Comparing two 1/33 kits of the Polikarpov I-16

Leif Oh

Member
Recently there have been two 1/33 scale models of the Polikarpov I-16 coming out. They are the Modele Kartonowe version, which is downloadable for free and also comes in a 1/48 version for those so inclined; and Kartonowy Arsenal 3/2004, one of the most recent Halinski kits.

Comparing them is both interesting and unfair, since the MK (Modele Kartonowe) is offered for free and still of very good quality (better than many a commercially offered model); while the Halinski is absolutely outstandingly superb and of museum quality in both detail and finish (compare for the images below).

Both kits come in four print sheets. The MK version is typically Illustrator coloured, with no shading at all, and very black contour and panel lines. The Halinski kit is a new artistic high in shading and weathering.

Both models have interior cockpits, and you can compare the level of detail for yourself here:

• Modele Kartonowe I-16

• Halinski I-16

Note how the Halinski model has a very detailed engine, probably useful as a prototype for many other models with radial engines. Also note the completeness of the interior, including the fuel tank, which just begs for building a cut-away model on one side, to show both the detailed engine and the detailed interior.

Get the models here:

• Download the Modele Kartonowe Polikarpov I-16 for free from here. (The 1/48 version is here.)

• Buy the Halinski Polikarpov I-16 here: In North America from Lighthouse; and in Europe from Spishop.

Read more about the fascinating Polikarpov I-16 here (New Zealand site, with flight review of a number of new replicas built in Russia). Stunning pictures; now I know where Halinski got all those details and their correct colouring from! (Thanks for the tips, Roman and "Peter the ingrate".)

Leif
 

Leif Oh

Member
Wow - on behalf of everybody who's also interested, thank you! What a goldmine to go with the two good models! - L
 

rowiac

Member
Leif,
Thanks for the nice comparison writeup on the two I-16 models. It made me interested in building the free 1:33 Modele Kartonowe version. This will be a nice change from my usual US WWII planes.

When I went to print it, however, I was disappointed to find that it wouldn't fit on US letter size sheets, so I stayed up late last night rearranging the parts in Illustrator and now I have a nice model ready to be built.

Regards,
Roger
 

DrBill

Member
I'm writing from the IPMC ("International Paper Modelers Convention") in Herndon, Virginia. I brought a copy of the Halinski I-16 kit, and the consensus was that it's an incredible work of art. But it also looks very buildable -- a couple of months of work for a real perfectionist.

I also brought a completed Fly Model I-16. I built it about 5 years ago and ran into some real problems with design and fit of the wheel wells (see http://www.geoghegan.us/i16/I-16_Review.htm). Another attendee ran into the same thing. I should mention that the other two kits in the 3-plane package were unbuildable. The IL-2 had blotchy or missing color on the wings, and the Ju-87 had terrible color registration problems. I have seen similar printing problems on other Fly Model kits from the late 1990's and now purchase two copies (they're relatively inexpensive) in order to insure a usable set of parts. One other problem with the Fly Model I-16 is that the color is fading, even though the model has been kept out of direct sunlight and has been in storage for the last two years. Touch-up colors that matched perfectly when the model was built are now obviously different; and the degree of fading seems to differ according to which printed sheet the parts came from. Not much to suggest archival quality....

I'm really looking forward to the Halinski I-16, and agree that you have to find ways to let the interior and engine detail show. A maintenance diorama might be a good approach.
 
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