Special Hobby 1/32 Polikarpov I-16 Type 5
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Chapter 1: How to effectively complicate something inherently simple
It seems to me that each scale has its advantages and disadvantages.
Call me eclectic, but I find it refreshing to change gears and work in
another volume every now and then. Instead of relentlessly following one
fixed numeric ratio, I’d rather try to find the balance between
the size, appearance, scope and desired level of detail. So, after a few
models in the ubiquitous 1/48 it was time for such a change…
It just so happens that the Azur/Special Hobby “kolkhoz”
first came to the idea that bigger may indeed be better when the petite
form of Polikarpov I-16 is in question. And it just so happens that I
agree with them fully.
Azur made a simple kit that reflects the straightforwardness of the
I-16 design. Few resin and photo-etched bits merit the “multimedia”
label, but no one should be daunted by the complexity contained in this
box. Let me add that it is the most accurate Polikarpov I-16 kit to date.
This is the fourth “Ishka” on my shelves and strangely all
four are “type-5s”. I didn’t plan it that way, it just
happened. This time I chose one distinctive “late” type-5
machine on skies, the white “11”, captured on two photographs
during the Winter War in 1940 (published in the “Soviet Air Force
Fighter Colors 1941-45”, by Erik Pilawskii). Apart from the very
bold personal markings, this aircraft shows amalgamate of modifications
that happened in transition from the type-5 to type-10. No lack of character
with this one, to be certain!
 Ailerons
are long, as per the early standard, but the wing structure is reinforced
- 22 ribs on the upper surface (post 1938 production). The fixed windshield
is retrofitted, yet the rails of the original sliding canopy remain, as
does the prominent telescopic gun-sight. Radio antenna stretches from
the fuselage spine behind the head–rest to the tip of vertical tail
and from there to the starboard wing tip. No radio hatch is visible. Fixed,
non-retractable skies replaced the wheels at some point to enable operations
in snow. From pictures of few other similar planes of the same unit, I
concluded that the gear-bays are most probably closed for aerodynamic
gain. Engine cowling is obscured by warmers on both available photographs,
leaving the exact appearance of this area completely to my best judgment
(or fancy).
 Comparing
the contents of that quirky, side-opening box from Azur with what I had
planed, it became obvious that this was no weekend mission. At that point
I had motivation and the basic kit in my inventory; the rest came one
step at the time, keeping good faith in the power of improvisation –
could this be the reason I like this hobby?
Chapter 2: The Full Monty
 I
was already well into obliterating the kit’s cockpit – bits
of plastic in my hair - when a small box arrived from Russia, to raise
the stakes to a new level, and appreciably change the look of the finished
model…
Only a handful of aftermarket accessories emerged for Azur’s kit
since its first appearance, but the most impressive one by far is the
“Engine & Armament” set by Vector. Opened cowling and
bare engine details make for quite a contrast to the stock kit, so naturally
I couldn’t resist the urge. Off came the front part of the kit’s
fuselage... As my Dremel slowed down I had an uncomforting moment, thinking
how the Vector set is really designed for I-16 type-17. But then a small
plastic bit fell into my carpet, I went after it and the thought was lost.
 Back
in the kit’s cockpit, the thickness of the sidewalls would make
any T-34 crewman feel safe. I don’t get to use 100 grit sandpaper
a lot in scale modeling, but now I found a perfect task for it. No I-16
kit provides for an authentic detail of the inner structure, and this
one is no different. The spurious full floor is there, as well as imaginary
solid wall behind the seat. Rest of the details doesn’t inspire
enthusiasm either. In 1/32 scale however there’s really no excuse
to leave things amiss, as I see it, so the cockpit had to be rebuilt from
scratch. From fuselage frames, stringers and floor supporting elements,
to the instrument panel, armored backrest, all the controls and levers,
cables and pulleys and one complimentary small leather bag, “the
office” was slowly brought up to the aviation standard.
 I
chose AE-10 (a.k.a. “Wood Aerolack”) for the main color of
the inner walls, instrument panel I painted black, and mixed the “perhaps
unpainted” and “definitely dirty” look for various smaller
bits.
The cockpit took me a while, and I hope I won’t have to do it
all over again for the other 1/32 I-16 kit I have. C’mon Sergey
“Vectorskii”, if you can make that beautiful engine, a replacement
cockpit is surely within the scope!
 Let
us now consider the said engine up close. Standard type-5 aircraft was
equipped with the radial M-25A unit (725 H.P.) apparently without an oil-cooler.
The front cowling was therefore void of any air-scoops and 8 teardrop
exhaust outlets were present. Experience in hot Mediterranean climate
gained during the Spanish Civil War advanced the introduction of the oil-cooler,
manifested in a small “T”-shaped inlet at the center bottom
of the front cowling, as well as the circular vent at the underside cowling
element between the two inner exhaust outlets. These became standard features
of the type-10 aircraft, but the introduction of the said improvements
actually started on some late type-5 machines.
 Reportedly,
there were also cases where the type-5 aircraft received the upgraded
M-25V unit (750 H.P.). Considering that the photos of this particular
aircraft couldn’t give me a definitive answer, I decided to go with
my preference and model the “hot-rod” version. The oil-cooler
was to stay, and I was also not worried about the shape of the oil-reservoir
and its scalloped form (provision for a pair of upper ShKAS guns on type-10
aircraft).
 There
were still modifications required to the Vector’s set, to adapt
it for use on my model. Mainly, the gun bay scallops on the main firewall
were filled out, and the lower cowling element needed to be backdated
to the four exhaust vents and no ski-recesses. For this I used the central
bottom panel of the kit’s part and combined it with resin flanks
of the Vector cowling. Tricky business but one that paid off in the end.
 The
resin engine is a jewel and should be handled thusly. I added extra wires,
pushrods and numerous connection pins to piece it all together. Exhaust
stubs needed some attention to make them fit properly, especially the
ones for the lower cylinders, where the cowling elements are kept in place.
I hollowed out the big carburetor intake as well as the heat exchanger
element of the oil-cooler, adding a small grill inside. The central engine
hull was also drilled out to make place for “bearing system”
of the propeller shaft.
Chapter 3: What goes up must come down…
…And to do both of those activities safely in snow one needs skies.
Putting skies on an aircraft usually implied sacrificing some performance,
but on the other hand it often made a difference between flying and rusting
on the ground, waiting for spring. This particular I-16 did not wait for
spring…
 The
main skies that come as an option in the kit are not the type I needed
for the chosen variant. Teardrop-shaped non-retractable skies were used
here to reduce drag in flight. Weighing my options, I finally chose to
build them using stacked plastic wafers glued together, and then to further
profile them by sanding. The method is actually a crude approximation
of the “rapid prototyping” technique, where a 3-D object is
built up from 2-D layers. I sourced the plastic from the blank areas of
another vacuum-formed kit (speaking of recycling). Making the pair of
skies to be identical in shape took some effort, but I didn’t want
to experiment with casting resin as an alternative.
 Each
ski is balanced in flight by five tension cables. Three cables on the
front and two more on the back connect the ski body with the underside
of the wing. When on ground, front cables are under tension, while the
back ones are relaxed. I created these using some nylon monofilament with
the stripped wire insulation for the thicker “elastic” elements;
and cut-off syringe tubing for the end-bushings. Small fairings visible
on the photos, where cables connected with the ski, were made from aluminum
sheet.
Chapter 4: Dialectic
 It
is suggested that devil hides in details, but lacking shelf-space for
the god’s grander scale what is a modeler to do? Contemplating implications
of this incongruity, I had to abandon formal dualism and focus at problem
at hand: my Pollikarpov.
The rails remaining from the old sliding canopy were made out of aluminum
sheet. Plastic tubing, wire and more aluminum bits made up the telescopic
gun-sight. Small bits of transparent sprue sanded to shape and polished
double as lenses.
 Venturi-probe
on the starboard side of the fuselage was fashioned out of drilled-out
cylindrical plastic bits, wire and syringe needle. Gun muzzles are also
syringes, with small fairing blisters (at the wing’s leading edge)
scavenged from an old Hobbycraft I-16 kit (it has oversized gun fairings
for 1/48 scale, but just right in 1/32).
Long ailerons had to be re-scribed and while at it, I decided to free
the aileron side edges completely by cutting through with a fine saw.
Then I restored the proper structural details by masking and spraying
a thick coat of Mr. Surfacrer 500 in several layers.
One characteristic feature of all I-16s is that when at rest their elevators
are drooping. So, I cut them from the horizontal fins and repositioned
them appropriately. Small covers for the hinge cutouts were made of aluminum
sheet. I’ve added the rivets on all metal surfaces, mainly the cowling
elements and central upper and lower wing panels.
 Landing
gear tripods were replaced with steel. Only the main legs have plastic
tubing of various diameters as the facade, but through them also run heavy
gauge syringe needles.
Pitot-tube is also a syringe needle, and the small protective sleeve
with the “remove before flight” flag is fashioned out of aluminum
foil. Such anti-icing covers can be seen on several period photographs,
including the one shown at the beginning of this text.
 The
longitudinal cowling mounts are prominent details when the engine is uncovered.
These are not included in the detail set, probably because the parts would
be too fragile in resin. I decided to make four of them: two for the upper
cowling elements that are completely removed, and two more for the side
edges, where the wing root cowling is in place. In reality there’s
an additional pair that holds in place the bottom cowl, but this would
be almost completely hidden in the depth of the engine bay, and therefore
I deemed the effort too great for diminishing returns. A lot of repetitive
cutting and bending of the minute aluminum bits was involved. There are
altogether 64 small pieces held by superglue in those four strips of metal!
After that bait-fishing comes easy…
Chapter 5: Bird’s pretty feathers
 The
time came to cover the plastic with some pigments. First in action was
Mr. Surfacer. Priming the surfaces has many advantages and no disadvantage
that I can immediately think off, and abovementioned product does this
job excellently.
The usual suspects for the main camouflage were AII Blue for undersurfaces
and AEh-15 dark green for the upper. The dark green was a bit of a guess,
but after some researching I’ve settled on FS 34092 by Model Master
for the base color.
 In
trying to bring to life this monochromatic scheme I experimented with
several techniques described by the air-brush experts: achieving depth
by layering and modification of the base paint inspired by Hector Mirasol’s
work, as well as post shading as schooled by Chris Wauchop. Additionally,
the glossiness of clear coats was varied for different materials: wood,
metal and canvas. Heavier wear at the wing roots was achieved by first
spraying an ocher paint to represent the puttied wooden surface. After
the main green camouflage was applied and cured I started rubbing the
area with micro-mash until the underlying layer started to show up. Same
technique was used for the “metal” cowling, only with Allclad
“Dark Aluminium” as a base and Tamiya semi-gloss Black on
top.
 The
big slogans on both fuselage sides were spray-painted using custom masks
produced by Saša and Aleksej of Gremlin Models. No better way to
represent painted markings then by painting… National stars on the
underside of the wings were also masked using some Tamiya tape and then
airbrushed.
So, the only remaining marking to be applied was the lush emblem of
the “Red Banner”. I turned for aid to Terry of Aviaeology,
who generously agreed to draw this art anew and then print it for me.
There are no less than five layers of ALPS-borne decal in this one, yet
it is impossible to tell that the image was not painted on. Truly remarkable!
 For
the end, a simple wintry base with few abandoned fuel drums was put together,
using a wooden frame with a sheet of white styrene covered in artificial
snow. As the mix of water, white glue and “snow powder“ started
to harden I impressed footprints and ski tracks where appropriate. This
is the first time that I experiment with such scenery, so despite some
smaller mistakes I’m quite content with the result.
Chapter 5: “Cosmopolitely” obliged
Help for this model came from many corners of the world as it were.
A true tribute to the internet revolution; some of these people I know
in person, the others only through the web, but without a doubt this powerful
medium and generous hobby comradery made the project possible. Matt Bittner,
Erik Pilawskii, Sergey Kosachev, Ilic brothers, Peter Vill, Terry Higgins,
Peter Toth, thank you kindly! This one goes to all of you.
Azur I-16 Type-10, 1/32 – courtesy of Internet Modeler
Vector I-16 Engine & Armament Set, 1/32 - courtesy of Vector
Custom “Order of Red Banner” decal – courtesy of Aviaeology
Custom vinyl masks – courtesy of Gremlin Models
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