Toko's Il-2 decal options

[Javier Planells]

Hi guys,

I've had the single seater version for some time and started building it. Taking a look at the decal options and doing some research on the net, it seems to be that none of the schemes suits the plastic in the kit, an early, all-metal, four stacked plane with late armament configuration.

Since you're far more knowledgeable on this matter than I do, here are the questions:

- Does any of the decal options fit the kit as is?
- Should I change the stacks for the separate ones included in the kit?
- Backdate the aircraft to a really early model?
- Just fill the thingy with highly combustible compounds and make it airborne?

Your help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Now, back to finishing Alksnis' I-5/VT-12

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Javier,
could you post a scan of the painting instructions and of the decals sheet, please?
Late armament... do you mean the 23 mm VYa guns with protruding bulges on their root? If so, this armament is uncompatible with a metal rear fuselage.
The separate stacks... is there an option where the first two stacks are  twin, similar to those of MiG-3s and mid  production LaGGs? If so, this was a limited production of zavod 1 in early 1942; such planes should have both wooden rear fuselage and wings.
Regards
Massimo

[learstang]

Hi Javier,
could you post a scan of the painting instructions and of the decals sheet, please?
Late armament... do you mean the 23 mm VYa guns with protruding bulges on their root? If so, this armament is uncompatible with a metal rear fuselage.
The separate stacks... is there an option where the first two stacks are  twin, similar to those of MiG-3s and mid  production LaGGs? If so, this was a limited production of zavod 1 in early 1942; such planes should have both wooden rear fuselage and wings.
Regards
Massimo

Massimo, I've built this kit and it does have four-stack exhausts like in one of the profiles you did for me.  It also has the fairings on the front of the wings for the VYa cannons.  The metal wings have both the long anti-flutter balances near the wingtips, and the small, Bf-109 aileron balances.  It has the small wingroot hatches, but only one landing light.  The ailerons are also smooth like the metal-covered examples.  It doesn't have the PBP-1 gunsight, but neither does it have the VV-1 gunsight.  I believe it has the external air intake filter as a separate piece.

Regards,

Jason

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Jason, hi Javier,
so, those stacks are good for a limited number of examples only, that will require the deletion of many panel lines on the wings and rear fuselage to reproduce the wooden surface, and the deletion of all the balances on the wings; they had a characteristic camo, well recognizable on the left side of the tail that has a sort of black 'tree'. Some of them have some reinforcement strips on the rear fuselage.
If one wants to make an early, all metal plane, one has to use a 6-stacks exhaust, modify the guns, machine guns and the landing lights, to reduce the amount of armor on the canopy and add the internal gunsight. Not too difficult, I think.
Regards
Massimo

[Javier Planells]

Hi Javier,
could you post a scan of the painting instructions and of the decals sheet, please?
Late armament... do you mean the 23 mm VYa guns with protruding bulges on their root? If so, this armament is uncompatible with a metal rear fuselage.
The separate stacks... is there an option where the first two stacks are  twin, similar to those of MiG-3s and mid  production LaGGs? If so, this was a limited production of zavod 1 in early 1942; such planes should have both wooden rear fuselage and wings.
Regards
Massimo

Hi, Jason & Massimo,

The kit sprues have been re-boxed by Zvezda. On a preview done here there are pictures of the plastic parts.

http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/il-2/zvezda/zvezda.htm

About the colour schemes, here are a few pictures found elsewhere.







Is there any way to find out to what specific series does each scheme belong? That is, is it possible to build the kit as it is or by adding the six-exhaust stacks, with the decals provided? Or are there major modifications involved for each scheme if wanting to use the decals provided by Toko?

Sorry for the lecture

Javier

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Javier,
the plane n.9 is built by Zavod 18, it should have metal wings with balances and, it seems from the poor photo, the same VYa-23 guns of the kit; the rear fuselage should be wooden.
I would exclude the aiming lines on the nose.
The second plane, all green, could really have the all-metal rear fuselage, but 20 mm guns and earlier wings with different landing lights and reduced armour on the frames. Again, exclude for sure the aiming lines.
The third one has surely a wooden rear fuselage and probably wooden wings; it could be a late model because it's photographed side by side with twoseaters. All the planes of this unit show noses covered, so it's impossible to know if they are really solid white. I've no idea if aiming lines should be visible.
Regards
Massimo

[learstang]

Javier, I concur with Massimo on his observations, although I think the white version should be all-white - I've seen the photographs of this squadron and the white is so relatively uniform that it leads me to think it was factory applied in which case the nose should also be white, probably with black aiming lines.

Regards,

Jason

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Jason, hi Javier
black lines... perhaps, but I've never seen this on photos.
About the strange alternative exhausts: they surely haven't to be used on the first two variants, and probably neither on the third one.
Regards
Massimo

[Javier Planells]

Hi Massimo & Jason,

From your information, I'm inclined to build the first option. So the only thing to change is the wooden rear fuselage. One extra question, should it carry a PBP-1 or VV-1 sight?

Thanks for your patience and aid in this thread

Regards,

Javier

[learstang]

Javier, it should have the PBP-1 gunsight, or possibly nothing.  As the kit doesn't come with a sight, if you want one, you'll have to make one.  If it's from the winter of 1941/42 it certainly wouldn't have had the VV-1 gunsight, as this wasn't introduced until the middle of 1942.

Regards,

Jason

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Jason and Javier, I agree. It seems that there are not aiming lines on red 9, and they are often visible on the same planes with the VV-1.
Regards
Massimo

[learstang]

Hi Jason and Javier, I agree. It seems that there are not aiming lines on red 9, and they are often visible on the same planes with the VV-1.
Regards
Massimo

Massimo, although it's hard to pinpoint exact dates, it seems that the aiming lines, the VV-1 gunsight, and the external intake filter were all introduced in the middle of 1942 (and retrofitted to earlier IL-2's, at least the intake filters).

Regards,

Jason