Polikarpov I-16 Type 10
ProfiPACK

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Eduard's 1/48 scale I-16 Type 10 ProfiPACK is available online from Squadron.com
 

The Polikarpov I-16 Type 10 featured a number of refinements prompted by the combat performance of earlier I-16 models over Spain in 1936-37, including increased armament, engine power and protection for the pilot.  Despite these improvements, and unfortunately for the Spanish Republican Air Force, the Type 10 failed to wrest air superiority from the Nationalists’ Messerschmitt Bf 109s.  Subsequent variants were also unable to close the gap; by the time Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 the I-16 was clearly obsolescent, and suffered accordingly.  However because it was available in large numbers – and, in the hands of a skilled pilot, competitive enough – the I-16 still played a key role in opposing the Luftwaffe until its mid-war withdrawal from front-line service.

Eduard launched its 1/48 I-16 series with a Type 10 kit back in 2006.  Brett Green’s review of this kit http://kits.kitreview.com/eduard81486reviewbg_1.htm noted its high standards of moulding quality, detail and accuracy.  While the initial release included a slightly too squared-off cowl ring, Eduard fixed this problem once it was pointed out.

Eduard has subsequently released kits of other I-16 versions – such as the Type 17, Type 24 and Type 29 – in a number of Profipack, Weekend and Royal Edition boxings.  The Type 10 kit received special treatment in early 2012 when it was issued in a Dual Combo/Limited Edition boxing containing markings for eight different aircraft used by Spanish forces during and after the civil war.

Now Eduard has gone back to the future and reissued its Type 10 kit with the same box art and marking options that featured in its original release seven years ago. 

The plastic parts for Eduard’s 1/48 I-16 Type 10 are contained on four coloured and one clear sprue.  It is clear the coloured sprues aren’t old stock, because they are moulded in dark grey rather than the olive-brown plastic that characterised Eduard kits for many years.  Otherwise they are almost identical to the sprues Brett photographed in his original review; the only difference I can spot is the revision of the two engine cowlings on sprue F.

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Also unchanged is the single photo-etched fret, which is date-stamped ‘2006’ and contains a mix of unpainted and painted parts.  The latter are restricted to the instrument panel and seat harness, but both will look excellent once installed.  The unpainted parts are for the engine and the rest of the cockpit, and will add useful detail to these visible areas.

As standard with Profipack releases, a small sheet of pre-cut masking is provided to assist with painting the windshield and wheel hubs.

Markings

Eduard has carried over its marking choices from the original release, which featured the following I-16 Type 10s:

1. Major Mikhail N. Yakushin, Red Five Aerobatics Team, 1939.  This well-known I-16 was painted overall light grey with a red vertical fin and black nose and fuselage stripe.

2. Unknown unit, Ukraine, Summer 1941.  This aircraft was captured during the initial German advance, and according to Eduard’s instructions most likely finished in unit-applied brush-painted green over grey.  A photograph in Squadron/Signal’s “Polikarpov Fighters in action Part 2” confirms the very rough-and-ready nature of the camouflage on this aircraft.

3. Generalmajor Ivan A. Lakeev, Hero of the Soviet Union, 1941.  Painted in All Green over All Blue with a red spinner, cowling and lower rudder, and in marked contrast to option B, this Type 10 was very clean and polished; Eduard’s notes point out that “it will be a disappointment to heavy weathering lovers”.

4. ‘Red 4’, Unknown unit, Leningrad area, 1944.  This I-16 survivor appears to have been camouflaged in All Green and All Black over All Blue, with either a white or yellow fuselage band and white or yellow bordered stars (a choice of decals are provided for the latter).  I’ve got one photograph of ‘Red 4’ (also in the Squadron/Signal book) that shows it as worn and battered, with what appear to be large patches of paint worn off the rear fuselage.

An additional marking option E is also provided, for a Type 10 tested in experimental green, sand and brown over blue camouflage in 1940.  I’m uncertain if this option was featured in the original release of the kit; it’s included here as a bonus option on the front page of the instruction booklet.

Eduard’s painting and marking guide includes full-colour, four view illustrations of options A-D, with decal locations clearly indicated.  (Port and overhead views only are provided of option E.)  The photographs of I’ve found of options B and D suggest that the kit instructions have been well researched.  However, given the contention that often surrounds World War 2-era Soviet aircraft camouflage and markings, you may still wish to check Eduard’s recommended finish against photos of aircraft you are modeling.

Not surprisingly, the decal sheet is virtually unchanged from the original release, although this time it seems to be an Eduard in-house production.  Printing is crisp and although the sheet contains a large number of stars with different coloured borders, there are no signs of misregistration.

I’m not sure if it’s possible to be nostalgic for a kit that’s only seven years old, but this is a welcome return of Eduard’s original I-16 Type 10.  The quality of the plastic parts, combined with the Profipack trimmings and an interesting range of marking options, make this an excellent package that I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in World War 2 Soviet aircraft.

References

Hans-Heiri Stapfer, Polikarpov Fighters in action Part 2 (Squadron/Signal Publications, 1996).

Modeling the Aircraft of the Soviet VVS 1917-1950, www.vvs.hobbyvista.com

Thanks to Eduard for the sample and for the images.

Review Text Copyright © 2013 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 30 April, 2013
Last updated 6 May, 2013

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