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This is the first of the series of photos of Axel
Fischer's model.
The original TsKB-15 was first flown on 1 September 1934 with a 760
hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs 12-cylinder water-cooled engine. |
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The silhouette anticipates of many years the fighters of the second
world war, but it is smaller than the later Messerschmitts and Spitfires.
The clear vacuformed canopy of the model is noteworthy. |
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The original TsKB-15 was painted red and dark blue, without any markings.
It retains the original colors today, being displayed in the V.P.Chkalov
Museum, but the original retractable undercarriage is now replaced with
a fixed one. |
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Both prototypes of the I-17 were flown by the test pilot V.P.Chkalov,
the same pilot who had flown the I-16 and that later was made Hero of the
Soviet Union because his record flight from USRS to USA through the North
Pole; he died in 1938 while testing the first I-180. |
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The first prototype TsKB-15 had an outward-retracting undercarriage
actuated manually by the pilot, while the second prototype TsKB-19 had
pnematically actuated inward retracting undercarriage. |
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This is the model of Thomas
Siepert from Eisenhuettenstadt.
Undercarriage wires are visible on this photo. |
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This model was built by Igor
Shestakov using the a vacuform kit from the Canadian company called
"VP Canada" or "Victoria Products".
The author has a firm, UNICRAFT
MODELS, producing resin rare plane kits (not I-17 kits, sorry).
He is the webmaster of ASYMMETRIC
AIRCRAFT website too. |
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The quality of the VP vacuform kits is excellent, but they seem to
be out of business now, so their kits are scarcely available.
The kit can be improved with some modifies to the upper nose profile,
the undercarriage doors and underwing radiators. |
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The model represents the TsKB-19, with the colors it wore when it was
exposed in the Paris Airshow of 1936.
On that occasion, the aircraft had no armament and was presented as
a sport plane, but the experts immediately understood that it was a fighter. |
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The differences between TsKB-15 and 19 are apparent both in profile
views and in front views.
The radiators were partially retractable, and they could be lifted
into the wing surface during fast flying. |
