Here are a couple shots of my latest project, Classic Airframes’ Polikarpov I-153 Chaika. This was Classic Airframes’ sixth kit, so it’s long out of production. It included some nice resin & photoetched parts and a vac windscreen, along with the typical limited-run injection molded parts.
The fit is pretty good. All the mating surfaces needed sanding, and the gaps were only panel line sized. I used Zap-A-Gap on these. I had built and painted the cockpit years ago, before putting this one back in the box. The cockpit is a PE “cage,” with film instruments and a resin seat with PE belts.
I lost one of the tailplane struts, so I replaced it with one cut from a pastry tin.
To give you a size reference, here it is with it’s opponent on the Eastern Front, a Bf 109. Although nimble, the I-153 wasn’t much of a match against a Messerschmitt !
Looking good! I picked their p-152 kit last year and plan to build my as a Nationalist Chinese aircraft. I’ve built only one of CA kits before and found it a bit rough going but utlimtately rewarding, so I’m very interested in how yours will turn out and any potential pitfalls.
wayne and waikong - this will be a VVS bird, based at Minsk in June '41 (circa Operation Barbarossa). It will be finished in NMF, with green splotches.
This is the scheme
This camo will be fun to paint. If you notice, the splotches avoid going “under” the markings. I’ve scanned & printed the decal sheet. The stars will be cut out as used as templates for drafting tape masks. This way, the splotches won’t go where decals are.
