Il-2m Sturmovik

Italeri, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Italeri's 1/48 scale Il-2 Sturmovik will be available online from Squadron.com

The Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik was a heavily armed and armoured Soviet ground attack aircraft.

The original production version had a crew of one, but a rear gunner’s position was added following appalling losses in the first months after Operation Barbarossa. This hybrid version, using the same wings as the single-seater, suffered from pitch stability problems due to the changed centre of gravity, especially during take-off and landing. Nevertheless, the type entered front line service in October 1942, and the original wing design did not change until late 1943. This variant is identified as the Il-2m

The Il-2m3 was the definitive version of the Sturmovik. It could be distinguished from earlier versions by the 15 degree sweep of the wings. This wing reconfiguration compensated for the shift in the centre of gravity. The Il-2m3 type entered service late in 1943.

It is interesting to compare the Sturmovik with German aircraft designs in the latter part of World War Two. At a time when the Luftwaffe was introducing such groundbreaking technical features as radar, ejection seats, jet engines and remote guided weapons; the Sturmovik was crude by comparison. In fact, by any standards the Sturmovik was an unsophisticated aircraft. Creature comforts were non -existent - the rear gunner was not even supplied with a seat. He (or she) simply rested against a strap!

Nevertheless the Sturmovik was a tough, maneuverable aircraft that was extremely well suited to its ground attack role. It could be equipped with a variety of weapons including rockets, bombs and anti-tank guns capable of killing even the fearsome Tiger tank.

Comparison of strategies also reveals fundamental differences. German fighter pilots saw themselves as "knights of the sky". Air to air combat was often considered to be the only honourable endeavor. German fighters continued to down Soviet aircraft in staggering numbers right to the last year of the war, but Luftwaffe ground attack units were used in a relatively uncoordinated manner.

Stalin, on the other hand, considered that the Sturmovik was as fundamentally important to the Red Army as bread. He personally intervened to ensure that nothing prevented the mass-production of this essential aircraft. The priorities of the opposing sides may be summarised by examining the production figures of specialised Soviet and German ground attack aircraft to 1945. For example, the Henschel Hs 129 (the standard German tank-busting aircraft from 1942) totalled 869 aircraft; while a total of over 36,000 Sturmoviks were produced!

In the end, the Soviet strategies of standardisation and mass-production overwhelmed Germany’s high technology weapons.

When they were released in the 1990s, Accurate Miniatures' 1/48 scale aircraft kits set new standards in quality and detail that are rarely matched even today. Their family of Sturmovik models was one of several bold subject choices, tackling important aircraft that had not been adequately depicted in plastic. In common with their other offerings of the time, Accurate Miniatures' Sturmoviks boasted excellent attention detail, crisp mouldings and outstanding surface features.

Italeri has now repackaged the swept-wing two-seater version of Accurate Miniatures' 1/48 scale Sturmovik, repackaged with new marking options, as their latest release.

Italeri's Il-2 (or more specifically Il-2m3 - even though it is not an official designation) contains the sprues from Accurate Miniatures' Il-2m3 kit, comprising 115 parts in grey coloured plastic and 9 parts in clear; combined with a new decal sheet with markings for five aircraft..

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Surface detail is excellent. Panel lines are consistent and finely engraved. Subtly raised fasteners, hinges and hatches are also present in appropriate locations.

Moulding quality has not suffered in the last decade, with beautifully crisp plastic parts.

Control surfaces are all moulded in neutral positions.

The main undercarriage offers the choice of weighted (bulged and flattened) or unweighted tyres.

A nice set of rockets complete with rails and ignition wires, plus bombs, are supplied.

Clear parts include all the parts required for the early two-seater, plus the late-version canopies.

Markings are provided for five colourful aircraft. Four are finished in various later-war VVS combinations of Green, Tan and/or Dark Grey over Light Blue, with post-war Polish example in Dark Green over Light Blue.

Decals look to be very thin and in perfect register.

Based on my own experiences when building the Accurate Miniatures Il-2m3 kit back in 1998, I can advise that some care will required when assembling the cockpit, the big cowl intake and the wings.

Here are some notes from my 1998 build of the Accurate Miniatures Il-2m3 that might help with the balance of construction:

Lower Centre Wing

Assembling the lower centre wing section requires great care.

The wing braces (parts 25 and 26) set the dihedral, so make sure they are in exactly the correct position. I "tacked" both braces in the correct position on the lower wing with super glue, then reinforced the bond by flowing liquid poly cement for the full length of the join lines.

When this is dry, the radiator and cockpit components are added to the lower wing.

Cowling

Assembly of the cowling (on the bottom of page 3 in the instructions) is tricky. Take your time and test fit often!

I strongly suggest the following sequence:

1. Assemble the left and right halves (parts 7 and 8) and set aside to dry.

2. Glue the air splitter assembly (parts 11, 12 and 181) to the cowling top (part 10) making sure that the top of part 10 meets the edges of part 12 for its entire length.

3. When both these sub-assemblies are thoroughly dry, feed the cowl top assembly through the cavity at the front of the engine cowl halves. Dry fit as many times as required to work out what fits where. It may take a couple of runs - it is not completely obvious.

4. When satisfied, apply glue to the underside of the cowl top assembly after feeding the top assembly through the cowling halves (ie dry fit then apply glue when the part is in-place). Tape this up and set aside to dry thoroughly.

I also recommend not adding the horizontal tailplanes until after the wing assembly has been glued in place. In this kit it is far easier to adjust the tailplanes than adjusting the wing dihedral!

The Coming Together

When attaching the lower centre wing to the fuselage, I carefully dry-fitted the lower centre wing section to ensure alignment at the leading edge of the lower fuselage join. Take care when feeding the elevator push-rod through the small holes in the cockpit interior. The cockpit will be a snug fit - mine almost "snapped" in place - assisting the placement of the lower centre wing section.

Remove, glue and refit this assembly when you are sure the alignment is correct.

Next to the outer wing assemblies. I had to slice off the locating pins on the leading edge of the upper wing to correctly locate the wing root to the fuselage (this might not be required on this different wing, but check the alignment before committing to glue).

Once this was done, the fit of this somewhat complex assembly was excellent.

Accurate Miniatures' 1/48 scale Sturmoviks are still a great family of kits. It is pleasing to see the swept-wing Il-2m3 variant made widely available in this release by Italeri.

Granted, the basic kit will not fall together, but if you take care with the areas noted above, Italeri's Il-2 Sturmovik will deliver a highly detailed and impressive replica of one of the most significant aircraft in history.

As a bonus, it would seem that Italeri's new boxing will be priced lower than the Accurate Miniatures kit which contains the same plastic. Good deal!

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Italeri for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2007 by Brett Green
Page Created 22 March, 2007
Last updated 24 December, 2007

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