V.L. Pyry
"At War" & "Post-War"

AZ Models, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Glen Porter

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Ordered for the Finnish Air Force in 1937, the V.L. Pyry was operational as a training aircraft from 1939 to 1962.

It was a two seat, single engined, low winged monoplane and looks like the designers may have borrowed heavily from the Fokker D-XXI  and considered one of the most successful aircraft built in Finland.

These two kits from AZ Models are identical except for the resin, decals and box-art. The instructions are also identical having both kit numbers and showing both resin parts plan and the decals.

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Thumbnail panels:

The tan coloured plastic sprue has the fuselage halves, one-piece wing, tail planes, cockpit floor, prop, and other small bits and pieces including the unspatted wheel yokes for the Post War kit. To my eye the fabric effect on the fuselage looks a little overdone and may benefit from a light sanding.

Resin includes rudder, pitot tube, unspatted wheels, two seats, engine, cowling, full spatted undercarriage for the “At War” kit, half spatted for the other and two cockpit sidewall frames. The resin is nicely cast with no visible defects and reasonable detail but as usual, casting blocks will have to be removed.

The small PE fret is mainly interior parts with instrument panels, harnesses, trim wheels and throttle quadrant plus two undercarriage scissors for the “Post War” kit. There are no rudder pedals for either cockpit.

Dimensions are supplied to scratch build two control columns and under tailplane “V” struts from plastic rod or sprue.

Decals are supplied for two aircraft in each kit. Those in the “At War” kit are PY-20  and PY-22, from the same flying school, Kauhawa 1941. Both are in Black and Olive Drab over Light Grey with Yellow wing tips and PY-20 has a large Blue “3” on its rudder.

The “Post War” kit covers PY-27 and PY-35, both in over-all Olive Drab  with  Orange wings and Post War Finnish roundels in six places. The decals themselves look very well printed with good register and minimum carrier film but there is no manufacturer's name so the proof will be in the application.

Canopies are vacformed with all their advantages or disadvantages depending on how you feel about them.

Even though these are multi-media kits, the construction look reasonably simple and straight forward and perhaps for someone who has a few mainstream kits under the belt, these may well make a good first try in the multi-media world.

Highly Recommended for those who would like to go beyond the mainstream.

Thanks to Legato  / AZ Models for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2008 by Glen Porter
Page Created 22 April, 2008
Last updated 22 April, 2008

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