MisterCraft B29 PZL-23B Karaś Polish Light Bomber — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

The manufacturer — MisterCraft

MisterCraft is a Polish model-kit brand operated by Plasticraft, based at Nowica in Dobroszyce, Poland. The company's own website identifies Plasticraft as the business behind MisterCraft and currently lists aircraft, ships, helicopters and cars among its model categories.

MisterCraft's catalogue is notable for covering a large number of less-common subjects, particularly Polish and Eastern European aircraft that are not always represented by the major mainstream manufacturers. A significant characteristic of the range is that some subjects have appeared in multiple boxings with different decals or markings. Retailers specifically caution that MisterCraft can change the supplied decals without changing the basic kit designation.

That is worth remembering with the B29: the aircraft moulding and the particular boxing's decals should be treated as two separate aspects of the kit when assessing a collection example.

The B29 was added to the MojeHobby catalogue in January 2013, although that does not necessarily represent the original date of the tooling itself. The retailer records the kit at 0.11 kg and identifies its manufacturer as MisterCraft/Plasticraft.
Kit contents and characteristics

This is a 1/72 scale PZL-23B Karaś. The surviving catalogue information confirms the basic kit identification and scale, but I have not found a reliable parts-count source for this specific B29 boxing, so I would not give you an invented number.

The kit is a conventional injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit intended to be assembled and painted. Its relatively low catalogue weight of approximately 110 g is consistent with a small 1/72 single-engine aircraft kit.

The exact decal sheet is particularly important with MisterCraft because the company has historically changed decal options between production runs. Therefore, if you have the physical kit, photographs of the box sides and decal sheet can identify the precise marking option more accurately than the barcode alone.

At 1/72 scale, the real PZL-23B's dimensions translate approximately to:

Length: 13.4 cm

Wingspan: 19.4 cm

The full-size aircraft was approximately 9.68 m long with a 13.95 m wingspan.
The real aircraft — PZL-23B Karaś

The PZL-23 Karaś was one of the most important Polish combat aircraft of the late 1930s. Designed by Stanisław Prauss at Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL) in Warsaw, it was conceived as a light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft to replace older designs such as the Breguet XIX and Potez 25. Design work began around 1931–32, and the prototype first flew in 1934.

The aircraft was an interesting design for its period: an all-metal, fixed-undercarriage monoplane with a three-man crew. It combined reconnaissance and bombing duties, reflecting the Polish military's emphasis on the aircraft's ability to provide tactical reconnaissance while also attacking ground targets.

The initial PZL-23A was fitted with the Bristol Pegasus IIM2 engine produced under licence in Poland. Engine problems led to the development of the substantially more important PZL-23B, which used the Bristol/PZL Pegasus VIII. The B version became the principal production version.

Sources differ slightly on the precise total-production figure because of how prototypes and production batches are counted. One detailed Polish aviation source gives:

3 prototypes

40 PZL-23A aircraft

210 PZL-23B aircraft

for 253 aircraft in total. Other references round the family total to approximately 250 aircraft plus prototypes.

The B version used a roughly 710 hp Pegasus VIII installation according to Polish historical sources, while published specifications sometimes give slightly different horsepower figures depending upon the rating standard being used.

The aircraft had a maximum speed of approximately 365 km/h at altitude and could carry a bomb load of around 700 kg in the configuration described by one technical reference. Defensive and forward armament consisted of machine guns, with the aircraft's three-man crew comprising pilot and reconnaissance/bombing personnel.
Service in 1939

The Karaś became the principal Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft during the September 1939 campaign.

By that time, however, the aircraft was already being overtaken technologically by newer monoplane bombers and fighters. Its relatively low speed and vulnerability to fighter attack and anti-aircraft fire became serious disadvantages when it was forced to operate against the German invasion forces.

Nevertheless, the Karaś saw substantial combat. One particularly notable event occurred on 2 September 1939, when a PZL-23B of the Polish 21st Bomber Squadron attacked a factory at Ohlau (Oława) in Germany. Polish historical sources describe this as the first Polish bombing raid against a target on German territory during the Second World War.

The aircraft suffered very heavy losses during the campaign. Some references state that roughly 120 PZL-23 aircraft were destroyed by the end of 1939, although not all were lost directly to enemy action. Surviving aircraft were also operated by Romania and Bulgaria, extending the type's service beyond Poland.

The Karaś also led to further Polish development. The export development became the PZL-43, while experience with the aircraft contributed to the subsequent PZL-46 Sum programme.