I am soon going to start a 1/48 Accurate Miniatures Il-2 Sturmovik for the D-day group build & would like to know if anyone has done this kit before (it’s the one with ski landing gear). I’m toying with the idea of building this thing with conventional landing gear in place of the ski apparatus as pictured on the box art. I was looking over the parts trees yesterday & I noticed that wheels are included in the kit but are not featured in any of the instruction steps. The Il-2
struts (if I remember corectly) are forked at both ends, and one end does seem
that it will accept the tire/wheel assembly. The other end fits into a tub or large
faring on the underside of the wing. Not being too familiar with the construction
of the Sturmovik, I don’t know whether the wheeled Il-2’s had these same landing gear tubs as well as the ski version. To make a long story short: if I were going to build the kit as a wheeled Il-2, could I do it out of the box or would I
have to scratchbuild or get parts from another kit? What does the undercarriage
of a wheeled Sturmovik look like? I guess that’s the crux of the matter. If anyone out there has built this kit or any Sturmovik, or knows these aircraft, could you be so kind as to enlighten me. Thans in advance, comrades.
I’m building that kit right now. All of the parts for the wheeled version are included. To avoid problems fitting the landing gear, Glue the rear “forks” to the legs with slow-setting glue. Place them in position on the lower wing center section (without the fairings in place) to set the angle. This way, you can attach them after painting. If you scroll down this page, http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20716 , you’ll see what the gear look like. I’ve used an Eduard PE set on this bird, so there are details not included in the kit. Be aware that you must remove the “bar” on the legs to fit the wheels. Hope this helps.
Thanks for your expert advice, Pix. That helps tons. I haven’t decided definitely if
I want to go with wheels or skis, but if it’s the former your info will be invaluable.