Heller Polikarpov I-15

This was one of my first “airbrushed” models.  Essentially I brushed most of it, then added the upper wing mottle (poorly, I must add).

I certainly like these old Heller kits.  I should, I have enough of them in my stash.  They are accurate considering the timeframe they were molded and fairly easy to build.  They also represent subjects not typically molded by anyone else.  

The Subject

This is a Spanish Civil War fighter provided by the Soviet Union (with appropriately trained pilots) serving on the losing side of the Republicans.  They could hold their own against the Italian and German biplanes provided early on, but were quickly outclassed by monoplane fighters once those were introduced.

The Model

Like most Heller kits of this era, construction was quite easy and straight forward.  Detail is raised but some details are recessed so sanding off the raised ones doesn’t really lose much.  The instructions provide a rigging diagram, and this time I used stretched sprue (I believe the only time I’ve used this method of rigging).  Decals went on with no difficulty, there really only were the rudder/fin markings, everything else was painted.

Summary

I have the ICM kit and will make that as a Soviet example but if I run across another of these Heller kits I won’t pass on it.