IL-2 Sturmovik ***Finished***

[Alan P]

First thing to say is... this entire build is dedicated to the generosity of Sgt Squarehead. Without his charitable help donating the kit I wouldn't even be in the GB but merely an interested spectator. Thank you very much!

It's the Tamiya kit with three very nice decal options. I'll be doing the first option from the 6th Detached Shturmovik Air Regiment probably the most well-known artwork of the GPW.

More soon!

Al

Edited June 24, 2016 by Alan P

[vppelt68]

Welcome Alan and well done Sarge!

[Brad]

This is a ripper of a kit. Their 1/48 kit is better than the Spitfire Mk 1 which is usually thought of as their best fitting kit.

[Foxbat]

I have one of these I have earmarked as a post war Mongolian example so I'll be watching this with interest.

[Learstang]

I've built one of these, and it is the best Il-2 in 1/72nd scale. The 1/48th scale example is the best in any scale. Now if only they'd do one in 1/32nd scale! I've offered to help them, and the only price would be a test-shot example. Seems reasonable to me. Best of luck with this build, and I'm available for questions, knowing a little bit about the Shturmovik.

Regards,

Jason

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Glad you got it OK.....Look forward to seeing what you do with it.

[Cookenbacher]

I'll definitely be following along Alan, as I really enjoy seeing your work, and Jason (Learstang) says this is the best 1/72 IL-2 kit. Don't make it too nice though, as it will be intimidating enough to build one of my own one day.

[Stew Dapple]

I'll tag along too if you don't mind Alan, I was inspired by Learstang's Il-2 book; I think there might well be one of these introduced to my stash shortly...

Cheers,

Stew

[Alan P]

Thanks a lot guys, you are all welcome. I really like the look of the kit, and thanks for the offers of help. I intend to build it out of the box, but might need some help with colours.

Will be getting started on it as soon as I've finished the big B-29 - should be after the weekend.

Alan

[Stosh65]

I knew there had to be one of these in here somewhere. Look forward to seeing it.

[Alan P]

Hi al, finally managed to make a start.

First off - this is a lovely little kit:

Excellent surface detail:

Interior is pretty amazing too.

Not particularly exciting, but I've prepared and primed all the interior parts ready for a coat of RLM 02.

With any luck, this shouldn't take too long - it looks like being one of those therapeutic builds.

Any idea what a realistic load would be for this aircraft (Kalinin / Baltic fronts late 1944-early 1945)? The kit gives you 100 and 250 kg bombs, and some rockets which look nice.

Al

[Learstang]

A good load would be four rockets and the two external 250 kg (FAB-250) bombs. Mine, when I finally finish it (it's built and partially painted, I just need to get on with it and finish the painting) will have this load-out. I don't know what primer you used, but that actually looks better for the interior paint than RLM 02 - too green, whereas the normal interior colour was A-14 Steel Grey, which was a neutral grey. Indeed, that's what I use, Testors MM Neutral Gray.

Regards,

Jason

[CliffB]

I hope that you enjoy the therapy Al

Cliff

[TheBaron]

Looking good. Some nice detail on that kit Alan.

Tony

[Alan P]

Thanks guys

A good load would be four rockets and the two external 250 kg (FAB-250) bombs. Mine, when I finally finish it (it's built and partially painted, I just need to get on with it and finish the painting) will have this load-out.

Thanks for the info Jason. I was hoping to be able to use the rockets and big bombs without it being unrealistic. Good to know!

I hope that you enjoy the therapy Al

Thanks Cliff, so far so good!

I don't know what primer you used, but that actually looks better for the interior paint than RLM 02 - too green, whereas the normal interior colour was A-14 Steel Grey, which was a neutral grey. Indeed, that's what I use, Testors MM Neutral Gray.

Well, i am always one to take good advice, but in this case I have steered slightly away; I'm always intrigued why certain colour choices seem to take hold in the modellers' fraternity, so the prevalence of RLM02 was a bit of a mystery in view of what Jason said. So i cheated a bit and used Xtracrylix Neutral Gray with a splash of RLM02 to make a colour which i think fits the bill.:

Assembled cockpit, with the decals for seatbelts (Out of the box, remember )

Defensive MG finished:

Gunners' position with the tank between (fuel tank?)

I just followed kit instructions for a satin black tank with shiny framework. (same as the box art)

Here they are in situ:

And state of play for today.

Thanks for following so far.

Al

Edited June 12, 2016 by Alan P

[John Thompson]

FWIW, a bit of history on the supposed use of a colour similar to RLM02 in Russian cockpits - I recall seeing a thread on the old rec.models.scale Usenet group where it was said, based on the research of someone in Russia who was connected with Accurate Miniatures, this usage was actually observed and (I guess) incorporated it into AM's kit instructions. So, maybe that's how it got started, or at least how it gained credibility. Or, maybe it was just too much vodka the night before the museum visit... I might even have that thread bookmarked - I wonder if I can still pull it up - probably not, since rms seems to have gone the way of the Dodo! Although there is always The Wayback Machine - remember, The Internet is FOREVER!!!

John

Found it - in reference to the old oznet/Hobbyvista VVS site, one of the correspondents says:

"Interesting site. Some of the color info differs from original color
chips (FS 34151/34102 for the olive green and FS35190 for the underside
blue) recently examined in Moscow by a correspondant of Accurate
Miniatures. Bill Bosworth and I would be interested in your source for
the interior colors - he has some pretty convincing evidence for a color
similar to RLM02, at least on some IL-2's. Anything new and confirmable
from original documents (w. chips) or unrestored relics would be
welcome."

Believe it or not...

Edited June 9, 2016 by John Thompson

[Learstang]

So that's where that RLM 02 business came from - thank you for the information, John! I actually have some fragments of A-14 from Il-2 relics and they are indeed a dead neutral grey colour, of course you have to take into account their age, fading, etc. Mind you, some cockpits do have a green colour present, but that's apparently the ALG-5 primer, and may just be where the A-14 Steel Grey has worn away (or was never painted). Al, whatever colour you used it looks very good, and the cockpit overall looks very convincing, including the fuel tank. The fuel tank, by the time of the swept-winged Il-2s (the 'arrow'), was definitely black with metal restraining straps.

Regards,

Jason

[Alan P]

Good info, guys! Thanks.

Got the main parts assembled:

The fit is exceptional if you treat it with respect! The only putty used to fill the gaps along the faces of the flaps, and just to fill the comparatively large-ish gaps along the wing root/fuselage joins.

Canopy masked with Tamiya tape:

The parts were cleaned and dipped in Klear.

Just a quick shot of the completed assembly to show just how good it all fits together:

Ready for paint!

Thanks guys,

Al

[Alan P]

Al, whatever colour you used it looks very good, and the cockpit overall looks very convincing, including the fuel tank. The fuel tank, by the time of the swept-winged Il-2s (the 'arrow'), was definitely black with metal restraining straps.

Thanks for that Jason. i have a couple of other colour queries if don't mind....

The instructions say that the propeller is black, while the bombs and rockets are also semi-gloss black. Could you confirm if that's the case, please?

Also, the brown on the camouflage is stated as a brown-orange tan (see box art above), while the profiles in your book show a more sand-brown colour. Do you have any clarification on that, please?

I'm using a RAL olive green for the green, and a charcoal grey for the dark grey. Vanilla RAL Blau for the undersides.

Al

Edited June 12, 2016 by Alan P

[Cookenbacher]

Looks like an IL-2 already Alan, great work.

[Learstang]

That looks great, Al! Regarding the colours, the bombs could be various colours, including black. The propellers were black also, with no yellow warning tip. Regarding the 'brown' colour, it was actually a tan colour, with perhaps a hint of grey. It's a bit of a tricky colour, but I use Testors MM Israeli Armour Sand/Gray for it now. The colour Tamiya have it in (I'm looking at the box right now), is too brown. The other colours you have sound good. I look forward to seeing her painted!

Regards,

Jason

Edited June 12, 2016 by Learstang

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Me too.....Can't believe how quickly you got her built.

[Stew Dapple]

Excellent progress Alan, nice work

Cheers,

Stew

[Alan P]

Thanks again Jason, Andy and Stew.

Primer on!

First bit of paint - RLM65 Hellblau undersides:

Used Xtracrylix, but it had a few lumps in it, some of which found their way out of the nozzle. Bit uneven in places as a result, but should be ok after a bit of micromesh.

These are the other colours I'll be using:

From left - RAL Olivgrun, Afrika Korps Sand Grey and Panzer Grey, all WEM enamels. I prefer enamels in smaller scales because of the fine spray - it will prolong the build time though, as I have to let each shade dry thoroughly, so this will take upwards of three days. In the meantime, I will be cracking into my very nice KittyHawk OV-10A in 1/32.

Cheers,

Al

[Learstang]

You're welcome, Al, and those colours look good! As a matter of fact, another colour I've used for AMT-1 Light Brown (the Soviet tan paint) is Testors MM Afrika Dunkelgrau '42, which sounds suspiciously like your Afrika Korps Sand Grey.

Regards,

Jason

Edited June 13, 2016 by Learstang