Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik (New Tooling)

[Mike]

Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik

1:48 Tamiya

In association with

The Shturmovik was Russian WWII Ground Attack aircraft that gained significant appreciation for its role in the war on the Eastern front, due to its rugged construction and ability to absorb significant punishment from the enemy and still get home. It was unusual in the fact that armour was built into the design from the outset, as it was always envisaged as a ground attack aircraft, whereas others have been pressed into service by adding armour to an extant design. The armour was therefore able to become part of the structure of the aircraft saving some weight, which was crucial at the beginning of its life when it was powered by an underwhelming Mikulin AM035 engine that had simply been optimised for low level use.

On this earlier version the outer wing panels were formed from wood, and there were also sections of the fuselage where wood was used, again to reduce weight and reliance on strategic materials. The wood was replaced later in the war by metal panelling as its availability improved in the Soviet Union. Although not a terribly accurate weapon, the IL-2 was a greater tool for demoralising the German forces, and was fielded in such numbers toward the end of the war that the task was usually accomplished. Because of the weight of the aircraft, the bomb load was relatively small, so accuracy was more important due to reduced quantities and blast radius. Anti-tank bombs were developed with shaped charges to be dropped on the weaker armour of the upper surfaces of German tanks, which led to the stand-off armour plates that were sometimes seen on the weak points of engine decks of Tigers and Panthers. They also made it virtually impossible for grenades to be stuffed into grilles by passing troops!

The offensive armament consisted of two 23mm cannons outboard of the landing gear sponsons, with a further two 7.62mm machine guns mounted higher and inboard of the larger cannons. The rear defence was provided by a 12.7mm machine gun operated by the rear gunner, who didn't have the same luxury of armour to his cockpit, which resulted in the gunners having four times the casualty rate of the pilot.

The Kit

Complete new tool kits from Tamiya aren't that frequent, but when they do arrive they're usually worth sitting up and taking notice of, even just from a technical standpoint, as they have been somewhat prone to raising the bar for injection moulded model kits of late. This one appears to be no exception.

The box is of the usual Tamiya size and shape, and has a painting of a "Flying Tank" flying amongst broken cloud. Inside are five sprues of mid-grey styrene, which again is a Tamiya staple, a large clear sprue, a bag of two poly-caps (not pictured), two decal sheets and a sheet pre-printed of masking material. The package is completed by the instruction booklet and an information booklet printed in a number of languages including English.

Poring over the sprues, it is immediately evident that no corners have been cut in the tooling of this kit, as detail is consistent throughout, and at a very high level. Surface detail on the outer skin is both restrained and detailed, and slide-moulding has been utilised to a degree to create some very nicely shaped and detailed parts that would otherwise have been impossible to make as single parts. In the right hands it will doubtless build up into an impressive model, and I will try my best to give it a fair crack in the near future.

The build begins with the cockpit, which has clearly been the focus of some effort, as it is very nicely appointed with some attractive detail and finely moulded parts. The instrument panel is moulded in relief, and two separate decals are supplied for the main instrument groups, together with painting details for the rest. The rear bulkhead and seat are decked with rivets and strengtheners, although the latter is let down by the usual Tamiya seatbelt decals, their Achilles heel that still lingers. If you don't have access to a set of Photo-Etched Russian seatbelts of the correct type, it would be worthwhile using them as a template to cut out tape or foil belts, and applying them over it to at least give some semblance of a more three dimensional look. Another two decals are provided for the side-console, which is again well detailed with raised mouldings and a separate throttle quadrant. A little sidewall detail is also included moulded into the fuselage halves, which is a welcome sight. Tamiya of course still break with the current trend and supply a pair of well detailed crew figures, which although they look a little sullen, should liven up the cockpit and fill the otherwise empty seats. The gunner's rear cockpit is built up as a separate tub, and has curved sidewalls to reflect the shape of the fuselage, with plenty of detail to improve the look. A large fuel tank is inserted between the two crew, which must have caused endless sleepless nights for the pair, I'm sure.

The fuselage can be closed up without installing the cockpits, although you must remember to paint the inside of the cockpits beforehand. The complex shape of the intake on the top of the nose is made up of four parts, and is simplified by the judicious use of slide-moulding, and the parts will need painting before being sandwiched together, as it would be almost impossible tlater on. This plus the basic lump of the engine is brought together and held in place between the two fuselage halves by some substantial pins and sockets, ensuring a tight fit and plenty of strength in the nose - much like the real thing. A couple of knife icons are printed on the instructions to ensure that the edges of the sprue gates are removed from the fuselage halves, which brings attention to the clever positioning of them on the mating surfaces rather than on the outer skin where most companies put them. This is a boon, as it protects the skin from damage, and eases clean-up of the parts. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, more companies should take up this clever trick to improve out lot, although it would reduce the sale of putty.

After the joining of the fuselage halves, the two cockpits can be added from underneath, as well as the gunner's mount and the gunner's seat-strap, which clicks into sockets in the sidewalls of his cockpit, and rotates 180^o to form the seat. The part is consigned to the spares box if you intend to use the supplied crew figure.

More work on the engine follows, and the exhaust stubs are added from the outside, which will make their painting and weathering much easier. The oil cooler and radiator are next, and are placed low down into the recess of the lower wing/fuselage part together with a short section of spar. A few holes will need to be drilled in the underside for the bomb mounts, using guideholes and a 0.8mm drill.

Construction of the wings has been split into overlapping sections for strength and to accommodate the bulged wheel bay sponsons. The upper wings attach directly to the fuselage sides, and have inserts within them for the wheel bay detail, plus some nicely moulded roof detail on the underside of the part. The lower wing halves attach to the lower inner wing part, which finishes outboard of the sponson and contains the underside of the fuselage with its large oil cooler box. The whole assembly is then offered up to the underside of the fuselage, so take care to ensure proper alignment, although with Tamiya's reputation for fit and finish, I wouldn't expect too much trouble. The tail planes are moulded on identical sprues and are made up from halves with separate panel inserts top and bottom with and without slots to receive the elevator actuator rods, so take care with their orientation. These are then added to the fuselage with large interlocking tabs and a pair of wedge-shaped inserts to complete the area. The tail wheel can be added later to prevent damage, and detail here is very nice, showing the delicate tread of the tyre nicely.

The main gear is inserted into the open fronts of the wheel bays, and is then secured by adding the rounded noses of the sponsons, so adding them later appears not to be a viable option. Whilst quite sturdy in real life, they look quite delicate on the sprues, so careful handling is a must once they are installed. The retraction yokes and struts can be added later, as they snap into holes in the wheel bay, and the wheels also snap into the main struts, relying on the flexibility of the parts to allow ingress. The tyres have asymmetric tread, so refer to the instruction manual for guidance when you get to this stage. The bay doors have strong tabs and plenty of detail on their inner, so can be left off and painted separately.

The cockpit is completed by the installation of the 12.5mm machine gun and ammo belt, with the optional gunner posed in a crouching position. Couple that with the biting cold of a Russian winter coming in through his open canopy, his vulnerability to enemy fire, and it doesn't look too comfortable for the poor fellow. The clear parts are next, and are made up of three parts for a closed canopy, or four if you are posing it open. A full set of self-adhesive masks are included, pre-printed on Tamiya's Kabuki style tape. You have to cut them from the backing yourself though, which reduces the appeal a little, but it shouldn't take long with a fresh #11 blade in your scalpel. A full diagram is given with numbers corresponding the parts to help you on your way. In the open position, the pilot's canopy slides back over the centre portion, while the gunner's swings open sideways to starboard (from the pilot's position), and a pair of removable tabs can be used to hold it in place.

The prop is held in place by a poly-cap, which is great for removing during storage or transport. It's one less thing to knock off! The blades are supplied with manufacturer's decals, and are all pre-mounted on a simulated boss, which is covered by a two-part spinner. This and the various delicate parts are installed at the last, and here you need to make a choice of which 23mm cannon barrel you intend to use. One has a longer fairing than the other, resulting in less of the barrel protruding from its end. You will probably need to check your references to see which fairing was fitted to your chosen subject though, as no clues are given in the instructions. A pitot probe and landing light complete the wings, with an aerial, sight and grab handles finishing off the fuselage construction.

Munitions are supplied in plentiful numbers, in the shape of a pair of 100KG bombs, a pair of 250KG bombs, and four RS-132 rockets plus their mounting rails. The larger bomb and the rockets have separate fins, and all have anti-sway braces and full painting instructions for realism.

The decals aren't the traditional overly thick and yellowy decals of yore. Instead they are very white, and have a modest carrier film, which should aid them in settling down into the delicate detail of the kit. The seatbelts, instrument panel decals and an eagle tail decoration are printed on a separate smaller sheet, which is of equal quality, although under magnification, a slight pattern can be seen on the seatbelt decal. Colour density is good, as is registration and colour saturation, and it's entirely possible that the white may need toning down a little if you are modelling a particularly battered example.

From the box you can build one of three examples, as follows:

• 6th Gv OShAP
  
• 566th ShAP 1944 Leningrad
  
• 16th VA 1945 Berlin
  

All three are Grey/Green/Grey over light blue with only slight variations in the pattern and the colour of their spinners to differentiate. The markings and patriotic slogans set them apart nicely though.

As usual, the paint call-outs are Tamiya's only, and as frequently happens, some of the colours are given as mixes of two different shades. To the non-Tamiya paint user this can be frustrating, as the proper colours are not given, so it requires extra research to get a match for those that you have or indeed are available in your territory. As to what the correct colours actually are, there are many, many opinions on that score, so I'll keep my own counsel… until I begin painting the kit of course.

Conclusion

This is a very welcome kit to the VVS modeller in 1:48, and should quickly rise to the top of the very small pile of IL-2 kits in this scale, and deservedly so. Detail throughout is first class, and construction should be relatively straight forward if you follow the instructions and test fit all of the major assemblies before resorting to the glue (applying, not sniffing!). I'm sure that there will be something that could be picked upon by the VVS extremists (if such a thing exists?), but to this modeller's eye, it hits the spot very well, and won't remain unbuilt for very long.

As anticipated, the initial batch have gone like hot cakes, so reserve yours now.

Very highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Stephen]

Nice review Mike.

Stephen

[Learstang]

Did somebody say VVS extremist? Very nice review, Mike! This is a clearly the best Shturmovik kit in any scale, and having examined my example very closely I can only say, run, don't walk to your nearest hobby store and buy it! I'm glad to hear they're selling well, Mike. I hope this means that Tamiya will come out with the earlier versions, and yes, even downscale and upscale this kit to 1/72nd and 1/32nd scale. And you are correct, there are some things to be picked upon by a VVS extremist (and Il-2 nut) such as myself. I shall post these in another post on this thread (I'm still compiling it; it's not extensive, but I want to ensure that there really is an inaccuracy or omission before I post it). Don't worry, anyone, they're nothing major, like they got the wing sweep wrong, or the cockpit is 2 cm too far forward. The problems are relatively minor, and nothing that any reasonably competent modeller can't rectify. All in all, a fine effort by Tamiya, and might I say, about time!

Regards,

Jason

Edited July 12, 2012 by Learstang

[buttoncup]

Thanks for a nice review.

that looks a great kit, and its the right scale!

[turnerdad]

Looks like a real beaut. I was surprised to hear Tamiya were bringing this out as the AM kit is very good but who can complain, and it's already on my christmas/SMW wishlist. Great review Mike.

[Mike]

Thanks for the comments guys. I think I might make a start on this soon... watch this space

[spitfire]

Nice review Mike, it's nice to see a WW2 VVS subject from a one of the major model kit producers, hopefully they will follow with some 1/32 scale fighters !

Cheers

Den

[Mike]

You never know Den - Tamiya play their cards pretty close to their chests until the last minute, and who can blame them in this competitive world?

[Radleigh]

Good review Mike, Love the detail on this, REALLY nice!!

[Learstang]

Nice review Mike, it's nice to see a WW2 VVS subject from a one of the major model kit producers, hopefully they will follow with some 1/32 scale fighters !

Cheers

Den

Wouldn't that be great - a LaGG-3 or an La-5FN! And a Yak-9T with exposed engine and 37mm cannon.

Regards,

Jason