IL-2 Modelling Guide

[Venganza]

Thanks all! And Lucky13, I specifically said the models and decals that I mentioned were 1/72nd scale because I didn't want to get your hopes up. I will try and include some references to 1/48th scale kits and decals - that's not too hard as the only game in town is the Accurate Miniatures kits and their repackagings by Eduard and Italeri. I don't know if you've seen the kits, but they are very good. On the Modelling the Aircraft of the Soviet VVS site I mentioned, they have some very nice built-up 1/48th scale models of the Accurate Miniatures kits, which I believe cover two variants of the IL-2 - the single-seater (which kit I have somewhere), and the arrow (two-seater with swept-back wings). Here's the link - Modeling the VVS: Il-2 Models in 1/48th Scale.

Venganza

[109ROAMING]

Very good info here!

Thanks for the hard work!

[Venganza]

Thanks, mate! I should soon have the 2nd installment up regarding the IL-2 two-seater with straight wings.

Venganza

[Venganza]

IL-2 Two-Seater (Straight-Wing)

As originally designed, the IL-2 was a two-seater, with a rear gunner enclosed in the armor shell that protected the pilot and engine. Indeed, the first prototype first flew as a two-seater (TskB-55). The first prototype was modified as a single-seater (TskB-57) and as a single-seater the IL-2 entered production in 1941. During operations in 1941 and 1942 however, it soon became apparent that the IL-2 was especially vulnerable to attacks from the rear, where lacking a rear gunner, German airplanes could sneak up on the Shturmovik unnoticed and shoot up the unamored and often wooden fuselage. Efforts to rectify this led to field modifications, as outlined in the section above, and soon Ilyushin was asked looked at how to tackle this on the production line. Instead of the fully enclosed and fully armored position of the TskB-55 prototype, in an effort not to cause too great a disruption on the production lines, Ilyushin settled on a relatively straightforward modification of the single-seater, in which the rear gunner had rear and back armor, a semi-enclosed glass covering, and a simple strap to sit on, with a single Berezin 12.7mm heavy machine gun for defense. This version passed state trials and went into production in 1942, at first being produced alongside the single-seater before replacing it completely in the three factories where the IL-2 was being produced at the time (Zavod 1, Zavod 18, and Zavod 30). An important point to remember if you wish to do a version with the 37mm cannons is that these were apparently only produced as two-seater straight-wingers (an example of which you may see in the color profiles below), although there is a Zvezda kit which includes the cannons with a swept-wing version – this is incorrect. (There were a handful of experimental single-seaters with a different 37mm installation that did see some trial use combat use, but these never went into large-scale production). There is some controversy over the outer-wing covering. Some sources state that the outer-wing covering was always wooden, whereas at least one source, The Ilyushin IL-2 and Ilyushin IL-10 Shturmovik, by Yefim Gordon and Sergey Komissarov, states that Zavod 18 may have always produced their airplanes with metal-covered outer-wings. The photographic evidence is usually inconclusive regarding this (although I have seen one photo which clearly shows a straight-winged two-seater with metal-wings) and each modeller will have to consult with their reference material to determine how to finish their model. It would appear, however, that most two-seat IL-2 straight-wingers had a wooden outer-wing covering and it may be safest, if the evidence is inconclusive, to go with the wooden outer-wing (which means sanding off or filling in the panel-lines if your kit represents a metal-winged version).

Below is a drawing of a wooden-wing two-seater:



In examining photographs of a two-seater that crashed into Lake Balaton in Hungary in 1945, I have come across evidence that the metal covering extended further out than normally thought, at least in this example. Below are pictures of the Lake Balaton IL-2, and a drawing showing the revised panel lines:



Photograph from Airliners.net | Airplanes - Aviation - Aircraft- Aircraft Photos & News.

Drawing with revised panel lines:



The two-seater drawings are from IL-2 Shturmovik Guards Units from WWII (the addition of the revised panel lines is my invention), by Oleg Rastrinin.

In this example, the metal panelling extends outward from the strap that normally marked the division between the metal and wooden-covering. As far as I know, this extended metal-covering has never been noted before. If you look at the photograph, the outer-wing structure is gone, except for the wing spars, indicating that the outer structure consisted of metal spars, with wooden ribs, stringers, and covering (somewhat like an La-7). The spars themselves, from the corrosion pattern appear to be of steel and aluminum. Unfortunately, at this time I am unable to reconstruct the paint scheme for this particular example.

Painting

The two-seat straight-winger was normally finished in the early black and green over blue, or brown and green over blue paint scheme, as can be seen in the color profiles below. In addition, as with the single-seater, white distemper paint was applied over the normal camouflage in winter. Also note the profile of the 37mm armed example.






Drawings are from the Modelling the Aircraft of the Soviet VVS site – http//:vvv.hobbyvista.com.






These profiles are from the airwar.ru site, and are from some unknown Czech source.

Insignia
(see section on IL-2 - Single-Seater for examples.) The two-seater would have used all of the same stars, except for the pre-GPW black-surround stars.

Individual Markings

See the color profiles above for some examples of individual markings. As with the single-seaters, many two-seaters carried individual markings.

Text All Rights Reserved Copyright JNM 2009

[Catch22]

Very nice, I need to get going on the next part of mine.

[Heinz]

Fascinating stuff, thanks Veganza!

[Wurger]

Well done M8. Keep them comming.

[Venganza]

Thank you everyone! I'll have the pictures up today.

Venganza

[muller]

I have an 1/48 Italeri Il-2 to build, have you any pics of one painted with the tractor green colour? Might be an interesting scheme to do.

[Venganza]

Originally Posted by muller

I have an 1/48 Italeri Il-2 to build, have you any pics of one painted with the tractor green colour? Might be an interesting scheme to do.

Muller, it would be a great scheme to do. Here are some pictures (just click on the pictures to see bigger versions):






You can actually buy the Tractor Green color from White Ensign Models (White Ensign Models. They're gloss paints and seem to work well. As far as this model, it's very good, but I think the interior color (including the landing gear) is too light, it should be a darker grey or bluish-grey (IMUP Blue-Grey Metal Primer if you use White Ensign). This kit was done with the wooden wings, so be ready for some panel-line filling if you wish to do this model, or you can order some replacement resin straight wings made by Verlinden from eBay (eBay My World - keystonemilitarymodels). I hope you go with it and I'd love to see the pictures when you're done. Good Luck!

Venganza

[muller]

Thanks Venganza

Thats one cool looking sturmovik! I have a lot of the WEM enamels, don't have tractor green, its very similar to All Green, thats probably why they used it! The Il-2 I have is the two seater with swept wings, probably too late for tractor green though. Still, it'd give me an excuse to get an earlier model!

[Venganza]

You're welcome, Muller. If you want to be historically accurate, it would need to be a single-seater to have the tractor green scheme and any excuse for a new kit is a good one. Once I get my current flight of IL-2's done (five of them!), I think I'm going to tackle the tractor green scheme myself. I have the Academy kit (which is from the 1/72nd never-released Accurate Miniatures kit - basically the scaled-down 1/48th kit) and it's very nice. Unfortunately it represents an all-metal version, so time to get out my sanding sticks and get rid of all those nasty panel lines (for once I wish a kit had raised lines, not engraved).

Venganza

[Wurger]