The Little World

If I had been in any doubt looking at the crude plastic on the sprue runners, it was dispelled when I got to the ” Made In USSR ” stamped into the plastic. I was relieved. Up until that moment I had been worried that this kit was an elaborate practical joke and that Alan Funt would pop up and tell me I was on Candid Camera. I had prepared a fresh Xacto knife blade for him…

I will not say that every surface of the aircraft was flawed – some mating areas needed only a lick with a knife and sandpaper to become everything that was needed. Others promised to become a sinkhole of putty. In the end, I was surprised how well the basic structure came together. The white plastic shows the red MEK cement in the gaps and it’s not too bad.

I think the nacelles and engine covers unnecessarily complex but they filed down pretty well. The gear legs are sturdy but the sockets are loose – there will need to be some careful assembly below the wing to get symmetrical landing gear. The cockpit is crude and bare but there are two ghastly pilot figures that serve to hide most of it.

At this stage of the game I studied the decal sheet carefully as well as the colour callout on the box end. I’ve decided to use the Spanish Republican markings as they are simplest to do, and the registration of the Soviet stars doesn’t seem good.