The model was built out of box, as a gift for my friends 30th birthday. I usually don't do WW2 aviation, but since he's a big fan of it and VVS as well, and since I got this kit for just 4EUR, I had to build it for him.



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«Ishachok» means «the small donkey» on Russian. Started his career as not-trusted, speed and capricious for control plane of new generation, for some years it stand over a very popular and loved fighter for Soviet pilots.
The  Eduard kit of I-16 in 1/48 is a very good material for building a model of this famous USSR fighter plane. 
After Eduard's correcting the main error of first series of this kit — wrong form of front engine cowl by new part, the model has two major geometry mistakes — very squared form of gagrot and very tall keel. 
First of those mistakes should be fixed by 5-10 minutes of sanding, but second should be rather hard task — after correcting the tall and geometry of keel we should remake all caving in surfaces. After some minutes of thinking I decide left keel as is — but on the next Eduard's I-16 I should solve this problem.
All part looks very good and impressive at sprues, but the kit has some hidden nuances in assembly ñ as write this some later

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P-39Q-5-BE Airacobra of the deputy commander of 3 air squadron of 30 GvIAP (273 IAD 6 IAK 16 VA) — senior lieutenant A.P.Filatov, Poland, autumn 1944 Some notes on Filatov Aleksandr Pavlovich (1 April 1922 -??) Unlike


other combat pilots, he loved Russian literature and especially poetry. He was a modest man, that tried not to show himself proud of his victories to other people. When sitting down into the cockpit, he quietly listen at the report of mechanics, put on his parachute, showed no emotion, inspected attentively behind his shoulders and took off.

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