PZL P.24A-G

Monographie #7
By Andrzej Glass
Kagero, ©2004
ISBN 83-89088-33-9
Softbound, 88 Pages, with Decals & Mask
Available from Squadron for $22.47

Reviewed By Chris Banyai-Riepl

With the spate of recent releases of PZL P.24 kits by Mirage, this is a timely publication. The PZL P.24 series was a development of the P.11, but one that took place after the death of the renowned designer Zygmunt Pulawski. The ultimate design in PZL's gull-wing designs, the P.24 was, at one time, the fastest and most heavily armed single-seat fighter in the world. This book details the aircraft from initial design through to its fateful end at the guns of the Luftwaffe during World War Two.

Before the book dives into the history of the P.24 itself, the authors provide some background on the Pulawski wing, which saw extensive imitation around the world during the 1930s. Once this introduction is out of the way, the book goes into detail on the development of each of the variants of the P.24. Corresponding with this description are drawings in the back of the book that show, in shaded progression, the differences between all the marks. This is a very useful flowchart to see just how the plane evolved over time. In addition to this, a full set of scale drawings are also included, drawn to 1/48 scale.

In addition to the description of the plane, the book also includes a nice operational history of the P.24. This plane saw extensive foreign usage, with Greece, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria all flying the type. By the time war broke out, the P.24 was outclassed, but it still managed to hold its own against more modern aircraft. Numbers were key, though, and the numerical superiority of the Axis forces brought the career of the P.24 to an end.

Like other titles by Kagero, this book comes with a decal sheet. Additionally, there is a vinyl canopy mask designed for the 1/48 Mirage kit. The decals are basic and most likely designed as additions to decal sheets in the Mirage kits. Printed in black and white, there are Polish, Bulgarian, Turkish, Romanian, and Greek options, mainly consisting of alternate serial numbers (although there is one Bulgarian one with a large slogan written on the fuselage side). With only two colors, there is no alignment issues, and the Techmod-printed sheet is nicely done.

Kagero titles are available from Squadron. Check their website for this and others in the series.