Heres my contribution to the GB in memory of simon . Not quite a tank but nicknamed ‘the flying tank‘ its the Il2 stormovik-m82 prototype . In Simon T fashion this will involve chopping , scratching and general hacking of the two donor kits.
The aircraft in question was a one off experiment during the production run of the Il2 to see if it was feasible to fit the Shvetsov m82 radial engine, as the factories making the Il2s inline engine were in danger of being overrun by the Germans . Only one aircraft was completed and found to be underpowered and in any case the engine factories stayed in russian hands so there was no need for an alternative. The prototype was based on a standard Il2 single seater with the straight wing , but was adapted to fit a second crewman , manning a rear gun .
So onto the kits , the Il2 m ( mark 2 if you like ) with the two man cockpit but straight wing ( as opposed to the arrow shaped wing of the usual kit subject , the Il2 m3 ) is not well represented by the makers , only Zvezda as far as I know making one. I aquired this and for the m82 radial I have an old build of the Polikarpov i-185 fighter which will be butchered . Heres the two victims and a few shots of the differences .
The aircraft in question was a one off experiment during the production run of the Il2 to see if it was feasible to fit the Shvetsov m82 radial engine, as the factories making the Il2s inline engine were in danger of being overrun by the Germans . Only one aircraft was completed and found to be underpowered and in any case the engine factories stayed in russian hands so there was no need for an alternative. The prototype was based on a standard Il2 single seater with the straight wing , but was adapted to fit a second crewman , manning a rear gun .
So onto the kits , the Il2 m ( mark 2 if you like ) with the two man cockpit but straight wing ( as opposed to the arrow shaped wing of the usual kit subject , the Il2 m3 ) is not well represented by the makers , only Zvezda as far as I know making one. I aquired this and for the m82 radial I have an old build of the Polikarpov i-185 fighter which will be butchered . Heres the two victims and a few shots of the differences .