Polikarpov I-15

[Torbjorn]

Now this is optimistic, but it’s been staring at me accusingly for over a year every time I open my storeage box. A kick up the unmentionables should not be wasted, so I’ll give it a try.

 

”It”, as the title partly reveals, is a Special Hobby Polikarpov I-15 in Spanish Republican clothing. When I stopped I had just glued the fuselage together but then I ruined the cowling and I couldn’t muster the motivation to invest the necessary time to find out how to make a new one - until now. 

 

I even made a WIP, describing the process till now:

 

 

 

Just posting this to commit myself! Will make a current status report shortly.

 

 

[Torbjorn]

I want to portray the machine of Yugolav volunteer Bozidar Petrovic, who literally became a poster-noy of the republican struggle during his short career. A bit about him (Spanish wiki has a lot as well):

 

http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories/yugoslavia-sp.html

 

It will be a rushed job, I really would like to finish this one. 

 

I did spend some time during the holiday weeks, where I attached the upper wing, made a mounting for the replacement engine and started painting and masking the rudder. I have no transfers for Bozidar’s machine, so I painted the fin white and masked the number 13 and the two circles. Have no idea how to solve the serial number yet.

 

 

 

That air intake at the front beween the wings had to be home-made, since the kit wants it to look like this (this is not SH’s best offering... stay away unless you like sanding and filling!):

 

 

[Torbjorn]

Before hibernation I ordered and built a nee resin engine: this one was - correctly - larger than the kit-provided and subsequently the kit-provided cowling no longer fitted. If you have ever seen an I-15 from up front it is basicly an engine with sticking-out bits, so I wanted the model capture this feature. I tried forming a styrene cowling to the outside of the kit’s resin ditto, but ended up heating and distorting the resin. Second attempt consisted of cutting styrene to size and forming a circle. Third attempt was the same, but this time I used thinner sheet,  trimmed the mating areas even further and laminated two layers. I glued them together around a Vallejo bottle cap, which had suitable radius, letting the first layer dry before adding the second.

 

The outside will be filed to shape. The inside of the cowling will incorrectly be flat, but I wasn’t in the mood to manifacture a mold and form sheet to it. Maybe next time.

 

Third and second attempts here: 

 

 

 

 

It needs more sanding, will try to fit it to a drill to get it perfectly round, but this’ll do.  It fits:

 

 

 

Notice the size difference from the original resin:

 

[Torbjorn]

 

Painted the colourful rudder:

 

Also, the gun barrels are not included: I added these with styrene rod:

 

I. have also painted it pale blue on the underside and Vallejo 71.096 (”Panzer green”) on the uppers. Still possible to finish...

[CliffB]

It's nice to see the colour going on.  The finish is in sight!

[Torbjorn]

14 hours ago, CliffB said:

It's nice to see the colour going on.  The finish is in sight!

The project has a mild curse on it - the propeller is currently MIA. A shame really, I’m happy how it’s turning out.

 

 

The leading edge of the fin is suspicously bluff however, even flat, that can’t be right. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Torbjorn

[Torbjorn]

I *almost* made it - a result with which I am both surprised and pleased. Thank you for arranging the e-kick UTA, apparently exactly what was needed  The prop is still gone but barring that and touching ups and some dirty-ing downs she’s finished.

 

I made a pitot tube, something that looks like a venturi, added wires (hair/sprue), the windshield and some underwing hooks that they used to tie the aircraft down with - I can only assume the planes were light and the wind in Spain strong enough to topple them.

 

Was a bit nervous removing the masking on the rudder (not a single decal on this one), but it turned out ok - errors I will call ”weathering”.

 

 

 

 

 

Still haven’t removed some superfluous wiring and those wheels will need repainting, but I couldn’t resist glueing them on.

Edited February 3, 2019 by Torbjorn