Profimodeller | #32162: KT-04 Czech Tow Target

Reviewed by Kevin Futter

This is a very interesting release from Czech firm Profimodeller. The Letov KT-04 was a towed aerial gunnery target used by the Czech air force, often towed behind L-39 Albatros aircraft.

Photo sourced from Wikipedia.

The Kit

Profimodeller's kit is a multimedia affair that comes in a small but stout box.

Inside we find the following components:

1 resealable bag of resin parts
1 resealable bag containing metal parts and decals
1 instruction booklet

The Resin Parts

Being a small and very simple 'aircraft', only 26 resin parts go to make up this kit. They are nicely cast, though there's a little bit of flash evident on some components. This should be very easy to remove. At least half the parts are for the dolly the KT-04 sits on. One of the parts labelled 'R15' was broken in my example, but should be able to be repaired with little trouble.

Miscellaneous Parts

The second resealable bag contains the following:

1 fret of photo-etched brass
1 fret of photo-etched stainless steel
1 decal sheet
1 length of copper wire
1 piece of textured paper

Note that the instructions indicate that there are two lengths of 'rod' included, but I could only find one in my example. The textured paper is listed in the instructions as 'cloth'.

Instructions

The instructions consist of 10 pages in A5 format, and feature exploded assembly diagrams and painting guides. The latter are printed in colour.

It's clear from perusing the instructions that, while a small and seemingly simple subject, this kit will not be simple to build. The photo-etched parts form crucial components of the assembly, particularly with regard to the dolly, and most of them need to formed into specific shapes. Don't tackle this kit without some experience with PE - and your photo-etch bending tools!

Conclusion

This is a neat little kit of a unique subject, and perfect to display in a diorama alongside the HpH L-39 kit. Having said that, the build will require an experienced hand, both with resin and photo-etched parts, and would challenge the skills of new modellers. If you're up for the challenge however, it will certainly give you a unique result!

Thanks to Profimodeller for the review sample.