The Little World

Uszhitmi Air Base is what is known in Russia as a winter wonderland. It’s the place that they send people who have been exiled from Siberia.

Thus we see the Ilyushin IL-2 sitting on the tarmac on a bright day in midsummer. You can tell it’s summer as they have not put the snow skis on the plane. Nor on the base ambulance or the base turnip cart. There is a rumour running through the ranks of the airmen that the sewage lagoon may unfreeze. Swim suits are being unpacked.

In the meantime look at how well the Smêr kit has come out. It did have the option for skis on the sprue trees but no instructions as to how to fit them. I shall look out for the alternative Smêr kit that has these deployed – it is worth building again.

The canopy parts are a particularly satisfying portion – they fit perfectly and are crystal-clear. Unfortunately the sliding portion is just too tight to slide back – perhaps a vac-form part would be a good idea here.

Note on the Smêr decals – they release really fast and slide on well. I opted to leave off some of the side lettering but the part that went on was no trouble at all. Only Mr. Mark Setter needed and they’ve gone into the gaps perfectly.