Tamiya 1/48 IL-2

[SiMCard25]

Afternoon all.

Quick catch up - as an irregular poster, I'm sure you're all dying to know what I've been up to since my last thread . Well:

Got 2nd hand display cabinet from computer shop in Oxford. It cost £100 but it was almost perfect. Shelves 30cm high by 35cm deep, so I have added home-made 'half-shelves' 15cm high and 20cm deep, almost doubling the capacity.

The 1/24 Mossie just about sits on top.

To fill it up, I've since built Dragon Ju88, Airfix Hurricane and Stuka, Tamiya Mustang, Corsair, T-34 and Sherman Firefly and an Academy P-38 Lightning, all 1/48.

Mrs Card kindly got me Tamiya's IL-2 for my birthday in July, and it's my next project. I really want to do it justice, within my limited skillset, as well as trying out a few new things. So whilst it will largely be an OOB of the one on the box, I've got Eduards PE set for it as my first attempt at these details. There is a really good site detailing this particular aircraft which is unfortunately bookmarked on my tablet, not my PC, so I can't find it right now.

Should also point out I'm starting a new job Monday, so this build will take a while and will probably be weekends-only as I really want to take time & care with it.

Anyway, piccies:

Box

All parts

Decals, including canopy masks.

Eduard PE bits

After thinking how the ~@/*_~+#'+ am I going to fold them, did some research, got these (sorry it's blurred - getting a little excited):

The Hold 'n' Fold (holding the razor blade for safe keeping).

I have found absolutely buckets of resources and pictures online - however, my first dilemma has already arisen. What colour should the cockpit interior be?

Tamiya give XF-22 RLM Grey.

This doesn't match the PE painted parts.

Resources suggest ALG (cockpit green) was painted over wood and aluminium, then overpainted with AL14 (effectively steel grey).

The PE parts look pale blue.

Here's a couple of shots of XF-22 (RLM Grey) and XF-23 (Light Blue) on a snippet of sprue next to the PE part (again apologies for exposure - colours show reasonably clearly):

It seems to fall somewhere between the two, so a mix may do the trick.

Or should I be trying to match to the PE at all and just go with RLM Grey. Personally, I think that would leave the 'pit too dark.

Here's a real one:

Thoughts appreciated, though as I say, it may take me a while to come back.

Cheers

Si M...

[MickE]

that doesn't look like RLM 02 in the real cockpit.

[SiMCard25]

I made a couple of decisions...

Internal areas will be painted Cockpit Green, over painted with watered-down Tamiya's RLM Grey, then over painted again with Light Grey, and weathered up a bit once put together. This will hopefully reflect the various colours I've seen in various sources, laid down in the order they were, er, sometimes.

Had some issues with the rudder pedals and I'm hunting for one of the levers that exited my tweezers at a fair rate of knots - may have to jimmy together a new one.

Really like the instruments and side control panel. Seat belts were fun, but went in OK eventually.

Have mostly enjoyed my first taste of PE...

So, here's where I am (pre-weathering):

I'm also getting used to the camera on my new phone, so I can only apologise for some of the pic quality.

The colours in the photos look more 'green' than it does in the flesh - I'll have to keep an eye on that.

Thanks for looking.

Comments & criticism welcome.

Cheers

Si M...

[Troy Smith]

Hi Si

if in doubt, the default VVS internal colour is A-14 Steel Grey, Eduard are infamous for their interpretations of cockpit colours....

Restored aircraft should be treated with caution for accuracy as well....

The place for VVS info is here http://sovietwarplanes.com/

this is the Il-2 page http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/il-2/il-2.htm

If you have a search you will probably find photos of the kits markings options.

Offhand I'm not sure which version the Tamiya kit represents.

Any Il-2 questions? Look up member 'Learstang' as he's the Il-2 nut here [and there] but if he spots this he'll probably chip in. Friendly helpful chap too.

HTH

T

[SiMCard25]

You see, Troy - that's why I use this site. Encouraging and helpful as ever, thank you!

Yup - that Soviet warplanes site is the one I couldn't find on the top post - it has this link:

http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/il-2/il2-camo/pavlov/pavlov.html

which, I believe, is info specifically about the aircraft on the Tamiya box cover ('White 1').

Thanks again - and I'll keep a lookout for Learstang.

Just one other thing - removed the fire extinguisher as per Eduard instructions, which promptly tore a hole in the side of the gunner's pod. This afternoon I've been having 'Fun with Filler'.

Cheers again.

Si M...

[Learstang]

Nice start, Si M! If you do have any questions, please let me know. Why I know enough about the Il-2 to write a book about it (two actually, one to be published hopefully this November - stay tuned - sorry for the shameless plug!). Troy is correct about the A-14 colour, called "Steel Grey" by the Soviets, as Troy observed. I use Testors Model Master Neutral Gray which to me seems to match preserved pieces of A-14 (I actually have a few small flakes of the original paint, myself). This interior colour can also be used on the wheel wells, including the tail wheel well. To be honest, the Soviets were all over the place with the Il-2's wheel well colours, ranging from unpainted metal to ALG-5 primer, a medium greyish-green colour, but if you don't have evidence to the contrary, A-14 is always a good bet to go with. The tail wheel well was probably always painted, at least on the Il-2's with the wooden rear fuselage (which was most of them, including all of the arrows, the cranked-wing version that the Tamiya kit represents). You might visit my website as I have a review of the Tamiya kit, including a few things they got wrong (they got most things right, and it's the best kit of the Il-2 in any scale - if only they'd scale it up to 1/32nd scale! The Hobby Boss kits are nice, but a 1/32nd scale Tamiya Il-2 would be brilliant!).

Best Regards,

Jason A/K/A Learstang

P.S. Thank you Troy for the plug!

Edited September 7, 2014 by Learstang

[SiMCard25]

Thanks Learstang. Interesting points and thanks for the comments.

I've been away on a training course in Prague for 2 weeks and I'm just about to start the fuselage build.

Two of my co-trainees were Russian and one showed me a site: www.iremember.ru that he uses for background on Soviet GPW modelling. It's tricky to read in places using Google translate, but is a fascinating insight, based on interviews with vets and technical documents. You may have already seen it, but there's hours of research in there if you dig a bit.

I'll post more when I make some progress.

Cheers

Si M...

[Learstang]

Actually, Si, Mr. Artem Drabkin, who I believe is the owner of the site, or at least a contributor, was kind enough to let me use two of his Il-2 pilot interviews (translated, of course) in my book due out in November. I shall be very interested to watch your progress on the Il-2!

Regards,

Jason

[Troy Smith]

I've been away on a training course in Prague for 2 weeks and I'm just about to start the fuselage build.

And you didn't go and see the Il-2 at Kbely!?! !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Aviation_Museum,_Kbely

Maybe just too busy.... perhaps they can send you back

cheers

T

[Learstang]

If I ever make it to Prague, I'm making a beeline for that Il-2, camera in hand!

Regards,

Jason

[SiMCard25]

Gaaah! Can't believe I was about 5km from a real one and didn't go to see it. Shall have to get myself on another course. Weekend would have been ideal, though SWMBO came out and we did some touristy things. Still, I rubbed the saint on George Bridge, so I should be going back... and to be completely fair, Mrs Card would've enjoyed me enjoying it - she's like that.

Have managed to put the fuselage together, but have come across my first glitch (with the PE, not the kit). There's a small recess in the instrument panel that the Eduard PE covers up and a tiny piece (compass?) doesn't fit properly. This forces the piece out and prevents the cockpit sliding in properly. I have managed to work round it, but it was irritating for a while.

I'll try to post some pics between now & the weekend.

Cheers again.

Si M...

Edited September 28, 2014 by SiMCard25

[SiMCard25]

OK - fuselage together and the wing root started

Fuselage (NB: as ever, the pics make the paint job on the fuel tank look rubbish - I have since tidied it up a bit):

2 points re the fuselage / cockpit:

I know the colour may not be accurate, but I'm actually rather pleased with it - it looks 'used' to me.

Eagle eyed observers will notice some PE issues - one seatbelt upside down, a lever missing. I'm planning to make my usual bodge of the canopy, so these will fade to insignificance, I hope.

Learstang - I've seen some yellow feeder pipes from the fuel tank in some pics of the museum examples - should I scratch build some wire representations of these, or are they a later mod of the real thing?

Wing root (note PE grilles on oil coolers - currently struggling with the PE intake / extract flaps so not present in the pics).

Hopefully get a little more done soon & update as necessary.

Overall, though - going together like a Tamiya should - good fit, good instructions and no major headaches (except with the Eduard PE!).

Si M...

[Learstang]

Looking very nice, Si! Actually, the cockpit colour looks good. Regarding the yellow line, that was on the wartime Il-2's. Yellow was the colour the Soviets used for the fuel system (the fuel tanks were black because they were covered in self-sealing rubber). Even the cap on the top of the fuel tank behind the pilot was painted yellow. The small tank on the side of the fuel tank had a red line going to the fuel tank; red was the colour for the fire suppressant system, consisting of CO2. By the way, be careful with the wing root join - it was not the easiest fit on the 1/72nd scale Tamiya kit I built (which is basically the 1/48th scale kit shrunk down to the gentleman's scale). To be honest, I don't think I've ever built a Shturmovik model where this was an easy join. It can be done, of course, you just have to be careful. Perhaps on the 1/48th scale kit it's easier.

Regards,

Jason

[SiMCard25]

Quick update.

Wings attached to wing root. Almost seamless.

Now to attach to the fuselage - bearing in mind Learstang's comments:

It's difficult to see in this pic, I now realise, but there is a tiny tongue on the trailing edge of the wing root to positively locate the parts. I wonder if Tamiya have added this after difficulties - who knows?

Anyway, test fitting the sections together was just about snap-fit. Very easy and good and tight, as hopefully these pics show:

Upper join:

Underside join:

I have now cemented these in place in the short time I've had - next to decide which bits to attach prior to spraying. Also obvious to me from the pics - it could do with a damn good wash before any paint gets near it!

I have toyed with the idea of adding the fuel line as previously discussed, but as I am building it 'cockpit open', I'm not sure it would be visible - it's a choice I can make later, anyhow.

Cheers again!

Si M...

PS: Off to Dublin next Monday with work - is anyone aware of a Sturmovik in any local museums?

[Learstang]

Sadly, I don't believe the Irish Army Air Corps ever used the Shturmovik. I'm glad to see you didn't have any trouble with the fuselage/wing join. In the world of Il-2-modelling, that is a rare occurrence indeed.

Regards,

Jason

[Marty]

Nice build, don't see many of these being built

[SiMCard25]

OK all - really sorry for the gap. Work has been bit manic & whilst I've found time to slowly progress the build, writing it up has not been possible.

Thanks again for views & comments.

Anyway, the kit got masked (note the canopy masks that came in the box).

Lesson learnt for next time: Apply masks - then apply varnish to seal them. I ended up with my first coat (the interior colour) going under the masks and having to be corrected with a +5 Cocktail Stick of Enormous Usefulness.

Next, the main layers of paint sprayed all over the place on:

Paintwork was tidied a little with a Mk17 Hairy Stick and varnish applied in 2 coats, wheels & ordinance added:

Note I had to apply, sand & re-apply about 362 coats (mebbe slight exaggeration) of red to the spinner to get it to look half decent. As a result I've lost the line that's supposed to go round it - I will have a look at rescribing it later.

Then ready for decals (and the rear MG has magically appeared):

Then applied decals and re-varnished:

I confess I got a little frustrated with some of the PE parts and haven't fitted them all, but I'm reasonably pleased with my stretched-sprue antennas.

I have varnished it repeatedly as I want to be able to weather it decently without knackering the paintwork. So just a hint of weathering and a calming coat of Alclad semi-matt to go, I hope!

Thoughts & comments / criticism welcome as always...

Cheers

Si M...

[Learstang]

Si, that looks very nice! Remember when weathering that the port wing root was usually pretty beat up. Sometimes the Il-2's would fly up to five sorties a day, so that part of the wing, where the pilot and gunner walked on it, got worn down to the aluminium pretty quickly. Also, although it put out a lot of exhaust (in an arc pattern, with almost no exhaust stains below the engine exhausts), the AM-38 engine was not a very leaky engine, so don't overdo the oil stains (it's not like the Merlin on a Spitfire, for example). Keep up the excellent work!

Regards,

Jason

Edited October 31, 2014 by Learstang

[Learstang]

Si, did you every finish this?

Regards,

Jason

[HOUSTON]

Si. M,

I like the way you present your work/build in cluster of pictures.

Good idea.

I think your workmanship is SUPER..

keep it coming.

[SiMCard25]

Really sorry, one & all - combination of working in Dublin, Christmas and a couple of family issues (no sympathy required) have put this on hold temporarily. I have weathered the plane lightly and need to complete the calming of the varnish, but its nearly there.

I'll update once it's done. Should be a couple of weeks.

Got a 1:48 Mossie for Christmas and a couple more coming according to Mrs Card, so i want to finish this & move on as and when possible.

Thanks for the interest - please be patient with me.

Si M...

[Learstang]

No problem, Si! I look forward to the finished product.

Regards,

Jason