Greeting to all the plasticholics out there in model building land! Today we have a review of the Polikarpov I-16 type 17. This was an Edward Profipack kit with 96 parts (some of those are extras), a fret of photo-etch - pre-painted on some parts, and decals for 5 A/C.
The Reich Air Ministry (RLM) issued requirements for a single-seat fighter powered by a single BMW 003 jet engine on September 10, 1944. From the many German aircraft manufacturers interested, Heinkel’s proposal was selected. Heinkel designed and built The He-162 very quickly. The final design was chosen on September 25th and the He162 flew for the first time on December 6th, less than 90 days later.
It was made primarily of wood due to the short supply of metals. In early test parts came unglued in flight with one such event resulting in the death of the test pilot. As a result, parts were strengthened and some redesign was needed. The glue for the wood parts was found to be defective in many cases. The aircraft was the fastest jet aircraft in the air hitting 550 mph at sea level and speeds reaching 562 mph at 19,000 feet.
Model Art has produced many titles and now has started a new series with this first publication; AFV Profile #1 Jagdpanzer IV L/70 “Lang”. While this work mainly covers the Panzer IV Lang (V) (the “V” standing for VOMAG the company that developed this version) it also touches on the Panzer IV Lang (A) (A for Alkett the company that developed this version). If you read Kanji maybe you can help the rest of us who do not. Even so a lot of information can be found in the profiles (color and B&W), the hundreds of photos and the limited use of English with this profile.
Fresh and new Eduard’s “Brassin” name is a welcome addition to the aftermarket world of modeling. A sub-set line from the Eduard Model Accessories the claim of ‘Best Resin Around’ it appears credible with this offering.
Package contents:
After just finishing the Eduard 109 kit I can see where these bits would have been appreciated. They are finely cast with excellent details and would have greatly improved some areas of the kit. Most notable is the tail gear and gearbay.
The set comes in a blister pack containing 11 resin pieces of differing shades of gray and a mask set along with detailed instructions offering a choice of two rims.
Once again, aircraft from “My era”, the early 1980’s, are starting to appear on decal sheets. RAF Alconbury was a busy place; Not only for the RF-4C’s that were stationed there, but the U-2R (TR-1 at the time) was a common sight. And in between all that activity, the dart-shaped F-5E’s of the 527th Aggressor squadron claimed AR as home. They were frequently deployed to other locations such as Deccimommano, Italy, and USAFE bases in Germany and Spain to practice their trade on our local USAFE fighter pilots.
These sheets from Twobobs are excellent historical references. If you are independently wealthy enough to own several of the new F-5’s from AFV, you could easily make an entire squadron of Warsaw-pact look-alikes. I’m certain these decals will work with the Monogram and Italieri 1/48 F-5E’s if you have them in your stash.
