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Hello people , This is my first WIP. I have really enjoyed reading and watching the WIP's of others and feel it is time to try to give something back. I have a variety of interests in terms of modelling, but I always seem to come back to aircraft and AFV's of the Spanish Civil War. The variety of aircraft used is quite incredible and moreover, many were simply 1930's 'Golden Age' civil aircraft impressed into often quite bizarre roles; for example passenger Vultee aircraft and Fokker FVII/3M's becoming bombers. Nevertheless this was a proving ground or test run for many new technologies. In terms of aircraft the I-16 'Mosca', (the subject of this build) and the very first Bf-109 'V' prototypes then A (or is it B1?) through to E series, saw their baptism of fire here. The history of the conflict is well documented on the internet and in good old traditional books, and there are some simply splendid (albeit sometimes a little rare and expensive) books available on the aircraft involved in the conflict. Controversy about colours and actual aircraft involved is absolutely rampant and in a way, quite liberating. Within the community of Spanish Civil War modelling enthusiasts I know (not many!) a great deal of encouragement and artistic licence is granted. There is so little that can be certain, from actual numbers/codes of aircraft involved (BF-109C for example) to types (was there really an RWD-8 and a Bloch MB-200?) to, well, just about everything down to the colour of a particular Republican pilot's socks, or the strength and lens thickness of a particular Legion Condor pilot's monocle . OK. About me. I'm currently not very good at making models. In fact I'm certain that I'm not as good as I was when I was 9 years old and high as a kite on polystyrene cement most of the week, making at least 2 models a week, with very high standards for a little boy. But it was fun wasn't it? My grandfather had been a career RN man (Russian Convoys and MTO in WWII) and encouraged me into modelling. My introduction to modelling is described on the intro post I made some months ago to BM and a little more in my 'about me' so I won't ramble on about my early abject failures. Needless to say I returned to models after a bereavement in 2003 and it really helped me, like a breath of fresh air. Then work and an illness prevented me from starting again until last year. I thoroughly enjoy it, but I keep on trashing my efforts. Perhaps time to lower my standards? I think it would be far better to use this opportunity to probably demonstrate to the world at large that I am still highly capable of an abject failure.... Thus, onto this model. Amodel. What a fascinating company. That's one adjective. Others can be used. Nearly all of their kits pose a challenge in one way or another, they are short run, yet often they are short run for so long that the very sprue runs, and we end up with nothing but flash from which to try to identify and carve our own components . Nevertheless, they kit some wonderfully obscure subjects, and I love the wonderfully obscure! Thus - I feel I help keep someone, possibly in a cold dark cellar in Murmansk, with a scriber, some faded plans, some resin and a bottle of vodka, in a job. Some of their kits go together beautifully straight from the sprue, but there are some, like this little, tubby, I-16 that can be exceedingly variable in terms of moulding quality. In this case, from production batch to production batch. Ask me how I know. I decided to post this as my first WIP because, frankly, this model can be a real pain in the derriere. I know it isn't just me; it is known for possibly needing a bucket of filler. Moreover it has some issues, probably the main one is the wings. They aren't really of the right kind for an I-16 type 5 of the SCW (as I will refer to that very 'uncivil' war from now on). Other issues I will discuss as we progress together into the build. I have not completed a model since I started again around a year ago. To be honest they have all been rubbish and have flown directly into the dustbin. Often. Around 10 now. I have tried to build this one 4 times now. Dustbin; 3 times out of 4. The 4th attempt is in the drawer of doom. This will be attempt number 5. I am posting this, perhaps foolishly, because I had a Really Big Think™. I may, just may, have figured out a way to make this without the usually required bucket of filler. I'm sure I'm not the first, but I may perhaps be the most incompetent, so it should surely provide a little entertainment. I hope so anyway. I'm not awfully sure I have this Photobucket thing worked out yet, so I will only try to post a picture of the box here. I hope it works. I hope this WIP at least helps fellow modellers to see the fun a cheap little East European kit can give, even when it is utterly frustrating and maybe, together, we can find a way to tame this little beastie ?. Best regards, thanks for reading and happy modelling Tony Edited for terrible spelling.