Jump to content

1/48 Petlyakov Pe-2: Soviet pawn star


Recommended Posts

I am a thoroughly irrational modeller at times. In particular, I'll buy kits, then buy some more kits to practice on before I build the kit that I bought in the first place. For example, I bought the Eduard Rockin' Rhino boxing of the Academy 1/48 Phantom, something of a dream kit for me. Then I bought a 1/48 A-7 and a 1/48 A-6 because I felt I needed the practice on external stores. And an Academy Phantom to make sure that I have a dry run. This kit is not quite on that scale, but I pulled it out of the stash because I was thinking about buying a resin engine for another kit, and this has a well detailed styrene engine for me to practice on. I've been trying hard in the last few weeks to resist the pull of the novel, but I'm weak! (But I know I'm not alone...)

 

So, this kit comes with a good rep, and a heck of a lot of parts. I like the looks of the Pe-2, it's a very graceful airframe: 

 

 

Zvezda give three marking options, though as often seems to be the case with VVS subjects, there's only one basic scheme. I'm leaning towards the first, from the 12th Guards Dive Bomber Regiment, but no decision needs to be taken just yet as there seems to be no difference in the build process or the basic colours between the options. In any case, the build starts, appropriately enough, with the detailed Klimov M105 engine. The M105 is similar to the Merlin: a V-12 liquid cooled engine rated at around 1,000 HP, like the early Merlins. This is one of those "kits within a kit", and must have 30+ components, most of them on this sprue:

resized_d4622cb0-46c9-47f0-92c0-8eb700d2

 

Plenty of very fragile looking parts that I can have fun trying to remove cleanly. But the interior parts make this look simple; there are over one hundred parts to put in. This is going to take me some time...

 

 

I must finish by apologising for the awful pun in the thread title  :)

 

 

 

 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Things are moving on, and the engine is pretty much done, with just some pipework and the framing to be added, I think. I've chosen a darker grey than the casing in the photo above (VMC basalt grey), with the other parts variously in VMC Black or German Grey, and Gunmetal or Oily Steel for the bare metal parts.

 

b74d4013-5e01-466e-a0ab-626ef45215b1.JPG

 

bbe213c9-b32f-4af6-812d-04f6e5fe1e75.JPG

 

0b9114ef-8cb5-452d-b0ed-a02adbc21192.JPG

 

 

Looks like I could do a better job on cleaning up the seams, but quite honestly I hadn't even seen them until posting these photos.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The engine is done; only issue really was the build sequence as a couple of pipes needed removing in order to get the frame in place. The attachment points are small so really no problem to take them off and reattach them later.

 

Before framework added. The two pipes that were in the way are those running down to the turbocharger (I think that's what it is, anyway)

resized_e041f5d5-9cd0-4dc2-a20f-d25ed3bc

 

 

Framed:

resized_41993f61-70ad-48bb-8560-41dc5d8d

 

Construction moves onto the wings now. Here's one of the parts, hopefully you can see the restrained and extensive rivetting that Zvezda have moulded:

resized_ceceada6-9115-4162-ab47-9bc5a4c1

 

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, so after building one wing,, and realising that building them fully requires putting the landing gear in, I decided it would be better to leave that until later in the build. Which means I'm on to the fuselage. Zvezda's tooling is excellent for fit.

7f586ae7-7819-4627-831a-ef37ff06fdf6.JPG

 

Assuming that I can get the interior done well, there shouldn't be a hint of any filler.

 

Interior moulded detail is pretty good, though very little will be visible at the end

resized_a4fbc3ba-950d-49e6-819f-f48f040d

 

Started adding some more detail

resized_1ed0c8a8-ef4e-44b2-b19e-cf27708a

 

SO far, this kit is exceptional.

 

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks great and what a fine subject, if it was in a larger scale I would buy a kit on one of these fine aircraft, as it is I will be satisfied watching your build.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A leetle bit of progress to report on the interior, but also my first cock-up. Somehow managed to press one of the fuselage transparencies into place with a gluey finger, so there's a lovely smear on the inside. The interior mandates that these go in at this point as there is some pipework that runs across them. Ho-hum. I doubt it will be too obvious on the finished article. If anyone knows how to remove GS-Hypo from plastic, please let me know! 

 

I'm following the Zvezda painting guide for the interior: gull grey mostly, with some green bits. The grey is almost indistinguishable from the original plastic.

 

resized_5033a597-ff1f-40bc-b245-14f7b719

 

resized_886aa84a-e51f-4cc4-8c5b-5189abab

 

 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 There is a lot of interior detail! Most of it will surely be invisible once the fuselage is sealed up, though. My next dilemma concerns the waist gun; do I risk leaving it as the designer intended, hoping not to knock it (or that the retaining bracket will keep it in situ), or should I slice the barrel off and reapply later, hoping I can get the join neat without blotching the window?

 

And now I've started drooling over Eduard's resin/etch replacement MGs:

648372_01.jpg

 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it possible to attach the window from the outside? If so then leave both gund and window off until later.

On my recent PBJ-1J (B-25) that was my solution for the waist guns even though the windows wasn't a perfect fit.

 

Drooling over Eduard AM-stuff? That counts as modelling I hope!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not without some surgery. The window (it's more like a viewing port, really) is an odd shape and small. Here's te aperture:

 

resized_6d1e6fbf-1b4c-4b82-a2e4-8525f1f0

 

 

If it were just the window, I could reduce the retaining flange in the centre, slide it in horizontally and then rotate it into position, but that ain't gonna work with a gun sticking out!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A cunning and, in retrospect, blindingly obvious plan, Gorby!

 

Not quite there yet, though. After a rather damp visit to Duxford for the BoB air show yesterday with a friend and our two 7yo boys, I did a wee bit of painting. This mostly consisted of adding scarlet to all the parts that require such, but after that I did complete some sub-assemblies and get them into place. Firstly, the rear gunner's seat. It looks lopsided because it is! I haven't yet fixed the starboard side. For the first time I've found a problem with the fit, which I assume is because I've not got one of those two bulkheads quite right (probably the aft one). Still, it'll be unnoticeable once closed up as far as I can tell. Some touch up on the seat required as it was painted on-sprue.

47ed8168-f45b-48a1-8de0-ddd8b60b37e5.JPG

 

Moving forward, the first of the side consoles went into the cockpit. Zvezda supply several small handles, which I found to be much easier to position than any of the PE efforts, and they look better to boot with their greater thickness. I'll need to take another picture of this as last night's was blurry. Some natural light would help but it's again 10/10 cloud today and it feels very autumnal indeed on the first sub 12 hour day for six months.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking great. I have nearly bought a Zvesda kit a few times but wasn’t sure how good they were. This is showing that they’re pretty good, in the hands of a good modeller.

i’ll tag along if that’s ok?

 

Johnny. 😀

Edited by The Spadgent
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Spadgent said:

I have nearly bought a Zvesda kit a few times but wasn’t sure how good they were.

The earlier Zvezda kits are very usually very well detailed, but can be quite challenging to build as the fit isn't usually great (obviously no sweat to a Spadgent). The earlier ones usually have dreadful decals. This kit is exceptionally good but still challenging, but mainly because of its complexity. The decals were good as well.

 

@amblypygid there is one thing to look out for. It could have been down to my cack-handedness, but I found that the clear parts for the top gunners position (not the turret) and the glazing under the nose were significantly wider than they should be. The glazing under the nose seemed to made out of an odd bendy plastic that won't hold ridged when I tried shaving bits off the sides.

I thought it was odd as the fit of all the other parts was exceptionally good.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Much of last night was spent hunting for the camera battery charger, one of those pieces of electrical equipment that finds its way into drawers of stuff-of-uncertain-origin-and-function, of which we have many in this household. The hunt was fruitless, so I've resorted to my phone camera.

 

The cockpit interior:

resized_b778f89a-8f3f-4bad-84b9-73488da8

 

And attention then turns, following the instructions, to the bomb bay. Zvezda's bombs are nice four part constructions that fit seamlessly (once again):

resized_e7ebce3b-592f-4ad7-b777-4ac96af1

 

Four of them to make, paint and decal.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...