The Little World

If you were a front gunner in a Tupolev SB2 you were wise to take a flask of tea and a novel with you for the flight.

As you entered by a hatch under the nose, were out of touch with the rest of the crew, and were not given the key to the toilet, it could be an uncomfortable flight. If the plane ditched or crashed you had no more worries – ever.

The ICM kit is amazingly detailed inside the forward fuselage – wing area. There are spars, formers, bomb racks, and eventually the wheel wells will be fully enclosed – no empty wings with this aircraft.

The plastic is very slightly soft but the sprue gates are commendably small and careful trimming yields a good fit most every time. I’ve long learned to leave every bump and depression undisturbed until you get to the dry-fit stage as ICM have a habit of designing alignment blebs and holes to show you where the fit is. Sometimes you take them off as you progressively cement something, but they are there as a clue and you should not ignore them.

There is a bit of warpage, but clamping the parts together and leaving them in the shed over two hot days relaxes the plastic into the correct fit.