Tamiya 1/48th IL-2 Shturmovik

[caiotfjr]

I'd like to get one! For variety more than anything. I don't have any 1/48 Russian WWII aircraft (ok I have the Eduard P-39Q, but that's going to be American!).

Aaron

I can recommend a Zveda La-5FN. You will be amazed with the level of detail

[Robertson]

That is very true. I love the Spitfire, and I like the Corsair, but it seems that there are a few kits available of these ("Yes, but the Platonically ideal kit of the F4U-1D in 1944 New Zealand markings in 1/32nd scale has never been done.". I never thought I'd see the day when people would go "What, another IL-2 kit? C'mon, you Shturmovik-nuts, you get a new mould kit every decade or so, what's the problem?". Yes, folks, we've certainly been buried underneath Shturmovik kits from mainstream Western and Japanese manufacturers. I'd like to see how people would respond if we went 15 years between Bf-109 releases in 1/48th scale (the Accurate Miniatures arrow was first released in 1997, I believe). They'd be jumping off bridges.

Regards,

Jason

For the best available Bf-109G "Gustav" variant in 1/48th, which is about 80% of the Me-109's total production run, quaterscale 109 fans have not been going without for 15 years: They have been doing without for about 22 + years, since the release of Hasegawa's J13 kit of a G-2, sadly the best quaterscale Gustav there was for over two long decades... To this day in fact...

Just because a mass of "E" models have recently been coming out doesn't mean the Me-109 is well-covered at all... Fortunately, Zvezda is said to be coming out with a G-6 soon: It will finally displace the crapola Hasegawa, with a timeline nearly a decade longer than the Il-2 in the same scale...

Now does the general perplexity about this Il-2 release make more sense to you?

Robertson

Edited April 26, 2012 by Robertson

[Learstang]

For the best available Bf-109G "Gustav" variant in 1/48th, which is about 80% of the Me-109's total production run, quaterscale 109 fans have not been going without for 15 years: They have been doing without for about 22 + years, since the release of Hasegawa's J13 kit of a G-2, sadly the best quaterscale Gustav there was for over two long decades... To this day in fact...

Just because a mass of "E" models have recently been coming out doesn't mean the Me-109 is well-covered at all... Fortunately, Zvezda is said to be coming out with a G-6 soon: It will finally displace the crapola Hasegawa, with a timeline nearly a decade longer than the Il-2 in the same scale...

Now does the general perplexity about this Il-2 release make more sense to you?

Robertson

No, not at all. It's still unconscionable that it's taken this long for a Japanese manufacturer to make a kit of the most-produced warplane of all time. Remember that we're not talking about 15 years or 22 years, we're talking about ever, in any scale. Ever.

Regards,

Jason

[sakai]

I can recommend a Zveda La-5FN. You will be amazed with the level of detail

Did you actually build it? If not you're in a rather unpleasant experience with the fit due to unecessary over-engineering (cockpit, engine, weapons).

And I share this observation with several other modelers who were building it. Vast majority of people however cann't praise this kit enough which to me means they either haven't started building it or, with all due respect, their standards are rather low.

Cheers,

Mario in NYC

[B_Realistic]

I can recommend a Zveda La-5FN. You will be amazed with the level of detail

Indeed.

I've got the La-5 and it has an engine included.

And that for a low price. :)

[sakai]

No, not at all. It's still unconscionable that it's taken this long for a Japanese manufacturer to make a kit of the most-produced warplane of all time. Remember that we're not talking about 15 years or 22 years, we're talking about ever, in any scale. Ever.

Regards,

Jason

It seems that there is some kind of "cultural" issue involved in this whole "why-Tamiya-Il-2" matter. For "western" modelers VVS topic is usually (unfortunatelly) "can of worms, snakepit, minefield"... Interestingly "eastern" modelers know quite a bit about Spitfires, Mustangs, Thunderbolts, Messerschmitts...

Cheers,

Mario in NYC

[vince14]

As we're now ten pages in, for new readers here's a handy summary of the thread thus far;

Camp 1: "Why oh why oh why have Tamiya wasted time and effort making a kit of an aircraft no-one cares about when there hasn't been a decent model of the <insert favourite aircraft here> for 30 years, or indeed ever? The AM IL-2 is perfectly acceptable".

Camp 2: "Finally, a decent 1/48 scale kit of the world's most-built combat aircraft! The AM IL-2 is OK, but it's high-time that a top quality manufacturer made a decent IL-2. And I, for one, don't need yet another 1/48 Spitfire/Corsair/Mustang etc. There's already loads of them on the market".

That is all.

Vince

Edited April 26, 2012 by vince14

[toniosky]

There is not ONE decent 1/48 F4U-4 Corsair on the market. The best one is the Hasegawa which is correct in outline but is from the early 70s, with raised panel lines and very sparce detail at best . The new Hobby Boss is completely out to lunch and not worth the plastic it's molded out of. The Academy one is also from the 80s and though better than the H.B. it is worse than the Hasegawa. It looks like it is pregnant. It is almost a scale half foot too wide in the cockpit area. At least the Accurate Miniatures Pe-2 is a nice kit and still quite modern.

Imagine a new tooling of Tamiya's Corsair, everyone would be like "What ?! Another Corsair !!! We didnt need that !"

People are just never happy whatsoever. Personally, I am happy with any new kits ;)

[Learstang]

As we're now ten pages in, for new readers here's a handy summary of the thread thus far;

Camp 1: "Why oh why oh why have Tamiya wasted time and effort making a kit of an aircraft no-one cares about when there hasn't been a decent model of the <insert favourite aircraft here> for 30 years, or indeed ever? The AM IL-2 is perfectly acceptable".

Camp 2: "Finally, a decent 1/48 scale kit of the world's most-built combat aircraft! The AM IL-2 is OK, but it's high-time that a top quality manufacturer made a decent IL-2. And I, for one, don't need yet another 1/48 Spitfire/Corsair/Mustang etc. There's already loads of them on the market".

That is all.

Vince

Excellent synopsis, Vince! I think now we should just wait until we have the kit in hand and actually discuss its merits.

Regards,

Jason

[B_Realistic]

As we're now ten pages in, for new readers here's a handy summary of the thread thus far;

Camp 1: "Why oh why oh why have Tamiya wasted time and effort making a kit of an aircraft no-one cares about when there hasn't been a decent model of the <insert favourite aircraft here> for 30 years, or indeed ever? The AM IL-2 is perfectly acceptable".

Camp 2: "Finally, a decent 1/48 scale kit of the world's most-built combat aircraft! The AM IL-2 is OK, but it's high-time that a top quality manufacturer made a decent IL-2. And I, for one, don't need yet another 1/48 Spitfire/Corsair/Mustang etc. There's already loads of them on the market".

That is all.

Vince

It's almost like a pop poll.

Nevertheless I really hope that when someone buy this kit we can see it in the progress section.

[ChesshireCat]

I can recommend a Zveda La-5FN. You will be amazed with the level of detail

I honestly think they did a better job on this kit than they did with their BF109F2, and this is why I want them to do an La-7 and 9!! Can you imagine how nice they could do a 1/32 scale kit of that quality?

gary

[Otto]

I have a bunch of the Zvezda kits and they are really nice. I have both the La-5 and the La-5FN plus the Tu-154 and a bunch of 1/35 armor from them and I love all of them. I wish they would do a Mi-8/17 in 1/48 scale and a La-7 and a Jak-11

[Robertson]

No, not at all. It's still unconscionable that it's taken this long for a Japanese manufacturer to make a kit of the most-produced warplane of all time. Remember that we're not talking about 15 years or 22 years, we're talking about ever, in any scale. Ever.

Regards,

Jason

Why does it matter if the maker is Japanese or not? People who said the Accurate Il-2 was never available in Japan were proven wrong, and in this internet age this argument is simply without basis... The AM kit may be out of production, but very recently it was in an Italeri boxing: If the basic kit can still be had for ten dollars, this is hardly a rare sought-after kit... Japanese makers don't exist in vacuum.

The more I think about it, the more this release strikes me as a ridiculous waste of tooling: The point about the lack of bomb bays being quite valid... Furthermore, the few photos available make an odd impression...

Robertson

[Berkut]

I honestly think they did a better job on this kit than they did with their BF109F2, and this is why I want them to do an La-7 and 9!! Can you imagine how nice they could do a 1/32 scale kit of that quality?

gary

Well, F-2 is their newest WW2 kit after all, coming out 3 (???) years after La-5FN. I love both of kits, but F-2 is better one overall indeed. I particularly like wheelbay details in F-2... Su-2 is slipping off to 2013 btw.

[Learstang]

Why does it matter if the maker is Japanese or not? People who said the Accurate Il-2 was never available in Japan were proven wrong, and in this internet age this argument is simply without basis... The AM kit may be out of production, but very recently it was in an Italeri boxing: If the basic kit can still be had for ten dollars, this is hardly a rare sought-after kit... Japanese makers don't exist in vacuum.

The more I think about it, the more this release strikes me as a ridiculous waste of tooling: The point about the lack of bomb bays being quite valid... Furthermore, the few photos available make an odd impression...

Robertson

Rightly or wrongly, Japanese manufacturers (Tamiya and Hasegawa) are held up to be at the forefront of moulding technology and kit-making. That's why it matters that they've ignored the Shturmovik until now, and it matters that one of them has finally released an IL-2 kit. It has nothing to do with availability in Japan. It's a ridiculous waste of tooling to produce the most important warplane of the most important air force in Europe during WWII, and to produce it in the most popular scale? Now that reasoning I just can't follow. As far as the photos making an odd impression, how so? I have copies of nearly every IL-2 kit ever produced and I'd like to know the shortcomings or "oddness" you can see in the photographs of this kit, as it looks pretty near spot on to me.

Regards,

Jason

[John Thompson]

Rightly or wrongly, Japanese manufacturers (Tamiya and Hasegawa) are held up to be at the forefront of moulding technology and kit-making. That's why it matters that they've ignored the Shturmovik until now, and it matters that one of them has finally released an IL-2 kit. It has nothing to do with availability in Japan. It's a ridiculous waste of tooling to produce the most important warplane of the most important air force in Europe during WWII, and to produce it in the most popular scale? Now that reasoning I just can't follow. As far as the photos making an odd impression, how so? I have copies of nearly every IL-2 kit ever produced and I'd like to know the shortcomings or "oddness" you can see in the photographs of this kit, as it looks pretty near spot on to me.

Regards,

Jason

Right on, Jason! +1 on every point!

John

[Otto]

Hasegawa and Tamiya have had their share of Dogs. There were inaccuracies in the Spitfire kits and the first molding of the Hurricane was a joke. There were others also. Just because it has the Tamiya or Hasegawa brand on it do not make it the end all to be all. After this kit comes out it will be interesting to see which EXPERT will be the first to complain about something on it. It may be very good and it may not. The only thing that we know for certain is that the parts will go together very well. Beyond that let's just wait and see. It may be better than the AM kit and it may not.

[ChesshireCat]

Well, F-2 is their newest WW2 kit after all, coming out 3 (???) years after La-5FN. I love both of kits, but F-2 is better one overall indeed. I particularly like wheelbay details in F-2... Su-2 is slipping off to 2013 btw.

honestly, I liked the way they built up in cockpit detail along with the frame work in the La-5's better than the bf109F2. But both are the class of the field with their venues. The 109F2 is probably the best 1/48th 109 out there right now in any version. I just wish they'd do a G and a K series. They are supposed to be comming out with a bf109F4, and I hope it's a late 109F4.

gary

[CorsairMan]

As we're now ten pages in, for new readers here's a handy summary of the thread thus far;

Camp 1: "Why oh why oh why have Tamiya wasted time and effort making a kit of an aircraft no-one cares about when there hasn't been a decent model of the <insert favourite aircraft here> for 30 years, or indeed ever? The AM IL-2 is perfectly acceptable".

Camp 2: "Finally, a decent 1/48 scale kit of the world's most-built combat aircraft! The AM IL-2 is OK, but it's high-time that a top quality manufacturer made a decent IL-2. And I, for one, don't need yet another 1/48 Spitfire/Corsair/Mustang etc. There's already loads of them on the market".

That is all.

Vince

You forgot:

Camp 3: "Tamiya did an Il-2...meh"

[Learstang]

Hasegawa and Tamiya have had their share of Dogs. There were inaccuracies in the Spitfire kits and the first molding of the Hurricane was a joke. There were others also. Just because it has the Tamiya or Hasegawa brand on it do not make it the end all to be all. After this kit comes out it will be interesting to see which EXPERT will be the first to complain about something on it. It may be very good and it may not. The only thing that we know for certain is that the parts will go together very well. Beyond that let's just wait and see. It may be better than the AM kit and it may not.

The funny thing, Otto, is that after all my defending Tamiya's decision to come out with this kit, I'll be one of the "experts" pointing out any inaccuracies. I don't normally like to do that; I'm not much of a rivet-counter, but with the Shturmovik I kind of feel it's my job (I'll have to point out the inaccuracies anyway in the book I'm trying to finish up on modelling the IL-2, if anyone in the modelosphere hasn't heard of this book yet). I agree heartily about waiting and seeing the kit before we make any pronouncements about whether or not this is the "definitive" IL-2 kit. It's probably not, if for no other reason than that there were so many detail differences between different Shturmoviks, even those from the same factories, and there were so many field-modifications that there was no such thing as a "standard" IL-2. Remember that the IL-2 was produced in enormous quantities from three huge factories where despite efforts at standardisation, individual variations crept in. This I've gotten from the true expert on the Shturmovik, a Russian gentleman named Oleg Rastrenin, who graduated from the Zhukovskiy Air Force Academy and has a doctorate of Science, and who's spent the last two decades studying the Shturmovik and who knows a bit more about the IL-2 than myself or any other self-proclaimed "experts".

Regards,

Jason

[Learstang]

You forgot:

Camp 3: "Tamiya did an Il-2...meh"

Corsairman, I think that's the proper attitude for anyone who isn't interested in the IL-2. If you don't care for it, don't buy it. However, I do take exception when people begrudge us VVS types the few crumbs that are occasionally tossed our way. "Why did they have to do an IL-2 when they could have done a Bf-109G-14/AS in 1/48th scale, waaah, waaaaah!"

Regards,

Jason

[Learstang]

Right on, Jason! +1 on every point!

John

Thank you John! I suppose you have to be a VVS modeller to realise how slim our pickings have been over the years.

Regards,

Jason

[WymanV]

You forgot:

Camp 3: "Tamiya did an Il-2...meh"

This.

Ken

[randypandy831]

it's all the competitive modelers who complain about accuracy issues. there's proble going to be one or two things off on this Il-2 kit and folks are going to start to complain and nag and wait for resin goodies. it honestly doesn't bother me. i like building with what i have. only aftermarket id opt for is decals. i only use resin parts if i accidently break something and can't repair it.

[Skyraider Maniac]

... to produce the most important warplane of the most important air force in Europe during WWII...

I suppose that's all in the eye of the beholder....