MisterCraft D-06 PZL P-37A Łoś I Polish Bomber — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

The manufacturer — MisterCraft

MisterCraft is a Polish model-kit manufacturer operated by Plasticraft, based in Nowica/Dobroszyce, Poland. The company specialises in relatively inexpensive plastic kits covering a very broad range of military aircraft, ships, helicopters and vehicles.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of MisterCraft's catalogue is its coverage of Polish aviation subjects, making it particularly useful for modelling aircraft such as the PZL P-37 Łoś that are less extensively represented by mainstream manufacturers.

The D-06 has been in the MisterCraft catalogue for many years. MojeHobby records it as having been added to its catalogue as early as 13 April 2005, while current retailers continue to sell the same D-06/EAN combination.

It is worth noting that MisterCraft sometimes changes decal options and packaging while retaining the basic kit number. Consequently, if you're cataloguing a physical example, the box artwork and decal sheet are useful for determining the exact production boxing.
The kit

The D-06 represents the early PZL P-37A Łoś I, rather than the later and much more numerous P-37B Łoś II.

The kit contains 77 parts and builds into a model approximately 188 mm long with a 250.7 mm wingspan.

The catalogue describes four decal/marking possibilities. Listed examples include Polish Air Force aircraft from:

212 Bomber Squadron/Regiment, Warsaw, 1938

CWL training unit at Dęblin, 1939

with additional options depending on the particular production boxing.

The kit is supplied as a conventional plastic model requiring assembly and painting; glue and paint are not included in the standard D-06 boxing.

At 1/72, the model is a reasonably substantial twin-engined aircraft. Its 250.7 mm wingspan makes it noticeably larger than the single-engined Polish fighters commonly encountered in 1/72.
The real aircraft — PZL P-37 Łoś

The PZL.37 Łoś, often translated as "Moose", was Poland's most advanced indigenous medium bomber at the beginning of the Second World War.

It was designed by a team headed by Jerzy Dąbrowski, with Piotr Kubicki as deputy designer and Franciszek Misztal responsible for the wing structure. Preliminary design work was submitted to the Polish military authorities in July 1934.

The first prototype flew on 13 December 1936, flown by PZL test pilot Jerzy Widawski.

The Łoś represented a significant step forward for Polish aircraft design. It was an all-metal, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane with retractable landing gear and a streamlined fuselage.

That was important because many contemporary Polish military aircraft were still based around biplane designs. The P-37 was a genuinely modern bomber for the mid-1930s.
The P-37A Łoś I

The aircraft represented by this kit is the P-37A, the first major production version.

The subsequent P-37B Łoś II incorporated improvements and became the principal production version. This distinction is important when identifying old kits because MisterCraft also sells a separate D-08 PZL P-37B Łoś II, with a different barcode.

The P-37A was powered by two Bristol Pegasus radial engines, built under licence in Poland.

The aircraft's retractable landing gear and clean aerodynamic design gave it impressive performance for the period. Its maximum speed was around 440 km/h, making it considerably faster than many contemporary bombers.

The bomber could carry a substantial internal and external bomb load, while defensive machine guns were installed in positions around the nose, dorsal and ventral areas.
Production

The P-37 was intended to become the backbone of Polish medium-bomber forces.

Production was undertaken by PZL (Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze) in Warsaw.

The production programme ultimately resulted in approximately 120 P-37 aircraft, with the majority being P-37B aircraft. Exact figures vary slightly between historical sources depending on whether prototypes, incomplete aircraft and export machines are included.

The aircraft attracted considerable international interest because of its performance. Poland negotiated or explored export opportunities with several countries, including Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

This was a significant achievement for the Polish aviation industry: the P-37 demonstrated that Poland could produce a modern twin-engined combat aircraft competitive with contemporary European designs.
The P-37 during the September 1939 campaign

The P-37 Łoś entered combat during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.

This was an unfortunate point in its development because the Polish Air Force had only a relatively small number of fully operational aircraft and was confronted by the much larger German Luftwaffe.

The Łoś nevertheless conducted bombing and reconnaissance missions against German forces and transport concentrations.

Its performance was good enough that German fighters could not simply regard it as an easy target, although the aircraft remained vulnerable without adequate fighter protection.

The Polish bombing force suffered heavy losses during the campaign. Aircraft were dispersed to improvised airfields and repeatedly relocated in an effort to survive German attacks.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the Łoś carried out a substantial number of combat missions during the campaign.
Survivors and Romanian service

A particularly interesting aspect of the P-37's history is that some aircraft escaped across the Polish-Romanian border after the defeat of Poland.

Romania interned Polish military personnel and aircraft, but subsequently incorporated some P-37s into Romanian service.

This is one reason the aircraft's history extends beyond the September 1939 campaign.

Some captured or interned P-37s were also evaluated by the Germans and Soviets. The aircraft attracted considerable technical interest because of its relatively advanced aerodynamic design.
Why the Łoś is historically important

The PZL P-37 represents an interesting "what might have been" in Polish aviation.

By 1939 Poland had produced a bomber that was fast, modern and technically sophisticated. However, the country's strategic and industrial circumstances meant that it could not produce enough aircraft to match the scale of the German and Soviet air forces.

The P-37 therefore became one of the best-known symbols of Poland's pre-war attempt to develop an independent modern aviation industry.

For a model collection, the aircraft is particularly significant because it sits between two generations of Polish aircraft: the older PZL biplanes such as the P.7 and P.11, and the modern monoplane designs that Poland was developing immediately before the war.