1/48 PZL-23B KARAS

This next build is the Mirage 1/48 PZL-23B KARAS of the 64th Line Flight, 6^th Air Regiment. This particular kit was a limited edition that came with a commemorative coin. The kit already comes with resin and photo etch accessories so no other accessories were added so this is straight out of the box build. The engine assembly was pretty straight forward.  The cockpit used photo etch seatbelts and a resin tank. It went together very well. The rear and lower machine guns come with photo etch sights and ammo mounts. The rear gunner has a “Lazy Susan” style holder for the extra ammo cartridges. The rear gunner seat and gun mount was assembled. Next up is the cockpit walls and fuselage.

Work continues on the PZL-23B. This week the cockpit and interior are together. The kit comes with a few resin parts like parachutes and radio equipment. Putting the walls and cockpit tub into the fuselage was a little tedious keeping the sections aligned but everything fit well. I added some 32 awg wire for cables and wires to the equipment. One thing to note is the rear gun. I had built up the rear gunner seat with the gun but once it was installed in the fuselage it was difficult working on the kit because of how delicate the assembly was. I would recommend leaving the actual gun off until near the end. With the interior completed I am now working on the lower gondola and the landing gear.

This week’s update on the PZL-23B covers the fuselage and wing details.  I assembled the wings and then added the photo etch details like the entry steps and hand holds, wing joint covers, and aiming scales to the nose. The engine was then mounted. I needed to paint the base coat on the fuselage prior to mounting the exhaust as it runs along the fuselage. The underside was painted using light blue and the top was painted olive drab. The two color reference photos depicted a panel pattern on the wings. I duplicated this by adding a little green drab to the paint and painted the alternating panels on the wing tops.  The main landing gear shrouds house landing lights. The kit provided the clear covers for them but no details behind them. It was just an open hole. I used a clear sprue from my scrap bin that was fit into the hole. I trimmed it flush then drilled into it with a drill bit to make the reflector. Then a smaller drill bit to make the bulb area and finally a tiny one to simulate the filament of the bulb. Stay tuned as next week as I apply the decals and final paint to finish this unique Polish aircraft.

The PZL-23B KARAS Light Bomber of the Polish Air Force is now complete. After applying the decals which went on very well, some weathering with pastel chalk, and a final seal of paint the majority of the aircraft was complete. I the detailed and painted the canopy and gondola. Both were installed and the antenna was rigged with EZ-Line. The kit itself was very good. The thing I like about Mirage is they do unique aircraft typically not offered by others and they do a decent job on the details. I would recommend this kit if you want to add some unique aircraft to your collection. Thanks for following along.