Special Hobby has released a short-run kit of the I -15 in its original form. The kit is moulded in soft mid-grey plastic and there is a little flash on small parts, but the sprue attachments are small. There are a couple of shallow sink marks on the landing gear legs.
Construction should be simple, with a full-span upper wing, while the lower wings butt-join to the fuselage. The fabric-effect is very subtle and convincing.
The parts are delicately engraved - the louvres on the fuselage are very neat, but some panel line will need little cleanup. No less than 4 vacuform canopies are provided!
Resin and Etched Parts
A neat resin cockpit is provided and the seat features a moulded-on harness. A small etched-metal sheet features the instrument panel (with film backing), rudder pedals and a number of levers etc.
The engine is almost a kit in its own right; each cylinder is made of two parts, which then attach to the crankcase. With 19 pieces to line up, careful assembly will be essential. Sadly a lot of this detail will be hidden by fairing which covers the front of the engine.
Decals, Painting and Conclusion
Decals im my example are printed in perfect register. Painting instructions cover three schemes: two Republican aircraft from the Spanish Civil War and a later Fascist machine.
Special Hobby's I -15 is a neat little kit, which shouldn't present any problems for anyone used to handling resin and etched-metal parts. The finished model should look very attractive.
SUMMARY
Despite leading the world in the introduction of a monoplane fighter, Soviet designers continued to develop biplanes long after they were considered obsolescent in most other countries. The Polikarpov I -15 series represented the pinnacle of bi-plane design and the later I -153 featured a retactable landing gear. The Russians sent hundreds of I -15s to aid the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and captured aircraft continued in Spanish service until 1947.
About Rowan Baylis (Merlin) FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM
I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...
