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| When
the I-16 flew for the first time in December 1933,
it was far ahead of any other fighter design in the world. It featured
retractable landing gear, an enclosed armored cockpit, a cantilever
wing and variable pitch propeller. |
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| The aircraft
was highly maneuverable, but also tricky to fly - with the engine near
the center of gravity and the pilot well behind, the pilot had to maintain
strict control of the aircraft at all times. |
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The I-16 is
known by a variety of names. The Republicans called it 'Mashka' (small
fly) and the Nationalist's 'Rata' (rat), the Japanese called it 'Abu'
(gadfly), and the Germans called it 'Dientsjager' (duty fighter).
In Russia it has been known as 'Yastrebok' (hawk) or more commonly
as 'Ishak' (little donkey), reflecting its hardworking role. |
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| Although the
I-16 was obsolete when the Germans invaded Russia in June 1941, it was
still Russia's most numerous fighter. |
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| One of the most unthinkable uses
for the i-16 came in ramming attacks. Russian pilots were taught to hit the tail surfaces of German bombers and then bail
out. |
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| Hasegawa did a nice job on this kit. It is a fast build with no snags at all during construction. The fit is excellent and very little filler was required on my kit. Wing ribbing and recessed panel lines are really well done. |
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| My only criticism of this kit is with the printing of the decals. For some unexplained reason all white markings on the decal sheet were printed in silver so I couldn't build the aircraft depicted on the box cover and had to use the alternate markings provided which had no white/silver markings. |
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| As you can see the i-16 is tiny enough in this scale to fit in the palm of my hand. |
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| Here's a look at the underside. I used guitar string for the gear cables. |
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| For a bit of nostalgia, here is one of the original photos taken of my kit back in 2001. Most people were surfing my site using a 128k modem so this resolution was reasonable at the time. Now it seems so very small. |
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Kit: Hasegawa #51327 (AP27:1200) |
Scale: 1/72 |
| Cost: Cost in 2001 was $10.00 (US) which was a fair value. |
| Decals Used: Stock. Hasegawa messed up on the printing of the decal sheet. All of the white markings are
printed in Silver ink which ruins the neat patriotic slogan and tail code depicted on the box cover. I used the markings provided for an alternate aircraft which did not use white. |
| After Market Parts Used: None. |
| Paint Used: I used Testors Model Master Enamels "Russian Topside Green
(F)" and "Russian Underside Blue (F)" almost straight out
of the bottle. I'm very pleased with the way they look. |
Review: The kit is molded in light gray. There are 37 parts including
the thin gauge wire provided for wheel retracting cable. All parts are
flash free with super fine recessed panel lines. The windscreen is crystal clear.
Fit is typical Hasegawa precision, although a dab of Tamiya
putty was used where the fuselage and upper wing surfaces join.
The cockpit detail is reasonable for such a small space.
The control stick and some sidewall details are good representations.
The instrument panel is represented only by a decal, however it is nearly
impossible to view when completed. Engine detail is also
fairly well represented.
Options include open or closed vents for the engine cowling,
and a gun camera (which I included).
With the exception of the off color decals, this kit is
a builders dream... Fast, Easy and Nice Looking! |
| Recommendation: I recommend this kit for any builder of any skill level. |
