Prenton Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 (edited) Hi guys This will be my first effort for this Group Build. It is a Soviet Polikarpov I-16, Type 24, that was captured by the Finns in the Winter War of 1940, and was converted to the Finnish designation VH-201. It was subsequently sent to the German test establishment at Rechlin in April 1941 for testing against German fighters while they were preparing for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia that summer. The kit is an old Hasegawa one (dated 1995) that I picked up in the kitswop at Telford last November. The box art (note the absence of the blue swastikas, for politically correct sales in Europe). The sprue layout - quite a few parts really, considering the model's diminutive size. (I also have an A model Type 6, which has a lot less parts) Close up of the decal sheet - note the mixture of blue swastikas and the blue and white crosses on the roundels. Now, time to get modelling.... Watch this space! Prenton Edited March 7, 2011 by Prenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Nice project ( I have one of these on the go myself) looking forwards to seeing your WIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prenton Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 (edited) Well.... After a lot of other things on my shelf, I finally realised last week that I had only a few days to finish this GB project. (Talk about KUTA!) So here goes:- The interior and other bits and pieces were sprayed gloss black (as an undercoat, as I find that it allows for shadows etc better than pre-shading (if I am careful)). Subsequently, I painted the cockpit in the light grey (as advised in the kit). Not sure about that - didn't the Russians often have a kind of turquoise paint for the cockpit interiors? Anyhow, I will go with the light grey, as I don't have anything near the turquoise in stock, and ordering some would take me well beyond the end of the GB. However, the cockpit all seemed a bit too empty as modelled by Hasegawa, so I have spent the last couple of days looking up the net, and have now put in a pile of scratchbuilt details for the cockpit:- Both side panels had various switches and cables, so these have now been added. (they are not completely accurate, but as close as is needed at this scale). The seat was slightly modified, as was the floor of the cockpit - to put in the runners that were there for the pedals - the kit only had a flat sheet. (not sure this will even be seen, but whatever...) More tomorrow (hopefully), when I have finished the cockpit and put it all together. Philip Edited June 18, 2011 by Prenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Nice work Philip. Always liked the I-16 but never seen the contents of Hasegawa's kit until now. Will keep my eye on this one over the next few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the South African Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Hi Prenton.Nice build so far.As for the question on the turquoise the answer is a definate NO!According to the book russian fighter colours 1939-1945 the fighters of the period had only primer sprayed in the cockpit areas in the case of your little fighter it would have been a type of chromate green the colour does not really matter though as long as it is a type of shiny green, the reason for this is that the paint arrived at the depots in a two part mixture that went different colours depending on the mix that the operator made. Hope it helps a bit. Regards........... P.S did you know that the russian camo patterns for ww2 was "invented" by a woman(cant remember the name now but will look it up if you really need to know) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prenton Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the info. Didn't know about the interior colour - or indeed about the Russian woman who invented the Soviet Patriotic War camo scheme. Don't need to know, thanks, as this is an I-16, captured by the Finns, who then re-did the camo to their own requirements. I take your point on the interior colour. However, I have already finished painting the interior details, and at this stage I don't relish starting again, so I will stick with the light grey. The cockpit is so small in 1/72 that it probably won't be noticeable. Anyhow, perhaps the Finns repainted it after capture (at least that is a story that nobody can disprove.....) This is where I am at now:- Various bits and bobs on the cockpit walls painted up, with knobs in chrome silver and cables in yellow. The seat has been given tamiya masking tape seatbelts, livened up with black detailing using a 5x0 paintbrush, silver buckles and an overpaint in a heavily thinned buff colour. All that is left is to do the leather head cushion, the control panel (with the decals from the kit, as it cannot be seen from outside), and the fuselage can then be closed up. Thanks for looking! Philip Edited June 19, 2011 by Prenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prenton Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 (edited) Further progress. The major structural elements - fuselage and wings - have been put together. After a bit of filling along wing joins (as you can see, despite being a Hasegawa, the dimensions between the fuselage and the wings were not by any means tight), the model got a primer coat of overall Tamiya light grey acrylics, followed by my own mix of Tamiya light blue (XF-23) with a dash of clear blue (X-23) to get as close as possible to the light blue shade on the underside, and dark green to the top. After this, it is ready for a bit of masking for the upper green and black Finnish camo using loads of blue tack and masking tape More tomorrow! Philip Edited June 21, 2011 by Prenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prenton Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 A good bit of masking and spraying, and now I have the (rather unusual) black and green Finnish camo pattern completed. A night to allow the paint to dry, and on with the Future tomorrow (probably in two coats), in preparation for the decals on Friday. (I might just make the deadline!) Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Looking good Philip - particularly the interior detailing Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prenton Posted June 25, 2011 Author Share Posted June 25, 2011 The final shots - Futured, decalled, undercarriage and bits and bobs added. Thankfully, the canopy is a single piece that just slots in. You also have the option to include the wing guns as holes (presumably machine guns inside) or with small cannon. I went for the cannon. The model is a real gem, with very good detail. However, the "politically correct" arrangement of decals leaves a lot to be desired, as it forces you to put on the decals with the white circles and blue crosses first, and then the blue Swastikas on top of the blue cross decals. Guess what - they are not the same size! So a bit of patching with spare bits of white decal was necessary. So the message is - if you happen to come upon the Hasegawa I-16 kit, find some aftermarket decals with Finnish markings already on the white circles, or else - if you are REALLY good at masking, mask off individual white circles and paint them on first. This should be possible on the wings, but would be extremely fiddly on the fuselage sides. This photo will show you why - this kit is VERY small.....Here it is beside a €2 coin. The very last thing is to mount the model on a suitable "wintry scene" base as befits its northerly location. (It does have skis instead of wheels). So a snowy field somethere above the Arctic Circle does the job. Thanks for looking! Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Beautiful job Philip. I knew the I-16 was small but the coin really brings home its tiny dimensions! Will look out for this kit in future as I always regret missing it when it was available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Nice one Philip, thats a very nice build and very fast too (compared to my one) fortunately I shall be able to use your interior pics to get mine moving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micha Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I hope it's not freezing top! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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