In 1933, Nikolai N. Polikarpov of the Polikarpov Design Bureau began designing an advanced fighter. It was to be of monoplane configuration, with retractable undercarriage and fully enclosed cockpit (the canopy was removed on later variants). The engine of choice was Wright Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engine (later built under licence by Shvetsov) enclosed in a NACA-type cowling. Similar to the Gee Bee R-1 air racer, the new aircraft has short, stubby fuselage. The prototype TsKB-12 was accepted on 22 November 1933, before it has even fly. The aircraft was of mixed construction, with wooden fuselage and steel alloy wing spars. The wing skin was made of aluminium on the center and the leading edges with the rest in fabric. Armament consisted of a pair of 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns in the wings with 900 rounds of ammo. Service trials of the now-named I-16 began in March 1934. The aircraft was shown to have superior speed and climb rate and also good roll rate. In short, it was the most advanced fighter aircraft in the early 1930s.
The I-16 was used in combat by the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War from 1936 where it reigned supreme over the biplane Heinkel He 51, Fiat CR.32 and Arado Ar 68 flown by the Nationalists and their allies. It maintained that position until the introduction of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was also bloodied over the skies of the Far East by the Chinese against the Japanese and also during the Battle of Khalkin Gol (The Nomonhan Incident). However by this time (1939) it was acknowledged that the design has become obsolescent. The addition of armour, radio, battery and flaps in subsequent variants have degraded the type's performance. However it remained in front-line service by the time the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, making up roughly a quarter of the V-VS strength. The main German fighter, the Bf 109, had the advantage of ceiling, rate of climb, acceleration and horizontal and diving speed whilst the I-16 was more maneuverable than the early Bf 109s and could fight the 'E' version of the Bf 109 on equal terms. Still, of the 1,635 I-16s at 21 June 1941, only 937 were left two days later, mainly being the victim of sudden Luftwaffe bombings of their airfields. On the 30th the number dropped further to 873. To help stem the aerial onslaught, a number of I-16 pilots chose ramming as their tactic, sacrificing themselves in the process.
The I-16 was nicknamed
Ishak (donkey) because of the similar pronunciation with 'I-16'. The Spanish Republicans called them
Mosca (fly) and
Rata (rat) the by the Nationalists. The Finns called the I-16
Siipiorava (flying squirrel).
The Kit
Eduard released the first of their 1/48 I-16 kits, the Type 10, in 2006. It was met with rave reviews (with the usual dissenting voices however) by the modeling community, being superior to the Hobbycraft/Academy kit. The Type 10 was followed by the release of Types 17, 24 and 29 and also the aptly named Royal Class. Each of the release has their subtle differences just like the real
aircraft (the real Type 24's salient points were four machine guns,
flaps, tailwheel and second door flap on the right side). All the kits feature top-notch engraving and surface detail plus PE parts and painting mask. Eduard also released their so-called 'Weekend Edition' kits, which are simplified (no PE and masks and just one marking option) version of the the original releases. The Weekend Edition of the Type 24 features markings for an I-16 flown by Major Boris Safonov, 72SAF, Northern Fleet.
Construction
In a break from the norm, Eduard have you started from the fuselage halves. Me, being a traditionalist, started my build from the cockpit. The parts were painted Tamiya XF-5 Flat Green and details in Flat Black. The instrument panel was made up from plastic and decal only without PE alternatives in the original release. Next, the sidewalls and the relevant parts on them were painted XF-66 Light Grey. The exhaust stubs were then glued to their respective places - a quite difficult job as there were no positive location markers. The fuselage halves were mated together and the assembled cockpit module inserted from the bottom. Next, the upper and lower wing halves were glued together and the assembly mated to the fuselage.
The rear fuselage assembly consisted of the tailplanes, tailcone, tailwheel and the rudder. All have mating tabs sans the rudder. The engine was painted steel and inserted into the cowling. As this the Weekend edition, there was no PE cowling vent cover so the vents are in the 'fully open' position. Finally the gun breech covers were glued and the rest of the parts were left off until after painting.
Painting and Decaling
As with the Yak-3 beforehand, the bottom of the I-16 was painted XF-23. After browsing around, I painted the upper surfaces XF-5 Flat Green. Although not stated in the instructions, the drawings and box art show a thin silver band on the cowling. I masked the surrounding area with Tamiya tape and painted the band using Mr. Color 8 Silver.
Eduard provided just one marking scheme, that is of Major Boris Safonov of the 72nd Guards Mixed Air Regiment, Soviet Northern Fleet at Murmansk. By the time he was killed on 30th of May 1942, he was credited with 25 kills. He was also twice Hero Of The Soviet Union (the second posthumously). The subject for this Eduard release is the aircraft he was most famously photographed in - number 11 with the inscriptions
'Za Stalina!' ('For Stalin') on the left side of the fuselage and
'Smert Fashistam!' ('Death to Fascists') on the right. The decals are thin and adhere well with no silvering. As usual, they received the Mr Mark Decal Softer treatment.
Finishing
The remaining parts were now attached. I forgot to drill the locating hole for the gun camera behind the cockpit, so I had to resort to Mk1 Eyeball. The spindly-looking main landing gears were next and despite its looks, were quite strong . The I-16 has retraction cable from the wheels to the wheel wells, to be simulated using wire but since the correct gauge wasn't in my possession, I defer this feature for later. Finally a spray of Tamiya Flat Clear finishes off the built.
Conclusion
Eduard has come up with another with another winner in their I-16 series and have done justice to one of the most significant aircraft in history. The Weekend Edition allows modelers with lower budget or with less abilities to have one in their collection. Another note, despite the title, it took me almost a fortnight to finish the I-16!
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