Toko Il-2 3M Stormovik
Kit - 1/72 scale IL-2M3 Stormovik from Toko
Kit Number 101
I have always liked the IL-2 Stormovik. It is an excellent example of an aircraft that was
designed to do one thing and it did it well. The airplane was designed to kill German
Tanks and it did that. Because of the usual Luftwaffe air superiority, the Stormovik was
well armored and defended so that Luftwaffe pilots had to be very good or lucky to shoot
it down. More Stormoviks were built during WW II than any other aircraft so it is only
fitting that one be added to my model collection. Based on availability and my good
experience with the Toko LaGG-3, I chose the Toko kit to build.
As reported on the "Modeling the Soviet VSS" web site, the Toko kit is reasonably
accurate in outline but does not offer much cockpit detail and what is available is wrong.
To correct this, I used the Neomega resin cockpit set. It fit well with only a minor
amount of trimming required. The Toko canopy is very thick would not show off the
detail of the Neomega set. To fix this, I smash molded a new sliding part of the canopy
and used the windshield and the rear portion of the Toko part. I also used a set of
Moskit exhaust pipes and some parts from the Eduard photo etched accessory set.
The model assembled well with only minor amounts of filler being required. The
engineering of the cooling air intake scoop on the top of the nose is well done and
avoids a glue joint that would be hard to finish. I did have some problems with the
radiator outlet under the wing but some filler and additional scribing took care of the
situation. Also, the Eduard parts added realism in this area. Finally, my kit did not
include the rudder mass balance. The plans and the box drawings show this part to be
molded to the right fuselage half. It could have broke off or been a molding short shot.
In any case, I was able to add this feature with a little stretched sprue.
The decals provided by Toko looked good but I could not find any confirmation of the
markings that they provided. I was able to obtain a set of Travers decals from Russia,
which included a set of markings of the 566 ShAP. This aircraft is depicted on the cover
of "Red Start in the Sky, Part 2" from Tietoteos. The national markings were good
although they had to be assembled like the old HisAirDec decals. The "Za Leningrad"
emblem was excellent and made the model. Unfortunately the "Mest' za Khristenko"
inscription and the number "07" were much too small to be used. As a result, I built
aircraft number 17, flown by double HSU V. I. Mykhlik, the squadron commander. I got
the numbers from an old E.S.C.I. sheet and assumed that his plane did not have the
Khristenko inscription. When will one of the western decal providers add the Stormovik
to their line of 1/72 products?
I had been following the various articles on the web site regarding IL-2 camouflage and
colors and decided that the proper scheme for my IL-2 would be AII Green and AII Ochre
over AII Blue. I used Model Master interior green to depict a worn green and used a
50/50 mix of Floquil Desert Sand and Aeromaster Japanese Brown Primer with a touch of
red to depict worn ochre. For the blue, I used Testors square bottle blue with a touch of
yellow. It is brighter than it should but not too much so. When using the Moskit exhaust
pipes, it is important to pre-paint the fuselage before adding the exhausts. I didn't and
tried to carefully mask the exhausts with liquid latex. I spent hours removing bits of
latex after painting and had to touch up the fuselage by the exhausts anyhow.
In summary, I am pleased with the resulting model. The kit went together without major
problems and it has the look of the Stormovik. Recommended with the noted
reservations.
Kit Number 101
I have always liked the IL-2 Stormovik. It is an excellent example of an aircraft that was
designed to do one thing and it did it well. The airplane was designed to kill German
Tanks and it did that. Because of the usual Luftwaffe air superiority, the Stormovik was
well armored and defended so that Luftwaffe pilots had to be very good or lucky to shoot
it down. More Stormoviks were built during WW II than any other aircraft so it is only
fitting that one be added to my model collection. Based on availability and my good
experience with the Toko LaGG-3, I chose the Toko kit to build.
As reported on the "Modeling the Soviet VSS" web site, the Toko kit is reasonably
accurate in outline but does not offer much cockpit detail and what is available is wrong.
To correct this, I used the Neomega resin cockpit set. It fit well with only a minor
amount of trimming required. The Toko canopy is very thick would not show off the
detail of the Neomega set. To fix this, I smash molded a new sliding part of the canopy
and used the windshield and the rear portion of the Toko part. I also used a set of
Moskit exhaust pipes and some parts from the Eduard photo etched accessory set.
The model assembled well with only minor amounts of filler being required. The
engineering of the cooling air intake scoop on the top of the nose is well done and
avoids a glue joint that would be hard to finish. I did have some problems with the
radiator outlet under the wing but some filler and additional scribing took care of the
situation. Also, the Eduard parts added realism in this area. Finally, my kit did not
include the rudder mass balance. The plans and the box drawings show this part to be
molded to the right fuselage half. It could have broke off or been a molding short shot.
In any case, I was able to add this feature with a little stretched sprue.
The decals provided by Toko looked good but I could not find any confirmation of the
markings that they provided. I was able to obtain a set of Travers decals from Russia,
which included a set of markings of the 566 ShAP. This aircraft is depicted on the cover
of "Red Start in the Sky, Part 2" from Tietoteos. The national markings were good
although they had to be assembled like the old HisAirDec decals. The "Za Leningrad"
emblem was excellent and made the model. Unfortunately the "Mest' za Khristenko"
inscription and the number "07" were much too small to be used. As a result, I built
aircraft number 17, flown by double HSU V. I. Mykhlik, the squadron commander. I got
the numbers from an old E.S.C.I. sheet and assumed that his plane did not have the
Khristenko inscription. When will one of the western decal providers add the Stormovik
to their line of 1/72 products?
I had been following the various articles on the web site regarding IL-2 camouflage and
colors and decided that the proper scheme for my IL-2 would be AII Green and AII Ochre
over AII Blue. I used Model Master interior green to depict a worn green and used a
50/50 mix of Floquil Desert Sand and Aeromaster Japanese Brown Primer with a touch of
red to depict worn ochre. For the blue, I used Testors square bottle blue with a touch of
yellow. It is brighter than it should but not too much so. When using the Moskit exhaust
pipes, it is important to pre-paint the fuselage before adding the exhausts. I didn't and
tried to carefully mask the exhausts with liquid latex. I spent hours removing bits of
latex after painting and had to touch up the fuselage by the exhausts anyhow.
In summary, I am pleased with the resulting model. The kit went together without major
problems and it has the look of the Stormovik. Recommended with the noted
reservations.
cew
