Andy T's 1/48 Tamiya Ilyushin il-2 Sturmovik

[adt70hk]

That's brilliant Andy.

Absolutely brilliant

 

[Mickc1440]

I've just had a catch up too Andy, that cockpits is the dogs, great work

 

[Geoffers]

That’s a super looking cockpit Andy, the Quinta decals are a great addition

Geoff.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Andy, Andrew, Mick & Geoff I'm glad you like it and yes, the Quinta stuff has impressed me once again.

The cockpit & gunners area received a wash and a bit of chipping to dirty them up a little. Nothing major as it'll be mostly hidden under the canopy but at least I know I've done something:



After sanding the fuselage joints I gave them a quick squirt of Mr Finishing Surfacer to see if further work was needed. I think not





Then a really boring shot of neutral grey on neutral grey plastic lol. The landing gear, bays & doors are at least painted up now ready for a bit of weathering and further assembly. I'm unsure how much of the radiator & oil coolers will be seen but I've started to paint them up also:

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
The cockpit looks the nuts mate.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Paul. It's ready for slotting in when the time comes.

 

[Jim R]

That's a great looking kit Andy. Fine job you're making of it. The cockpit, with the 3D decals is looking superb.

 

[Andy T]

Thank you Jim.

On the subject of the paints I've been waiting for..

I was taking the boss for some routine tests this morning and her windscreen was iced up. I delved into the box we have outside for all of our winter gear to find a scraper and saw a little box. Thanks Evri for dropping it in there with absolutely no notification I haven't even had a reply from the vendor yet either.

I've no idea how long they've been in there but the package is dated the 10th. At least they are here at last, and showing the evolution of MRP bottles over the years.

 

[stona]

That is really coming on, it looks terrific, absolutely love what you've done in the cockpit.

I must get my finger out with my contribution!

 

[Andy T]

Cheers Steve, the kit & accessories have definitely helped.

 

[Andy T]

A bit of a pic heavy update I'm afraid, mostly me fauning over Tamiya engineering...

Much of this detail on the radiator & oil coolers will never be seen without an endoscope but I painted it anyway (the blue isn't quite so vivid in real life!) :



This is how it all looks when fitted. Also note the brace that I'll come back to later:



However once the fuselage is fitted you'll never see the radiator!



Some of the oil cooler detail will be visible from underneath though, so I masked it up before gluing in place:



The upper & lower wings went together beautifully but I thought there was a strange gap around the gear bay:




Not to worry, once the centre belly section that ties the wings together is fitted, it all makes sense:



Now back to the brace I mentioned earlier. As well as strengthening the centre section it marries perfectly to the cockpit tub, and also the wing root, meaning alignment is pretty much guaranteed:





The root is also split into 3 sections along panel lines to disguise any joint, plus there are various slots, tabs and "hooks" to interconnect everything (hard to photograph):



All that clever engineering results in this, just clipped together dry for now:



The rear stabiliser have been fitted too. Again, as well as slotting into the fuselage they link across to each other within it, making it almost impossible to get their alignment wrong:



One thing I'm not keen on is that the main landing gear legs need to be fitted before these nacelles, so I can't see any choice other than to fit the gear before paint, leaving them vulnerable and making masking slightly harder.

I know I could drill & pin the legs for fitting after but why risk it?



Long update, thanks for bearing with me.

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
Not long at all, some great engineering and modelling.

 

[rtfoe]

That is looking very nice Andy and everything is coming together very well. I was looking for a Sturmovik and never thought of the Tamiya kit until this build came out. Got to get me one.

Cheers,
Wabble

 

[Andy T]

Thanks again Paul.

Cheers Richard, it seems a really well thought out kit. David Damek / Plasmo built it a while back with his usual mind blowing additions & upgrades, so there's room for further improvements for those with the skill & patience.

 

[adt70hk]

Looking very good Andy!

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Andrew.

Work on this has been a bit sporadic with me losing my father in law last Thursday. Supporting my wife obviously comes a long way before hobbies, but I've managed a bit here & there.

The build phase is pretty much complete, I've even risked adding a few of vulnerable bits. We'll see how many survive my heavy handed painting



I'm still in a quandary about the canopy. With it being open at the gunners end there's a high chance of overspray blowing through, so I think it'll be prudent to mask the inside surface and mount it temporarily.

Head's a shed at the moment though so I may change my mind about that.

 

[scottie3158]

Really looking the part now Andy. And please give your better half my condolences on her loss.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Really sorry for your loss Andy. Please pass on my condolences. My wife lost her father on Monday night so I know exactly how you feel.
Sturmovic is looking good though.

 

[BattleshipBob]

Sorry to hear the sad news, my condolences to your wife Andy

 

[Mini Me]

Hang in there Andy and pass on my regards and condolences to your Missus.