Revell of Germany, (Accurate Miniatures) 1:48 Scale IL-2, "Stormovik"
The first for the new year, 2020, is this Revell of Germany, Ilyushin Il-2, Stormovik.
Actually this is a repop of the Accurate Minatures kit, and is STILL a very nice kit, albeit a wee bit fiddley overall.
The kit itself builds well, and I found no major issues with fit or alignment. The only point I will make, is to try and download a copy of the instruction sheet from Accurate Miniatures. There is definitely some important left out in translation. A major point is to get the wing spar positioned correctly, and your wing alignment, and the landing gear position, relay on this being correct. Otherwise, it's a great kit, and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Markings are those of an unknown unit during the summer of 1944. The inscription on the side is supposed to be an honor towards famed Russian test pilot, Valerii Chkalov, who lost his life in December 1938. For all I know it could mean "Eat At Joe's Diner"...
Here are the pictures...
There's a way old review of mine at Modeling Madness that details the tricks I discovered to get the most of this kit. The essential thing is to attach the upper wing to the fuselage half before proceeding, so you can work that joint from both sides and get it perfect. Do that and everything else will "fall together."
Very nice work on this, Freddie (as usual).
There are a couple of websites - Wayback machine- and Accurate Miniatures Support- that have the original instructions for the kit.
Looks great! I'm for the "Joe's Diner" version...
Looks great!
Nicely done Freddie, like you I often wonder how accurate those Russian markings are. Good looking Stormovik.