¹⁄48

Big Beautiful Beagle

history

The Ilyushin Il-28 (Russian: Илью́шин Ил-28 NATO reporting name: Beagle) is a jet bomber aircraft of the immediate postwar period that was originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Force. It was the USSR's first such aircraft to enter large-scale production. It was also licence-built in China as the Harbin H-5. Total production in the USSR was 6,316 aircraft, and over 319 H-5s were built. Only 187 examples of the HJ-5 training variant were manufactured. In the 1990s hundreds remained in service with various air forces over 60 years after the Il-28 first appeared. The only H-5s in service are approximately 30 aircraft which operate with the Korean People's Air Force.

the kit

HpH has the reputation of producing fantastically detailed resin kits which the mainstream producers do not touch. This kit is a multimedia kit featuring resin and photo etched parts. It is a challenging build, not well suited to the novice. Resin kits have an upper size limits, and this one approaches them. A great deal of care must be taken to ensure the major sub-assemblies are properly lined up before gluing. The nose gear leg gave particular trouble before it was tamed. The parts are not numbered in the instruction booklet, so a good deal of careful study and extra references are necessary in order to complete the build satisfactorily.

The model is finished in the colours of the Polish Air Force's z7 Bomber Regiment.