Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) 1/72 AGO C.IVReviewed by Brad Cancian
Item: KPM0395 “Late Camo”, KPM0396, and KPM0398 “Late”. All are considered “Limited Edition” kits
Scale: 1/72
Price: 16.95 Euros each, direct from Kovozávody Prostějov
Review kit kindly provided by KP Models at https://www.kovozavody.cz/The Taper-Winged AGO C.IVA departure from the more standard constant chord aircraft of the era, the AGO was designed as a reconnaissance and light bomber, but with one notable characteristic; wings which tapered in chord. The plan-view shape of these wings resembled shapes used in later monoplane fighters of the second world war era. The wings were linked by two outer struts mounted close together and one inner strut towards the back of the wing. This allowed the observer to fire forwards through the wings on two arcs between the fuselage and the outer struts. The prototype and early aircraft had cable bracing between the struts, but this was later replaced with streamlined steel tubes. There were ailerons on both the upper and lower wings. The radiators were carried within the starboard root section of the upper wing and the gravity fuel tank in the port root section. The aircraft was powered by a 220hp Benz engine, surrounded by streamlined metal panels. The airscrew carried a large spinner.
Though the aircraft appeared to perform well in trials, and though a large initial order of the aircraft followed, only somewhere between 70 to 100 or so were delivered. The aircraft entered service in early 1917, and though the aircraft was fast, it was unstable in the air. This was a time where aeronautics was still very much a field under study; though several modifications were made along the aircraft’s service life, including a vertical stabiliser for lateral stability, and a modified wing strut arrangement to minimise longitudinal wing flex, the modifications did not do much to improve confidence in the aircraft type, and its service life was therefore quite limited.
The AGO C.IV in 1/72Perhaps unsurprisingly, the AGO C.IV has not been extensively kitted in 1/72 (or any other scale). A company called Aviastone released a vacuform kit back in the early 1990s, followed by a resin release by CMR in 1993. In the intervening 30 years or so, there has been no releases of this kit… until now.
The Bits and Bobs
KP have released three kits of the AGO C.IV early in 2023, all at the same time. They have listed these kits as “limited release” kits, in full acknowledgement that this subject is unlikely to be especially popular. None the less, these kits demonstrate a continuation of the fine relationship between KP and CMR, in reboxing styrene versions of CMRs (now many years old) resin kits. Again, KP have made no secret of this partnership, nor the fact that this kit is, essentially, the CMR kit, remade and remarketed. This kit, for example, clearly has “KP 2023 CMR” etched into the plastic on what will be the hidden centre surface of the lower wing!
Each boxing contains the same plastic and instruction booklet, only the box, marking options and decals differentiate each release. Included are two sprues of medium grey plastic (consisting of 48 parts total), a acetate sheet for the two windscreens, decals, and an instruction sheet. No etch or resin is provided.
Now, CMRs original AGO C.IV was quite a lovely kit, exhibiting subtle and effectively done rib details on the flying surfaces, and nicely refined panel lines. KPs kit is the same.
The ribs scale very nicely for 1/72; there are no ‘starved cows’ or overdone rib tapes here. Ailerons and elevator hinge lines are also nice and crisp. These should look the part under a coat of paint. Holes for the wing struts are also nice and deep. The centre wing is moulded as a single part, with the upper wing separated into two halves.
Fuselage nose details are nicely done, with crisp panels and fastener details. The interior has frame detail, however this is unfortunately marred by some fairly prominent mould release pins, which will need to be dealt with.
The rest of the smaller parts are nicely done for 1/72, but care will need to be taken in removal from the sprues, and clean up, as there is a little bit of flash here and there.
The cockpit consists of a floor, two seats, an instrument panel, control column, and rudder pedals. This should make the ‘office’ look busy enough, though this area could have benefitted from more detail. The engine is moulded from the cylinders up as a single part, with the exhaust and pipes to the radiator also provided. Care will be needed with clean up here again, as well as with installation, as there is no clear ‘bench’ upon which to affix the engine. There is also a large mould release pin on the starboard side that will need to be dealt with. The front engine compartment, like the cockpit, is also marred by a prominent mould release pin on the starboard fuselage half, which will have to be removed to allow the engine to fit.
The rest of the construction is fairly straight forward. Part 30, the square wire which was used to prevent the gunner from shooting through the propeller arc, would be best replaced by bent wire. The guns are adequate for this scale, but detail will be lost in removal from the sprues and subsequent clean up, as such one may wish to consider replacing these with after-market items.
Struts are commendably thin, but again, clean up will be tricky. Wing struts in particular may benefit from being replaced by suitably aerofoil shaped replacements. Both early and late struts are provided, and called out within the instructions. Not called out in the instructions (nor marking options) is the omission of the vertical stabiliser for the very early models of the aircraft. A nice touch though is the angled undercarriage legs, which should make alignment a little easier.
Instructions
The instructions are the same for all three kits. They are printed on a single folded A4 sheet, and are printed in black and red. The instructions contain a description of the aircraft’s history, a parts breakdown, and construction sequence consisting of 10 steps. Though specific rigging instructions aren’t provided, three view drawings of the aircraft are included. One may have to check photographs and references for the full rigging diagram.
Colour schemes for two machines are provided in each boxing. Colours and decal placement are called out on the rear of the box. We get a nice mix of visually interesting aircraft.
KPM0395 “Late Camo”:
• AGO C.IV “3”, Fliegerabteilung 284a, Imperial German Air Service, 1917
• AGO C.IV 8987/17, Imperial German Air Service, 1917
KPM0396 (Though not specified, this is presumably “early” camo):
• AGO C.IV, Fliegerfieldabteilung 230, Vzfw Schweikowski, Imperial German Air Service, 1917
• AGO C.IV 5504/16, Fliegerabteilung 47, Imperial German Air Service, 1917
KPM0395 “Late”:
• AGO C.IV 5513/16, Imperial German Air Service, 1917
• AGO C.IV 8963/17, Ltn Kruger, Imperial German Air Service, 1917
I would note, that I think perhaps the “Late” schemes here represent something between the other two boxings; the grey / light blue aircraft are reminiscent of the late 1916, early 1917 period, with the two green and brown colours more attuned to early 1917, and the green / purple from around early / mid 1917. With an aircraft such as this with a relatively short service life, the terms “early”, “mid” and “late” might not matter too much.
DecalsThe decals are produced in house and are very nicely printed with solid colour and good register. Seat belts are included as decals. The decal film looks nice and thin, but there is quite a bit of carrier film which may benefit from some trimming.
AccuracyNot having the windsock plans for the aircraft, I deferred to some reviews of the previous CMR kit. It seems that the aircraft is generally accurate in outline, though the fuselage seems perhaps slightly shallow (though not by much). As noted above, there are improvements that could be made to the interior, and some of the smaller details. These minor issues aside, the kit certainly captures the shape and look of the AGO C.IV nicely.
BuildabilityOther than the potential clean up issues for the parts, the aircraft looks to be a relatively straightforward build, thanks to the smaller parts count, and single piece lower wings and horizontal stabilisers. Some care will be needed to ensure proper alignment of the upper wing halves, and the wing struts. Thankfully, strut locations are very nicely defined, and deep, which will help strut alignment. In short, this kit should build fine for those with a little experience under their belt, though some planning will be required.
ConclusionsThis is a very welcome release of an esoteric subject in “God’s own” scale. This is a subject that may tickle the fancy of those that like to build something slightly different, such as this reviewer. This is a solid kit, given its CMK roots, and has received a nice treatment from KP. The aircraft also provides options for quite a few different colour choices to keep things interesting. KP are to be applauded for putting out this kit, and by releasing as a ‘limited release’, KP are signalling their appreciation that though this may not be a huge seller, it will certainly appeal to the hard-core WW1 small scale modeller. Again, they have done an excellent job in putting together a nice base package, whilst keeping a modest parts count. Highly recommended for those fans of the slightly lesser well known and esoteric kites from the Great War.
Our very sincere thanks to KP for the review samples!
