Model of the month April 2022 Avia C-2
Die Avia C-2
The Avia C-2 in 1/72 scale. Here in service of the VZLU Letnany until 1958 - and without German MG 17 in the nose.
In front of the hangar... Besides the Czech Republic, France also produced the Arado 96 and exported it to third countries under its own name after WWII.
The Model: The Avia C-2 from KP in 1/72.
This was a solid 32 piece plus decal kit from Kovozávody Prostejov (KP) of the then CSSR in 1980. Neatly executed, finely detailed and quite accurate in fit, it gives a choice of three Czechoslovak aviation aircraft from 1948 to 1958. A detailed, multilingual assembly and color manual including a historical sketch round out the good overall impression.
The kit was part of a series of about 15 kits, which collected aircraft models in Czechoslovakian colors from the 1920s to the 1970s - both local development and licensed as well as assigned types.
Our photo series shows a model of an aircraft of the Czechoslovak Aviation Research and Testing Institute ("VZLU") from the second half of the 1950s - used for purely aerodynamic studies, but still in military colors, while the division into a civil and military branch of the institution had already begun.
The model reflects the elegant as well as functional lines of the design. The color scheme of this C-2 follows the Czechoslovak Air Force pattern of the time, and the nose MG is installed.
The original: Arado 96B to Avia C-2: New "Papers"
In 1938, the two-seat Arado Ar 96 designed by Walter Blume took off from the ground for the first time, and the following year what was probably the most modern training aircraft of its time entered service with the German Luftwaffe. With design and performance features adapted to the operational models - all-metal low-wing with enclosed cabin, retractable landing gear, radio and various equipment sets - the aircraft allowed top-level training. It was even used for light frontline duties during the Second World War.
Outsourced
A few examples of the A-series were followed by more than 2,800 units of the B-series, which was more heavily powered with the Argus As 410 A-1. In line with general practice, large-scale production of these aircraft was outsourced to aircraft factories in the satellite states or occupied countries in order to relieve the German armaments factories.
Avia-Flugzeugwerke in Prague was designated to produce the Ar 96. Already experienced in building under license, the factories, founded in 1919, took up large-scale production of the Ar 96 from 1940 onwards, supplemented by the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in the course of the war.
The kit from KP did not need to fear any comparison with western kits at that time.
Heritage item
After the war, production continued almost without interruption, but under a new name. A good 400 more of the design, now called the Avia C-2, were produced until 1949. Exports of this "heirloom" went to Bulgaria, Hungary and other owners in the then Eastern Bloc. In the CSR itself, the type was the standard type of the air force for training as well as for police, border protection and support tasks until 1955, gradually replaced by Soviet and own designs.
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Our Avia C-2 in sky blue. Note the pitot tube and landing light under the wings.