Hi there

Eduard have very kindly sent a sample of their new I-16 Type 10 for Review, so I've wasted no time getting it onto the workbench!



Of course, this also means that there's an opportunity for some Eastern Front dueling if anyone's up for a dogfight or wants to fly as wingman.

All the best

Rowan

You're not looking in my direction, do you?

I have to go ....

tap .... tap ... tapatapatapatapatapata RUN, Forrest, RUN

BTW Canadian Frank (Clanky44) takes every offer I've heard ;-) (Now watch YOUR six Frank, hahahaha)

cheers

Steffen

I'm green with envy!!! It seems everybody and their grandmother is getting the I-16's before me..... speaks volumes about the lethargic state of Canadian distributors!!!!!!

Frank

Hi Frank

Don't be too harsh on your distributors - I've just checked Hannants' site and it's listed as a future release there too.

All the best

Rowan

Looking forward to seeing the review.....

Hey, THAT's a Finnish Buffalo going down!! A rarity!

Can I DUEL this I-16 with my Fighters Under the Midnight Sun campaign Buffalo?? If so, fight's on!

Hi Fred

I'm afraid I think it's something of an unwritten Armorama rule that you can't enter the same model in two different campaigns. But if you build another Finnish a/c (how about a '109 or Morko Morane?) it'd make for a spectacular Duel.

All the best

Rowan

Hmm Rowan

seems nobody is going to battle you ... your Yak was just too good ....

I am definitely not starting another project, but I have a few to finish (as e.g. Hasegawa Fw 190 A-3) I would have to check refs if they were used by JG 54 or 51 ... I would say it is about half done maybe a little less when considering painting and decals.



As this is a press muster which I have to finish for our next IPMS D Journal it would nicely fit your sample (BTW I bought my I-16 for 16 Euro which was a great deal)

If Jean-Luc confirms that I can enter with this kit/model we can have our own "Ostfront Luftkampf"

cheers

Steffen

Hi Steffen

That sounds great (and you're being far too kind about my Yak!)! I'm sure Jean-Luc said it's fine to include kits that are already underway.

Crikey! Up against a '190! Let's hope my Ishak is as maneouverable as they say! It sounds like a classic dogfighter vs. zoom 'n boom battle...

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan and Steffen!

Yes, I will allow kits that have been already started for the "Duel" Campaign. And yours, Steffen, seems to be in it's early stage...

Wow Rowan! For someone who didn't wanted to participate, you are now engaged into two Duels! Don't forget the Halifax!!! :-)

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc

As a new review-build, the I-16 will actually take precedence over my '109 - but that's still very much in my plans!

The Halifax? I'm using this new-found enthusiasm for finishing kits to get me ready to tackle that beast! I think I need this and "one other" under my belt - and then the Assault On The Halifax will begin in earnest!

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

also when considering that the criticism about the kit was rude and Eduard did defend themselves very good, I would also recommend to take a look at the too squared fuselage spine and front cowling.

The cowling is hard to improve (so I am glad eduard decided to redo it for the Type 24 release) I have tried long to give it a more rounded look .. with little success.

The fuselage spine is quite easy (easier than I thought) you just have to "break the corner" for a better look. I'll post photos of my efforts tomorrow (it is too dark now to take good pictures) in the "AT vs Clanky44" thread.

cheers

Steffen

Hi again Steffen

Sorry! I COMPLETELY missed your own Duel thread! You should have said! We should fly as I-16 wingmen!

I quite agree - the cowling is the only real hang-up in the kit. The spine isn't actually as square as it looked in early photos and the questions about the tail don't tally with my own comparisons with reference photos.

Let's combine efforts on this one!

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

My other duel is a far east Nomohan/Chalkin Gol battle ... so you would have to find markings ... I will do Lakeev with the pix from the Sprintscale sheet as guide (I know there are markings for his machine in the box but for a later airframe as he already was General).

Just another remark about the spine. Look closely on the drawing eduard provided. The first rib after the cockpit is a little squared but the following are rounded.

As for the tail .. I do not care too much. It looks o.k. The offset is there and nicely represented as far as I am concerned. Can't comment on the size though.

I am not dogmatic here as I have far to less knowledge and insight ... I just do not like the squared look.

Suum Cuique!

cheers

Steffen

Hi Steffen

That's cool then - I'd like to go semi-OOB and use the kit decals for "Red 4" - but I'm planning to use WEM's new AII Dark Green in place of Black for the camo (going by the tonal range of the photo of the a/c in Squadron's "In Action").

The tail? I must admit I was very unscientific. Amid all the arguments about who's drawings were most accurate, I did maybe the obvious thing and held the kit over a few photos... after matching the angle, it doesn't look bad to me...

I've done some thinning of the trailing edges before assembling the wings, but they dried today, so I'm ready to get "stuck in" this weekend.

All the best

Rowan

Wow, idea! I am finishing a Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" in Nomohan/Chalkin Gol scheme. It is an oldie that I am refurbishing (stripped off paint & decals, sanded away boo-boos and imperfectuions, refuinished...) almost finished. Can I enter it?

Hi Fred

I do not see a problem and I guess Frank won't do either. Jean-Luc allowed 2 vs 1 battles so: your welcome! But you should ask Jean-Luc if your model is permitted as it is already pretty advanced.

If he approves it, just use the mentioned thread to post your progress, so we all can see it :-) :-) :-)

cheers

Steffen

Hi Fred and Steffen!

The purpose of Group Builds and Campaigns is to build a new kit, so entering an already started kit could be seen as cheating. However, I don't see a real problem if the kit is in it's early status (about half complete). As I said in another thread, I think this "Duel" Campaign is perfect for finishing those kits that are sitting on the shelves for ages! Refurbishing a kit is something different. But I'm willing to accept this as well for two reasons: the first is that refurbishing a model can be as difficult as building a new one. The second is that it is most unlikely that a "Nomohan/Chalkin Gol" Campaign will ever see the light of day! :-)
So I would say "welcome to your Ki-27" Fred!

Jean-Luc

Hi again

Well, I've got started on the cockpit. I'm building pretty much OOB for the purposes of the review, so I've kept any changes/additions to a minimum. All I've done is to drill out the small illumination holes above the instrument panel, cut away the sides of the cockpit floor to give a better representation of the original and add firing buttons to the control column. Superdetailers could add more wiring and extend the cockpit sides down over the wing-roots area, but Eduard's cockpit is pretty nice as supplied:









The kit includes a choice of plastic or etched equipment and instrument panel. The moulded panel isn't bad:



but the colour-etch is a beauty!



I've used WEM Colourcoats Soviet WW2 WUP Grey Primer and AMT-4 Olive Green.

I should get the fuselage closed today and then begin to crack on. The wings are already finished, so it should soon begin to look like an aircraft.

All the best

Rowan

Hello Rowan

looking great so far ... and you are pretty fast!!

Great idea with the cockpit floor .... will do that too although I am still undecided if I keep my pit closed or not.

What side wall colour did you use? Eduard sadly did (AGAIN) only provide Gunze and that seem to be a greenish grey colour..... I had hoped they decide back as their Yak contained many manufacturers as the first kits

cheers

Steffen

Hi Steffen

Erik Pilawskii says that there are several identified interior finishes. Pre-war aircraft at Gor'ki were usually finished in A-14 Steel (actually a dark grey), while cockpits painted in AII Blue weren't uncommon. Apparently, large numbers weren't painted at all, and two surviving I-16s have Wood Finish primer - which is what I've gone for; WEM Colourcoat ACS05 - WUP Grey Interior Primer.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

I have feared your answer .... I mainly use acrylics (Tamiya, Revell) and I find the WEM colours quite expensive (for the amount you get) ...

seems I have to bite the sour apple ...

I just ordered the whole set at their site as I have some Soviet kits to finish in the not too distant future (I hope)

What do you use as thinner?

Also could you please check the Print Scale sheet what colour I should use for the outside for Lakeevs I-16 t.10? Is it a grey or a metal colour?

TIA

best wishes

Steffen

Hi again Steffen

I don't think you'll be disappointed! I bought a set of WEM's Soviet colours for my Yak 1 and was really impressed - as you can see in my review.

WEM recommend white spirit, but I normally use cellulose thinners to speed up the drying a bit. For a real emergency job, I might add a drop of Rustin's Driers - but that's overkill for normal use.

PrintScale state "silver-grey" for Lakeev's aircraft, but it looks like the pre-war scheme of overall AEh-9 Light Grey with an AEh-11 Black cowling.

All the best

Rowan

Thank you Rowan!!

I'll test the colours and see for myself. Also thanks for your hint regarding the Lakeev scheme!!

cheers and

Steffen

Hi again

I've found a couple of minor points worth watching for. As you can see in the shot of the instrument panel, the attachment points are quite small:



When you come to fit it, it's well worth adding some support (I used white-tak) to allow you to position it before applying cement or C.A. :



I also faced the rear of the wing opening with thin card for a better fit.

Turning things over, I added tabs at the nose to give the cowling joint some support and fitted supports under the wing joints. The fit isn't bad, but the supports definitely make it easier to get a smooth wing / fuselage joint:



Be careful you don't extend the supports too far back, or they'll show through the undercarriage openings.

All the best

Rowan