The Little World

It’s not really, but it looks like it – or Sherman from Sherman’s Lagoon.

The actual fit of the fuselage halves for this Zvezda model is spot-on – only basic smoothing needed. The sesqui-wing needs some putty help, but even that is pretty minor. It encourages me to think that the rest of the components might also fit.

When you think about it, as a prototype this is pretty darn obscure – even the Russians might not think of it first time when someone says ” fighter plane “. It was a Sukhoi design while he worked in the Tupolev bureau, but doesn’t bear much relationship to the other WW2 Sukhoi dive bomber I built – except perhaps for the round cross-section of the fuselage.

The propeller is one of a choice of two, but features a slightly unique construction. Of course there is a plastic shaft extending to the rear from the centre of the spinner but the hole in the front of the fuselage is much larger than this. The kit provides a circular plastic bearing to occlude this hole, with a separate, larger ring to keep the shaft in the bearing. I was able to assemble it so that it spins freely.