Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) 1/72 LVG C.VI “In Polish Service”
Reviewed by Brad Cancian
Item: KPM0400
(Note, other boxings available include KPM0071, KPM0072, KPM0073and KPM0402 “German Service”, which include different decal options)
Scale: 1/72
Price: 14.20 Euros each, direct from Kovozávody ProstějovReview kit kindly provided by KP Models at
https://www.kovozavody.cz/LVGs WorkhorseThe LVG C.VI, introduced in late 1917, was a further development of the successful LVG C.V two seat general purpose service machine. It was lighter, smaller and aerodynamically refined biplane of mixed, mostly wooden construction. It featured a sturdy plywood covered semi-monocoque fuselage, and fabric covered wooden and metal flying surfaces. Aircraft were equipped with a radio, which utilised an antenna which could be lowered below the aircraft when needed. The crew had parachutes and heated flying suits. The aircraft handled well, was relatively fast, sturdy, and well liked by its crews. Accordingly, a total of 1,100 aircraft of the type were manufactured.
Most LVG C.VIs were used by the German military aviation on the Western Front, for close reconnaissance and observation. After the war, Deutsche Luft-Reederei (DLR) used several C.VIs to provide mail and passenger transport service. The Polish Air Force used several aircraft during the Polish-Soviet war, again the machine proving itself to be a reliable machine and a good performer.
The LVG C.VI in 1/72Perhaps surprisingly, for such a workhorse and nice looking WW1 aeroplane, the LVG has only seen a few releases over the years. The first release was the quite nice Pegasus boxing back in the early 1990s, which you can still find, but was quite limited run. Ardpol produced an exquisite resin kit back in 2004. KP began their releases of the LVG back in 2016, and have continued with a number of boxings utilising the same plastic but with different decals. The version presented here represents the Polish markings boxing, released in 2023.
The Bits and BobsIt is evident that this kit is based very heavily on the Ardpol resin kit, which is certainly a welcome approach given the finesse and overall accuracy of that kit.
Each boxing contains the same plastic and instruction booklet, only the box, marking options and decals differentiate each release. Included is a single sprue medium grey / beown plastic (consisting of just 42 parts total), a acetate sheet with two windscreens, decals, and an instruction sheet. No etch or resin is provided.
Now, Ardpol’s original AGO C.IV was quite a lovely kit, exhibiting subtle and effectively done rib details on the flying surfaces, and nicely refined and crisp panel lines. KPs kit is the same.
The rib impressions scale very nicely for 1/72; there are no ‘starved cows’ or overdone rib tapes here, just a beautiful and subtle representation of the taught fabric flying surfaces. Ailerons and elevator hinge lines are also nice and crisp. Holes for the wing struts are also nice and deep. The Upper wing is a single part, with the lower wings moulded separately.
The interior is adequate for this scale. We get a separate cockpit floor, fuel tank, instrument panel, rudder bar, and control column. The kit would have benefitted from some more detail in the gunner’s compartment, however. Sidewall detail is nicely moulded, and there are no annoying pin marks in prominent locations within the fuselage. The engine is moulded only as the upper cylinders, but includes rocker arm boxes, induction pipes, and a choice of exhaust pipes. The engine is mounted on a flat plate, but this should be fine for this scale. Options also include the upper cowlings as separate items; these were often removed in service in the warmer months. The gun ring and Parabellum machine gun is also nicely done. Wheels and propellers are also crisp in terms of detail.
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 struts in particular look nice and to scale, although the interplane strut bands are over-scale and would benefit from removal and replication with paint or decal strip.
InstructionsThe instructions are printed on a single folded A4 sheet, and are printed in black, brown and red. The instructions contain a short description of the aircraft’s history, a parts breakdown, and construction sequence consisting of 18 steps. A rigging diagram is included, but be aware that this diagram doesn’t include tailplane rigging. One may have to check photographs and references for the full rigging diagram. A nice touch is the lozenge pattern orientation diagram. Though no lozenge decals are provided, KP do suggest that the modeller may purchase the lozenge available from KP.
Colour schemes for three machines are provided. Colours (though not in any particular paint brand) and decal placement are called out on the rear of the box. We get a nice mix of visually interesting aircraft.
• LVG C-VI, Polish Air Force, 1920. This machine appeared to carry either painted lozenge pattern, or doped lozenge fabric, on its fuselage.
• LVG C-VI, White 22, Polish Air Force, 1920
• LVG C-VI, 1505/18, “23”, Polish Air Force, 1920
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, with minimal carrier film.
AccuracyI compared the kit to the windsock datafile for the LVG C.VI by P M Grotz. The aircraft scales excellently to these plans, which clearly the original Ardpol kit was based upon. So one can be assured of a model of accurate dimension.
As mentioned, the interior could benefit from some additional touches, but the optional touches such as cowlings, propeller, and exhausts, will see the modeller able to model most subjects. Also as mentioned, the interplane struts have their reinforcing bands moulded on, which is overscale for 1/72. These should be sanded off and replaced with decal strip or paint. The only other minor omission is the lack of camera door on the fuselage belly, but a small piece of sheet plastic will sort this out.
BuildabilityThis model looks to be a relatively straightforward build, thanks to the smaller parts count, and generally simple layout. Some care will be needed to ensure proper alignment of the lower wings and struts, but if one tackles this methodically and with some basic jigs, the wings should present no problems. wing halves, and the wing struts. In short, this kit should build fine for those with a little experience under their belt.
ConclusionsThis is a very welcome re-release of this workhorse. KP have offered another nice package with some interesting colour schemes. They have repeated their successful approach of tailoring other limited run kits and turning them into mainstream injection moulded kits of good quality, at an excellent price, with multiple boxings offering different finishing options. I for one commend them for this approach. This is a solid kit, given its Ardpol roots, and has received a nice treatment from KP. 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 workhorses from the Great War in “God’s own” scale.
Our very sincere thanks to KP for the review samples!
