ICM 1/72 Polikarpov I-1

ICM 1:72 POLIKARPOV I-1
'INBOX Review'

Reviewer: Carlos Giani (rec.models.scale)

Kit: ICM 1/72^nd scale Polikarpov I-1 (Il-400b) (Kit N° 72051 ). Produced in Ukraine.

Aircraft: The prototype of this advanced fighter (also called IL-400, for Istribityel [“fighter”] with Liberty 400HP) had its maiden flight in 1923, which unfortunately ended up with a forced landing. After reconstruction with modified wing and tailplanes, it became the Il-400B, soon being followed by a second prototype. 18 series machines were produced, having some minor modifications. It was clear that the I-1 had a strong tendency to go in a dive, recuperation of which was rather difficult. For some unknown, obscure reason this really advanced plane never was delivered to the fighter units nor saw it any combat.

Parts: In a bag you get two sprues containing 32 parts in light grey styrene and an extra bag with a very small decal sheet and a tiny acetate windshield. There is no flash to speak of, surface quality is good, the (very) few panel lines are engraved and the corrugated surface of the wings and tailplanes is well represented. With the attachment points being thin, the only thing which differs from being mainstream is the absence of locating pins.

For the office you get a floor with pedals, rear bulkhead and seat molded on, a control stick and a nice instruments panel with engraved dials. There's no sidewall framing, but this can be easily done with evergreen strips. Before the fuselage halves go together, a spar is trapped in between, a nice inclusion, which will give extra-strength to the wings, apart from helping to locate them (of course provided that the parts are accurate and fit good). Next the one-piece tailplane and the rudder are added, followed by the upper engine cowling and the engine's front plate (the propeller with a retainer must be added at this stage if you want it to rotate).

Each wing consists of five parts: upper and lower wing root (about some 8mm wide), upper and lower outer section and separate aileron. The last bits to add are the tail skid, the fixed landing gear, the propeller's cone, two flat underbelly radiators and the tiny windshield. A few thin bars are supposed to be scratchbuilt from Ø0,8mm rod.

Instructions: One nearly sized A3 sheet folded to a nearly A4 booklet. Page one brings history/data in English, German, Russian and what I presume is Czech or Polish. Pages 2 and 3 present a sprues map and four construction steps rather easy to follow, with detail painting callouts. Page 4 brings warnings and recommendations in the languages mentioned above, together with colour callout codes for the Humbrol range. Colouring/decaling is presented as a 2-view diagram at the box's bottom.

Versions: Just one, no details given, in overall Humbrol Metalizer 27002 polished aluminium

Decals: A very small sheet with only two letterings, one each fuselage side. Being apparently printed by ICM, I cannot say anything about their quality.

Detail: Very good representation of the corrugated wings and stabilizers, good external detail, cockpit can be improved if desired.

Options: Propeller can rotate, the ailerons are separate parts.

Impressions: Looks very nice on the sprues. Since I've never build an ICM kit, I cannot comment about the fit of parts, but according to reviews in the web, ICM kits aren't notably difficult to build.

Recommendations: A fascinating subject, it may be a good first try into non-mainstream. Recommended for left-fielders and other assorted aviation history collectors.

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