Li-2NB of Amodel in 1/72nd scale

I've received the Amodel Li-2NB and I have to say I'm reasonably pleased with it. Although there is some flash, there's not too much (not like on early Amodel kits!). The moulding is generally good, although some of the plastic shows scratches that will need to be smoothed out with fine sandpaper, and some of the engraved lines should be redone. Mostly, though, the surface detail isn't too bad, although it definitely could have been much better. It appears that at some point they said ?good enough? and went ahead with the moulding. There is some interior detail, with nicely-done cockpit seats and instrument panel, and interior bulkheads, not that much will visible once the fuselage is glued together and the clear parts added. The ShKAS guns and 250kg bombs are well-done also, the UBT less so. Although not perfectly-clear, the clear parts are certainly usable.

One disappointment comes with the painting instructions ? it's amazing to me that a Ukrainian company can still put out a sheet, in 2012, that calls out for the thoroughly-discredited brown/green paint scheme, which it does for one of the two schemes represented in this kit. I'm also somewhat dubious of the three-colour scheme they have. The decals are well-registered, although I'll no doubt give them a coat of clear gloss just to make them stronger (something I'm doing with most decals these days to strengthen them).

I have glued the wings together without too much trouble, although I wish Amodel had provided locating tabs, at least on the fuselage, where some cleanup is necessary on the mating surfaces. In addition, some trimming of the interior parts is necessary to get the fuselage to fit properly. Although I haven't fitted it yet, the insert that carries the dorsal turret looks like it will take a little work to get it to fit properly. In sum, this is not Tamiya, nor does it pretend to be (Amodel always put a ?warning? on their instructions that these are short-run technology kits). If you're expecting a kit that falls together with no effort, this isn't it. It does, however, appear to be a workable kit of a very important GPW VVS aeroplane and I for one am very glad I purchased it. Overall it appears to be an accurate representation of the Li-2. I don't think it should present any insurmountable difficulties to anyone who's had a little practice with short run/Eastern European kits, and if you're on this site and reading this post, this probably applies to you.

Regards,

Jason