KP Letov Š-328 Reconnaissance & Light Bomber Kit No. 5 — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

This is one of the classic early KP kits and is quite a bit more historically interesting as a model-kit subject than its modest price might suggest.

The identification is supported by several independent references: the KP kit is catalogued as kit 5, 1/72 scale, and contemporary modelling references identify it as an old KP release.

The kit dates from the early period of KP's catalogue. One source dates its original release to 1972, while another catalogue describes the particular boxing/tooling lineage as dating to around 1980. There were consequently several production periods and boxings of this kit, which is important when valuing an individual example.
Kit details

Manufacturer: KP / Kopro

Country: Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic

Kit number: 5

Subject: Letov Š-328

Scale: 1/72

Type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit

Aircraft configuration: Two-seat biplane

Variants represented: Depending on boxing/decals, the kit can represent the standard wheeled aircraft and the distinctive Š-328V floatplane.

Original tooling: Early KP tooling, dating to the 1970s.

Typical decal options: Czechoslovak, Slovak and floatplane subjects have appeared with different releases.

The original kit is now very much a vintage tooling. A modeller who built a late-1980s example reported considerable flash and even the need to replace some small parts, which is characteristic of an ageing mould rather than a modern precision kit.

A later review of the related KP tooling describes the kit as one of KP's earliest 1/72 subjects and notes its detailed raised surface treatment for its period.

There are also modern aftermarket products specifically designed for the KP/Smer kit. For example, Brengun produces a 1/72 photo-etched detail set specifically compatible with the KP/Smer Letov S-328, confirming the continuing availability of the old tooling as a modelling subject.
A particularly interesting feature — the floatplane

The Š-328 kit is notable because the real aircraft had an unusual floatplane version, designated Š-328V.

Four aircraft were fitted with British Short floats. They were intended primarily for target towing and training duties, including operations connected with anti-aircraft training in the Adriatic area. The aircraft could subsequently be converted back to conventional wheeled landing gear.

This is why vintage KP examples can be particularly interesting when they contain the floatplane parts. The exact contents should nevertheless be checked against the particular boxing, because different production runs and decal options existed.
The full-size Letov Š-328

The Letov Š-328 was a Czechoslovak two-seat reconnaissance, observation and light-bomber aircraft developed by Letov in Prague during the early 1930s.

It descended from the earlier Letov Š-28 family, with development work carried out under chief designer Alois Šmolík. The "Š" designation came from Šmolík's name.

The aircraft's origins are particularly interesting because it was initially developed in response to Finnish requirements. The prototype, initially associated with the Š-328F configuration, was fitted with a Bristol Pegasus engine. Finland ultimately did not purchase the aircraft, however, and the design was adapted for Czechoslovak military requirements.

The prototype made its first flight on 19 July 1933. After testing, the Czechoslovak military ordered the aircraft into production, with the first production examples being delivered in the middle of the 1930s.

The Š-328 was a conventional-looking but versatile inter-war biplane. It had a metal structural framework with extensive fabric covering and a fixed undercarriage. Its duties included:

reconnaissance;

artillery observation;

liaison;

light bombing;

ground attack;

training;

target towing;

and, in a small number of aircraft, night-fighter work.

The aircraft was powered by a Walter-built Bristol Pegasus radial engine. Later production batches received the improved Walter Pegas III-M2. Published technical figures vary according to the production batch and specification, but a typical Š-328 had a maximum speed of approximately 320 km/h.
Production

The commonly cited production figure is 412 aircraft, produced in a number of batches before the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. Some sources quote slightly different totals depending upon whether prototypes and aircraft produced under the occupation are counted, so 412 is the most useful figure for the standard production total.

The Š-328 became one of the most numerous aircraft types in the pre-war Czechoslovak Air Force. It was already becoming technologically outdated by the second half of the 1930s, but its robust construction and versatility meant that it continued to perform useful work long after faster monoplane designs had appeared.
Czechoslovak service

Before the German occupation, Š-328s served extensively with Czechoslovak military aviation. The type was used for reconnaissance and bombing, with different production batches receiving progressively improved equipment and engines.

There were also specialised versions. The Š-328N was adapted for night-fighter duties, while the Š-328V received floats.
German, Slovak and Bulgarian service

Following the German occupation in March 1939, surviving aircraft passed into the hands of the German authorities and the newly established Slovak state.

Approximately 73 aircraft went to the Slovak Air Force, while 62 were supplied to Bulgaria according to historical sources. Bulgarian aircraft were used for patrol and anti-partisan duties, while Slovak Š-328s saw considerably more active wartime service.

Slovak Š-328s participated in the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and subsequently operated on the Eastern Front following Slovakia's participation in Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. They performed reconnaissance, patrol, bombing and anti-partisan missions.
The Slovak National Uprising

One of the most remarkable chapters in the aircraft's history came in 1944.

During the Slovak National Uprising, surviving Š-328s were taken over by the insurgent air force and used against German forces. They were employed for reconnaissance, bombing and ground attack despite being a design dating from the early 1930s.

On 7 September 1944, an Š-328 engaged a German Focke-Wulf Fw 189 reconnaissance aircraft. The German aircraft was damaged by machine-gun fire and forced to land in territory controlled by the insurgents. This is generally regarded as one of the last combat victories achieved by a biplane.

That makes the humble KP model a particularly interesting representation of an aircraft that had an unexpectedly long and varied combat career.