Here''s a look at Eduard''s re-release of the classic Accurate Miniatures kit - upgraded with new etched parts and decals and, courtesy of a crafty bit of cross-kitting, available as a version not kitted before.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Great .. as usual!

Great model - it is on the shopping list along with the ME 110.

It is great that Eduard is supplying a lot of colourful and interesting colour schemes with their new offerings. I have their FW 190 kits and you get kind of skizofrenic as you want to build all versions!

Cheers guys

Sorry the review is somewhat overdue... Work's kept me from doing any building lately, but hopefully I can get this beastie ready for the tankbusting campaign.

All the best

Rowan

Nice review sir Rowan! I was about to grab this kit on the net cause it looks superb.

Question: You did mention fit problems. Where would these areas be?

Nice review, thanks!

Thanks for the review!
The kit looks great, and now I'm really tempted to buy one

Hi Ralph

The nose needs lining up carefully, but it's primarily the wing roots that have caused most comments since AM's Shturmovik was first released. They aren't designed like on most kits - the roots have prominent fairings and the join is at the top (halfway up the fuselage). The fit isn't that precise, but it's nothing a little filler won't take care of.

All the best

Rowan

Thanks kind sir! Now to grab that kit

Excellent review Rowan althoigh it does raise a question

If Italeri are re-boxing some of the Accurate Miniatures kits does this mean that this is a 'one-off' from Eduard or are they going to stick to a few specific releases?

Cheers Jim

I think the Italeri re-box dates back to and honours a previous agreement when AM were in financial difficulties some years ago. Eduard and AM seem to have an on-going collaboration - this is the third AM kit they've released and AM's new P-39 Racers are re-boxed Eduard Airacobras.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Jim and Rowan

in addition to what Rowan wrote, eduard announced/issued this is in their standard (orange box) line and not as special/limited edition, so i guess at least 2-3000 kits were boxed (the Fw 190 Royal class is issued in that number so it is a fair guess to assume this standard kit is too!)

BTW the Italeri boxing is not the same kit as the eduard. You get the Italeri "Il-2M3" while the Eduard is the "Il-2M" (the designations are not original but introduced later by researchers to seperate the versions)

The Eduard is really nice, but also pretty expensive (here in Germany and for my budget --- Italeri 26 &euro, , eduard 43€) .. so I'll ty to find a grey import to save a few Euro...

best wishes

Steffen

I am in progress of building this beauty, with all the goodies included (CMK bomb bays, control surfaces and cockpit)

Thara are some inaccurates here. First of all, be aware that the interior color is completely wrong (not Gunze H70), so the prepanted Eduard parts are worthless.
Second of all, some paint schemes are also wrong. So be careful and go through you refferences before painting.

Other than that, as mentioned in rewiew, some wing panles have to be filled and sanded smooth, as the kit represents the wooden wing version... but then again, you can avoid that and mention that the plane was made in factory no.18, where they produced all the versions with metal wings.

Hi Grega

many thanks for the hints ( I only knew of the wing "problem")

Do you know by chance if the Camo B of Jemeljanenko is correct? or if not, do you know souces to build his correct aircraft? (It is the main reason I would buy that model)

TIA

best wishes

Steffen

Camo B for the Emelyanenko plane is wrong. Not only they made the colors wrong, but they also made the camo patteren wrong. So black color stated in the instructions is actually brown (i don't know the paint codes, i have them at home), and here is the trick; where black color is stated on the instructions, it should be green and the opposite. (So the camo patteren should be flipped).

When building this AC, all the colors stated in the instructions should be disregarded, so for the interior, the actuall paint is A-14 (steel) and not RLM70.
I mixed up the interior paint using Tamiya XF 53 and XF 22. (dark greyish green).

I will give correct paint numbers in a day or two. I guess the best way to get correct colors is using WEM (white ensign models) paints.

For the souces, the best book about Il-2 is from 4+ publications. Lots of good quality photos with right camouflage and right colors.

Hope that helps.
Grega

Many thanks Grega!!

I will look for that +4 book before I build the model.

Please keep us updated how your build progresses. Your models are always a great inspiration!

best wishes

Steffen

Hi Grega and Steffen

I actually did point out the problem with the interior colours in the review, but one of the beauties of publishing on-line is having, in effect, a bunch of friends ready to proof-read what you write and give feedback. Re-reading what I wrote originally, it's a bit unclear, so I've beefed it up a bit with more colour info from the 4+ book and Erik Pilawskii's FS matches.

The 4+ book is a great help - I'd almost say indispensible for anyone wanting to add more detail to the kit. Watch out though - it only covers the IL-2 Type 3 onwards so if, like me, you were hoping for plans of the "straight wing" you'll be disappointed.

On the subject of the wing - whether modelling a wooden wing needs just filling, or filling and re-scribing rather depends on the reference. Admittedly, both sources are dealing with the later "swept" wing, but the 4+ plans and those included in Erik Pilawskii's SAM article differ radically - the former show a very plain surface similar to an I-16, while the latter show chordwise bands.

All the best - and thanks for taking the time to read the review

Rowan

Sorry Rowan

I did not read your review that thorough, as I already had a German review (no, not by myself ...) .. I would/will go for a quite smooth finish on the wooden part. ... but I have a big stash and not much money .. so it will take a while until I tackle the eduard Shturmovik .. but I can already collect references ...

cheers

Steffen

Hi Steffen

On the subject of Scheme #2 - there's a nice close-up of the cockpit of what may be an aircraft flown by Yemelyanenkho in the Crowood Press book - but the caption is vague and I don't have other refs to compare it to. If it is his plane, the fuselage artwork doesn't match the kit's decals - or the profile included in the same book! The diving aircraft is clearly not just an outline - it's filled in with colour.

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

Here's the Crowood pic - I'd be interested to know if it's the Scheme #2 a/c.



All the best

Rowan

Many thanks Rowan!!!

The Italeri kit also seems to have "white 100" in it ... with the a/c silhouette in white (I won't post an exteral link due to certain animosities, but I guess you know where to look) ... now the question is: Was the a/c a Il-2M or M3?

Hmmm, I just do not have enough references ... but where to steal the money ...

best wishes

Steffen

Hi Steffen

Exactly - that's why I rather dodged the issue of commenting on the kit schemes. I just don't have the necessary references for an authoritive view, but some of the guys on the VVS Modeling Forum who are far better informed than me have seriously questioned the colour schemes.

All the best

Rowan

That is rather disappointing as I would have expected everything to be in order with Eduard
Really nice to hear some good suggestions and references in order to make this kit historically correct.

Thanks for opening up to the knowledge pool, guys

Here it is. I scanned this image from the Crowood book Il-2 and Il-10 Shturmovik written by Yefim Gordon and Sergey Komissarov. It's clear that there is no sign of black on this plane.

As for the wooden wings, there is a good drawing and plan of the early version in the Minitaure Lotnize book about Il-2... there are actually plans of all the versins included in that book... but i forgot it at home, so i can't scan the plans. I hope this illustration helps....

As far as accuracy goes. If ell the kits were perfect, the good old schratchbuilding wouldn't exsist... so it wouldn't be fun

Many thanks Grega

unfortunately the drawing does not match Rowans picture.





The a/c silhouette is not hollow as in the artwork. The notes have an upward angle compared to the canopy while the drawing shows it parallel, also they have another style. The Guards badge is also missing ...

as we already mentioned: maybe there are more than just 1 "white 100" ....

difficult topic, be it Luftwaffe or VVS or any other service, you seldom have pictures from 4 sides, top and bottom ....

best wishes

Steffen