Again I found it useful to modify
the kit instruction sequence several
times. In addition, I could not make
sufficient sense of the instruction
drawings, so I chose to assemble the
complete engine and engine mount
so that I could offer it up to the
fuselage to see where the exhausts
should run. Eventually, it worked
out sensibly; I imagine M-63
mechanics developed a good sense
for which pipes fitted where and
how to persuade replacements to fit.
That engine must have made a
fine barking crackle in operation!
It’s a shame that if the model is
built as instructed, all the engine
detail is hidden, as are the fuselage
machine guns and a great deal of
the internal cockpit detail. I chose
to leave one engine cowling side
panel off, but there will be plenty
scope for super detailers and
diorama builders with this one.
The front cowling, with the
blanking pieces to avoid over-
cooling in winter, is built up
separately along with the propeller
and prop boss. The propeller
detail includes two pitch change
actuators to be added, which like
the machine guns and other detail
is then lost to view, since the prop
boss covers them completely.
Unusually, the prop shaft or
spindle on which the prop and
cooling gills rotate is made up of
three parts, something I have never
encountered before. That needs
to be made up well in advance
and strengthened with fine super
glue additions before use.
As is commonly the case where
good internal engine detail is
provided, during dry tests I found
that fitting the engine and front
cowlings in place correctly was
going to be a tight fit. I drilled
out the engine mount holes on
the back plate to ensure a good
snug fit, and also chamfered off
the embossed front circle on the
engine face to allow the prop
spindle a little more room.
With careful persuasion, tape,
and some superglue the engine and
front cowling were glued in place.
The panel covering the upper rear
cowl and machine gun barrels was
glued in place at the same time, to
provide extra strength to the build.
It should be noted that the
I-16 had several panels which
overlapped. This was an aircraft
built to purpose, without any extra
frills, for easy build and simple
field maintenance. Accordingly,
not all panels are flush at their rear
edges with one another, which
causes some confusion at first.
It was also the first fully
retractable-undercarriage fighter
monoplane in the world. The
undercarriage is quite stalky andrather fragile. In practice the oleo
damping was not quite sufficient
and the brakes were poor, leading
to much bouncing and weaving
on landing, not helped by thevery nose-up landing attitude.
(Incidentally, the undercarriage
was retracted by hand, winding up
by cable over 44 turns. This led to a
characteristic undulating climb-
out pattern for novice pilots!)
I felt that the anti-torque
scissors that attach to the oleo
sections were moulded rather over-
extended, and were possibly more
correct for an aircraft in flight. To
be stable enough for model ground
sitting the undercarriage needed its
bracing struts added. I recommend
you first attach these struts without
their fairings, since the fitting
clearances are tight. The fairings
can go on later. Looking at the
undercarriage helps explain why
the undercarriages often jammed
while being raised, given the tight
clearance and the cable operation.PAINTING AND DECALS
The colour scheme for most Soviet
machines of the era was dark green
with pale blue undersides, often
wearing and fading fast. Individualmarkings were rare, though some
patriotic slogans were permitted in
the heat of battle. I couldn’t resist
the ”For Stalin” banner on the port
side of one option. I have no ideawhat the starboard side slogan
says: something to investigate.
I tried some minor fading effect,
using a lightly tinted water wash to
mottle the upper surfaces randomly.
Otherwise I left the paintworkfairly clean, as if recently delivered
to the field, though I may indulge
myself by practising some more
extensive weathering later, for fun.CONCLUSION
This extraordinarily stubby and
pugnacious little fighter was a delight
to build, still quite modest in size
even in this scale, and I learnt more
about the design as I went along. I
have long had a fascination for the
wee Polikarpov, so grateful thanks are
due to ICM for this review sample.
As their first 1/32 scale kit,
this bodes well for the future.
It is strongly recommended for
anyone with an interest in Russian
aircraft, and for diorama builders.“THIS EXTRAORDINARILY STUBBY
AND PUGNACIOUS LITTLE FIGHTER
WAS A DELIGHT TO BUILD”
KIT REVIEWS
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • OCTOBER 2018 • 59
056-65-Reviews-1018.indd 59 14/09/2018 15:23