053: Avia B.534.17, I. series, stripped
HM0053

This project was brewing up in my mind for several years. I very much like the sleek lines of this aircraft, and to build a detailed “stripped” version of it seemed a worthy goal. Although there were several short run kits of the early B.534 versions released by HR Model and RS Models, not until 2017 has a mainstream kit been released. When Eduard shrunk their 1:48 scale late versions (III. and IV. series) of B.534, I was hopeful that maybe, maybe, they will go for broke and also release the I. and II. series version. When I spoke to V. Sulc at the 2016 IPMS USA model competition and asked about this, I received a resounding no. His concern was, understandably, that only very small community of modelers would be interested in such offering. Imagine then my surprise and delight when I heard about the release of the Dual Combo No. 70103 in the Spring on 2017! Not only did Eduard produce the fuselage sections specific to the first two versions, they also reworked the wings and the associated supports, following feedback from the modeling community regarding the overscale surface detail. Essentially, the 70103 is a completely new kit.

Subject of this project is one of the early I. series aircraft (specifically, the 17th completed). There are several pictures of this machine with its metal panels removed, while parked in front of the Avia assembly hangar: a great inspiration for a "stripped" build of this famous aircraft.

ABOUT AVIA B.534:

Avia B.534 is probably the most iconic Czechoslovak prewar fighter. It represented the culmination of the biplane fighter design in Czechoslovakia, designed and built by the premier fighter aircraft supplier to its air force, the Avia company. Entering service in 1935, it was hopelessly outclassed by the start of WWII. B.534 is credited with the last confirmed biplane kill, when a Slovak insurgent machine shot down a Hungarian Ju 52. During its production run, the B.534 was supplied is four variants: these were later classified as I, II, III, and IV series.