Mirage Hobby''s long-awaited 1/48 scale Karaś is here - and boy, does it pack in some detail! The cockpit is almost a kit in itself. This is just the first of a series of PZL 23 and 43s and, by the look of this first release, we''re in for a real treat.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Hi Rowan!

At last! I mean the kit, not the review!

This one is definitely in my "to buy" list! Thanks for the review!

Jean-Luc

Hark---- do my eyes deceive me, and I see no ejector pin marks on the cockpit side walls?????

Nice review --- looking forward to seeing you build it.
I have a reference book for you if you need it.

Hi guys

I thought you'd like this one Jean-Luc!

Dave - you're quite right; it wasn't something I picked up on in the review, but there aren't any badly placed injector-pin marks - period.

Mirage Hobby have confirmed that they are working on a full range of 1/48 Grumman Wildcats due for release later this year. On the basis of the Karaś, I can hardly wait! And then, of course, there's that rumour of a new B-17...

All the best

Rowan

Hi Dave

I do apologise! I completely forgot to thank you for your offer. I need to dive straight into building this one - in fact I've made a start with basic preparation work - so the book probably wouldn't reach me in time... but, if there are any detail shots, I'd really appreciate some scans or c/u photos...

I've the Mushroom book on the PZL 23 - check out Jean-Luc's great review - and I'd recommend it to anyone building this kit.

Many thanks and all the best

Rowan

Apparently these were on sale at the Milton Keynes show but I missed out on getting one. Rest assured I will be getting at least one of these and if your review is anything to go by I'm really looking forward to future releases.
What's this rumour of a B-17?
Mal

Hi Mal

We'll have to wait and see... but Mirage Hobby first announced plans for a 1/48 scale B-17 some years ago, then all went quiet.

It's been a while since we've seen anything from Mirage Hobby while they re-organised and established new retail arms, but they're back strongly. I feared the range of Wildcats would never see the light of day, but they are now confirmed for release later this year.

So, is the B-17 back on the cards? Who knows? It would be an enormous project and a significant investment. I wouldn't hold your breath, but maybe next year... maybe?

All the best

Rowan

Hi,

The PZL23 Karas (version A) is realy the best Mirage kit. Super detiled, resin parts etc. I bought the kit month ago, unfortunately I broke my hand during snowboards holiday, so it has to wait... as well as my unfinished PZL 11C diorama. But www.part.pl should released etched parts, meanwhile. By the way - Jean-Luc I promised you to finish my PZL11C dio this year ;-)

Hi Marek!

Looking forward to that one!

Jean-Luc

What an amazing review. Merlin, its first rate. Thank you. How long did it take you to write it? And they say the A-10 is an ugly duckling!!
I wish somebody in our club would build this. I really want to see it completed.

Hi EasyOff

Thank you for the kind comments! I'm afraid I'm rather behind in my reviews - and editing in general - due to the pressure of my day job. Don't worry though - I've started a build thread for the PZL 23 and, for once, I really do intend to get stuck in - so you will see it finished!

But first things first - I beg everyone's patience in getting some of the delayed content submissions online... there are some really tasty goodies set to appear in the next few days!

All the best

Rowan

Hi fellow carp modelers

I'll get a PZL P.23B (WMC Special edition)(some sprue shots on my site) and I'm thinking about something different for camo ...

Can I do a Lutfwaffe captured a/c oder were they all scrapped or sold to Romania/Bulgaria/(..?) ?

Would also do a Romanian plane ....

Still have to get that mushroom booklet ...

thanks in advance

Steffen

Hi Steffen!

Did you get your model from the Warsaw Model Shop? I would like to have this "special edition" too!

Jean-Luc

Hi there

Those resin bombs look like the answer to one of my few gripes about the kit. But Mirage Hobby must have read my mind; loook what's coming soon:



A set of 1/48 scale WW1 German and WW2 Polish bombs!

All the best

Rowan

Hello Jean-Luc

I do/did get the model from the crowd in Nuremberg. We have a quite good relation to Mirage. So to answer your question: Not from the WMC but from Mirage directly.

I already built the P.24G in a Greek camo (A self bought P.11 is still half finished in the box) .... to many interesting subjects and too less time and/or motivation

cheers

Steffen

While perusing my copy of Monographie Lotnicze 23 (I will use ML23 from now on) the other day I was reminded of something that Merlin had said in his review.

“Similarly, the 'As were withdrawn from active service as soon as they were built and references say they were fitted with dual controls which aren't featured in the kit. So far, I've never found references for the layout of the second set of controls, so I'm happy to leave well alone and simply admire the detailed standard cockpit Mirage have supplied.”

Well Merlin, if you are watching, I can now answer this, at least partially anyway. Better ‘late than never’ as they say.

The first clue is that the Karaś was initially equipped with a detachable dual control in the observer’s position just behind the pilot’s seat. That would correspond with this diagram.



On the side of the fuselage is something that looks suspiciously like it could be a control column.





I have the kit for the Karaś B. On the sprues are two pieces, W55 and W56, that don’t seem to be used. I assume they are for the Karaś A but not having that kit I don’t know if they feature on that instruction sheet. However, I did find them being used in my copy of Mini Replika 46 (MR46).














So that takes care of the detachable dual control I think. So what about full dual control. I found this photograph in ML23.




When you look at it closely it does not look quite the same as the cockpit. This is I think a second set of instrumentation fitted behind the pilot’s seat. What other modifications were made I do not know. It looks a very cramped area so perhaps they removed some equipment like the cameras.

Well, I started, so I may as well continue. What else have I found out?

Parts 32W are K-28 gun cameras.



Photographs of them are few and do not show clearly how they were fitted to the machine gun. Typical is:



Lots of people have been sticking the camera to the top of the machine gun. I imagine, largely, because of the above photograph. I am not convinced that it is correct. In Mushroom’s book it is shown like this:



Sticking it on top of the ammunition drum does not seem to be very practical and make changing the drum very awkward. I think it is meant to represent it being attached to the side. That’s certainly how it is on Mirage’s instruction sheet.



I can only find this twin gun installation where the camera appears to be attached to the top of a machine gun.





All the single gun systems have the camera attached to the side with some type of bracket.






A photograph not in the Mushroom book.



It is one of the options found in the Mirage kit and appears in this month’s Military in Scale (Jan 2007 but published on 14th Dec).
“One final point about the decals. The 1st Air Regiment aircraft that I chose to model had the code 38N on the underside but is not indicated on the instruction sheet.”

Mirage have access to al the latest information and opinions of the best Polish historians and researchers. If they do something in one of their kits there will be a good reason for it. Can you see what the under wing codes are? No! Just because it’s in a book doesn’t mean it’s correct. I have also seen it cited as 39N.

Here is the same aircraft from MR46.



This is what the caption says:

"PZL.23A Karaś white "A" from Training Squadron 1 Air Regiment; serial number and underwing number not known (often incorrectly cited as 38N); summer 1937 (?) the aircraft is in the original form of a series-production P23A, without modifications, and probably marked with factory-applied (red) markings."

Information about these aircraft is scanty. Just a single photograph mostly and I doubt there is much documentary evidence either. When profiles don’t show serial numbers or buzz codes it doesn’t mean that the aircraft didn’t have them. More probably it did, but they are not known. Even dates should be treated with caution as they may more ‘believed to be’ than ‘known to be.’

Until recently I have always seen this photograph captioned as 41 Eskadra’s P-23Bs at Zdunowo airfield during the September Campaign 1939.



In ML23 it is captioned as 11 Eskadra on exercises summer 1938. Now that I have a version of the photograph I can see properly it is obvious that ML23 is correct. The first aircraft has the buzz code N-24. ‘N’ is the 1st Air Regiment, the 4th ‘’T’. (Each air regiment and training school used a different unique letter and the Eskadra number also indicates which air regiment it belongs to. 41 means 1st Eskadra of the 4th Regiment. Fighter eskadras had a ‘1’ in front. 111 Eskadra – 1st Fighter Eskdra of the 1st Air Regiment. A ‘2’ in the front indicated a bomber eskadra – P-37 Łoś.) In 1939 the Polish Air Force changed the buzz codes from two digits to three. Also during exercises it is common to see temporary white markings painted on aircraft. This would explain why the aircraft in the photograph have white wing tips. However the photograph probably reflects very well war time conditions. Such exercises were designed to be highly realistic. The airfields used seem to have been chosen for their surrounding trees which allow just enough room for the aircraft to be hidden beneath them. This is my favourite.



22nd Eskadra, September 1938.

Going back to the first photograph. The white triangle indicates that the aircraft belongs to the 1st Air Regiment. Each regiment used a different geometrical device on which the eskadras displayed their emblems. 1st triangle, 2nd square, 3rd diamond, 4th pentagon, 5th cross, 6th disc. Each regiment also had a training eskadra which was similar in function to an OTU. Training eskadra did not have emblems, simply a ‘T’ superimposed upon the geometrical device.

The aircraft in the photograph also has covers on the searchlights. These are often seen in photographs.



The special edition kit has some spider-shaped PE that had me scratching my head when I first saw them.



Then I realised that they were meant to be the ribs and straps on the covers.



If you think the searchlights in the kit lack detail and don’t fancy super detailing them why not make some covers. Easy enough with microstrip of stretched sprue.

Another of the kit options and what MR46 has to say about it.



“PZL.23A Karaś '2' serial no. 44.31, underwing no. D 20; Officer Cadet Flying School (SPL) Dęblin 1937(?), aircraft in configuration of early production P23A with chessboards lacking white fields, with white code D20, insignia of the SPL and red serial number and markings on the tailfin.”



“PZL.23A Karaś '2' serial no. 44.31, underwing no. D 20; (the same a/c as above) Officer Cadet Flying School (SPL) Dęblin 1938/39(?), aircraft is in modified form with observer's cabin ventilation and anti-noseflip tailskid; chessboards have white fields, radio code D20 and serial no. are in black, PZL logo and markings on the tailfins probably remained in red; white "2" moved slightly forward.”

And a couple more you may not have seen before.



“PZL.23A Karaś '1' serial no. and underwing no. not known; Officer Cadet Flying School (SPL) Dęblin 1938/9; aircraft has been refitted or modified with observer's cabin ventilation and anti-noseflip tailskid, after the refit, the a/c had 'KARAŚ I' painted on the tail fin and a chessboard with white fields applied under the wings, but this was not the rule; this plane most likely had "P23A" (the 'A' being in superscript.)”




“PZL.23B Karaś from 21 Eskadra of the Line, according to some sources, serial no. 610K; the aircraft is fitted with slots typical for the P23 version, without a searchlight on the left undercarriage leg, with an anti-noseflip tailskid; ahead of the aiming cross-hairs is a collar to catch oil leaks; no modifications to the canopy; other examples of the Karaś thus configured include an a/c with unknown serial no. with underwing code 958-K from 24 Eskadra and Romanian Karaśes with '6' and '16' on their tailfins.”

Well there my Christmas present. Perhaps I should have waited until Easter to resurrect it?

Merlin and Antoni,

Guys, wow!! This was an aircraft that hadn't piqued my interest at all, until your review, Merlin, and Antoni's fine article. Now, I'm lobbying hard for some Christmas gift certificates to pick up this little beauty :-) .

Thanks for the outstanding work, gentlemen. I hope Mirage has you on commission, because you sure sold me .






Mike

From series of photographs taken at Warsaw-Okęcie airfield, published in 1940 in a propaganda brochure “Soldaten des Fuhrers im Felde.” Originally these were stereoscopic pictures taken with a double-lens camera on prototype Agfa colour film.

Fuselage of damaged P-43 light bomber (Karaś derivative). In the Background unfinished PZL P.37 Łos bombers.



The rest of the photos show more unfinished Łos bombers and the second prototype PWS P.33 Wyżeł trainer. Judging from the colour of the grass and the blue of the under surfaces there is quite a strong brown caste to the photos. Perhaps the khaki was more green in reality. Note the steel colour of the exhaust collector rings which quickly rusted.