Introduction

The Polikarpov I-16 is stated to be the first cantilever monoplane with retractable landing being introduced in the 1930's. At the beginning of World War 2, the I-16 formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force. During the Spanish Civil war it was shown that the I-16 did have issues, including structural failure, and at the beginning of World War 2 the plane was outclassed by the German Bf-109's. In the hands of a good pilot the I-16 with good manoeuvrability did prove a little resistance to the German air superiority. A most common issue was the I-16 Type 24 was out-gunner only mounting 4 ShKAS 7.62mm machine guns. Later models were upgrade to carry the wing mounted ShVAK cannons, but the aircraft was still no match.

A recently release from ICM represents the I-16 Type 24 in 1/32 second scale.

Contents

3 Plastic Sprues
1 Clear Plastic Sprue
1 Decal Sheet
Instruction Booklet

Review

The I-16 Type 24 kit from ICM does come in the sturdy box, and was a little surprised at only three sprues in the box, but then again it is not a large aircraft. A look at the sprues does show some good looking mouldings, this includes some well done surface details as well as a few small detail parts. I found little to no flash or sink marks, and it does look like ICM has placed the ejector marks where they won't show after the build.

Starting at the front, I must say the large radial engine does look impresive. The cylinders look to be very well molded, but unfortunately the main engine is molded in two halves, thus there is the potential for a seam line on the cylinders. The engine detail does include the complete exhaust system and the push rods on the front. While the front cowling will hide most of the details, there is an option in the kit to leave the top and side panels off to show off the large engine.

The cockpit does look a little sparse, but then again it was an earlier aircraft where there were not a lot of stuff in the cockpit itself. The instrument panel is molded in clear plastic and ICM does include a decal for the instrumentation. One major exclusion in the cockpit is the pilot's seat belt. Being an open cockpit, this would stand out. Other then that, most of the details do look good, including a nice looking surface on the seat back rest and frame detail on the interior cockpit walls. With the right references, this could be detailed up to be quite a show piece.

As for the external detail, the overall surface looks good with rib lines showing the wings surfaces. As well the undercarriage looks good, but is missing the cable detail for where the landing gear would be cranked up.

A large sheet of decals is included, and does look to be very well printed with good color and all in register. The markings are included for four separate aircraft, three in green with light blue under, and one in an overall grey scheme.

• 67th Fighter Regiment, South Front, Summer 1941
  
• 72nd Mixed Regiment of the Northern Fleet Aviation, Summer, 1941
  
• 4th Guard Fighter Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Aviation, Winter-Spring 1942
  
• 254 Fighter Regiment, Leningrad Front, Summer 1943

Overview

This does look to be nice kit in 1/32 scale for the I-16 Type 24 from ICM. The subject in this larger scale is interesting and while it should build a decent kit out of the box it does lack some finer details. The kit does lack seatbelts and some minor cockpit details. Being an open cockpit, a little aftermarket details could go a long way and allow the builder to produce a great looking model. I would definitely recommend this kit, and it may get bumped up in my queue.