat, just like you …

Hubert

Nothing debonder couldn’t fix after my first guess (and second, and third) at how the PE bracing was attached turned out wrong. But for the instruction manual deficiencies, I’d say this is one of the best kits I’ve ever worked with.

[belugawhaleman]

I really like this aircraft and will be following. Great start so far.

[belugawhaleman]

2 hours ago, HubertB said:

Looking forward to follow the build thread  !

My build is on hold ATM, but I shall resume it this year. As I do not like drab khaki aircrafts, mine will be finished as the Paris Air Show 1934 prototype, in red and white livery. Although it will never reach the level achieved by Marcin Matejko on the same subject …

If it’s any consolation, I struggled with the assembly of the seat, just like you …

Hubert

That would be a nice choice Hubert...

Had to look it up.

[KevinM]

Nice start and in for the build.

[HubertB]

8 hours ago, belugawhaleman said:

That would be a nice choice Hubert...

Had to look it up.

Thank you Paul. I started this one before Marcin. We exchanged about it, and at some stage, Marcin was convinced the Paris Air Show machine had a G&R Mistral, not the Bristol Mercury of the later models. So I designed a G&R Mistral in 1/32  . But then, on closer look at the pictures, we confirmed it was indeed a Mercury engine. So now I need to design an airframe to go around the Mistral (like a Morane Saulnier 225) 🤣 !

Given its Polish origin, I trust Marcin’s research more than mine, but I still differ with him on the choice of the wheels, which for Marcin - and not me - were larger than the later standard models.

Hubert

[DocRob]

What I can see looks very promising. There are indeed lots of parts used for the internals, but with the open cockpit and the possibility to leave the hatches open, a lot remains visible. When I remember my build correct, there were no real letdowns. The kit itself is near Tamiya quality and I truly enjoyed building this quirky bird.
Here is a link to my build log, if you´d like to take a peep.
 

Cheers Rob

[FlyingMachines]

1 hour ago, DocRob said:

What I can see looks very promising. There are indeed lots of parts used for the internals, but with the open cockpit and the possibility to leave the hatches open, a lot remains visible. When I remember my build correct, there were no real letdowns. The kit itself is near Tamiya quality and I truly enjoyed building this quirky bird.
Here is a link to my build log, if you´d like to take a peep.
 

Cheers Rob

The quality of the molding is among the best I’ve ever seen, but the engineering and instructions aren’t quite up to Tamiya level. Locator pins are often very small or missing, requiring a fair amount of guess work on the part of the modeler. But once you figure out how it goes together the fit is fantastic. Definitely not a kit for beginners. 

[FlyingMachines]

A little more progress this morning. Painted the cockpit with duraluminum, added an oil wash to the floor, and then did some detail painting to controls to match the photos of the cockpit I’ve been able to find. Used the decals that came with the kit for the instrument panels, fixed in place with a generous dash of Solvaset. I still need to add a drop of clear to each to simulate the glass and considering using a contrasting aluminum shade on the plates on the frame to add some contrast. I will wait until this is cemented into the fuselage half before adding in the cables and tubing that can be seen in the photos I’ve collected.