In Box Review of MPM 1/72nd Scale
Soviet Sukhoi Su-2 Fighter
Kit no. 7202
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
I got this kit in trade with a fellow in Cracow. It cost 55 Kuruna or $2.39 U.S.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
I got this kit in trade with a fellow in Cracow. It cost 55 Kuruna or $2.39 U.S.
HISTORY:
In 1935 Soviet construction bureaus were engaged with designing new single-engine reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft. In competition the best was the R-10 /ChAI-5/ prototype, later produced in series.
Second type, ANT-51 was more powerful design from P.O. Suchoj. It was cantilever all-metal low-wing aircraft with retractable undercarriage. Its maiden flight was realized on 25.8.1937, test pilot M.M. Gromov, had the highest speed of 403 km/h.
The development continued. new engine- two-row 14 cylinder M-883 /710 kw - 950 k/ - was installed. Armament consisted of four 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns in the wings, one moveable in-ball like turret and of 10 unguided RS-82 rockets beneath the wings.
The aircraft had military designation BB-1 /light-bomber/. 100 pieces of which were delivered to the units by June 1941. In the beginning of that year the aircraft was re-called as Su-2 after the designer. The 2 series, with M-82 /1150 kw - 1540 k/ engine was in production in summer of 1941.
Su-2's participated in the first period of the Great Patriotic War in battle for Odessa, Kyjev, Stalingrad and Orlovsky-Kursk area. In September 1941, the first taran /suicidal attack/ by woman-pilot J.Zelenko was made.
In the beginning of 1942 the production was stopped in the profit of mass production of only a few types. Aircraft were commanded out of the first rows and served in trainer units in the Far East. For the first time this type was equipped with retractable ski undercarriage. Totally about 500 aircraft were built.
The Su-2 fuselage was of wooden monocoque with dural-sheets behind the cockpit. Wing was all-metal construction with dural-sheet cover, and it had full span flaps on trailing-edge. Tailplanes were simple, of metal construction and cover, ailerons were fabric covered.
In 1935 Soviet construction bureaus were engaged with designing new single-engine reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft. In competition the best was the R-10 /ChAI-5/ prototype, later produced in series.
Second type, ANT-51 was more powerful design from P.O. Suchoj. It was cantilever all-metal low-wing aircraft with retractable undercarriage. Its maiden flight was realized on 25.8.1937, test pilot M.M. Gromov, had the highest speed of 403 km/h.
The development continued. new engine- two-row 14 cylinder M-883 /710 kw - 950 k/ - was installed. Armament consisted of four 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns in the wings, one moveable in-ball like turret and of 10 unguided RS-82 rockets beneath the wings.
The aircraft had military designation BB-1 /light-bomber/. 100 pieces of which were delivered to the units by June 1941. In the beginning of that year the aircraft was re-called as Su-2 after the designer. The 2 series, with M-82 /1150 kw - 1540 k/ engine was in production in summer of 1941.
Su-2's participated in the first period of the Great Patriotic War in battle for Odessa, Kyjev, Stalingrad and Orlovsky-Kursk area. In September 1941, the first taran /suicidal attack/ by woman-pilot J.Zelenko was made.
In the beginning of 1942 the production was stopped in the profit of mass production of only a few types. Aircraft were commanded out of the first rows and served in trainer units in the Far East. For the first time this type was equipped with retractable ski undercarriage. Totally about 500 aircraft were built.
The Su-2 fuselage was of wooden monocoque with dural-sheets behind the cockpit. Wing was all-metal construction with dural-sheet cover, and it had full span flaps on trailing-edge. Tailplanes were simple, of metal construction and cover, ailerons were fabric covered.
THE KIT
MPM is based in Prague, Czech Republic. They manufacture short run multi-media type aircraft kits.
This kit came in a unwrapped generic white box. The cover art is on a seperate sheet that is glued to the lid.
The box art shows a Su-2 flying above a snow-covered countryside. It is overall grey with a green wave pattern on the upper surfaces and has a red 17 on the rudder.
MPM is based in Prague, Czech Republic. They manufacture short run multi-media type aircraft kits.
This kit came in a unwrapped generic white box. The cover art is on a seperate sheet that is glued to the lid.
The box art shows a Su-2 flying above a snow-covered countryside. It is overall grey with a green wave pattern on the upper surfaces and has a red 17 on the rudder.
WHAT'S IN THE KIT:
This kit contains 2 chalk-white vacuformed sheets and a chalk white injection molded plastic tree that is in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a un-bound booklet of 6 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a line-drawing profile of a Su-2 in a wave pattern of dark-green and brown over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a white fuselage number of 14. This is over the history of the Su-2 in Czech, English and German.
There are two pages labeled as being number 2. Each has identical 3-view line drawings of the Su-2. The back of the second number 2 page is blank.
Page 3 (really the 5th page) has an exploded drawing for assembly purpose, over specifications of the Su-2.
Page 4 (really the 6th page) has the painting and marking instructions on it as three side views.
1. A Su-2 in dark-green over light-blue undercarriage, with a 5 on the rudder. It was with a training unit of the Red Army AF, Far East 1942.
2. The box art scheme (already described above).
3. A Su-2 in a splinter pattern of dark-green and brown over a light-blue undercarriage, with a white 14 on the fuselage sides. It was with a bomber regiment of the Red Army AF in 1941.
The injection molded plastic chalk-white tree holds: the propeller, 2 seats, engine, dashboard, landing-gear legs, tail wheel, main wheels etc. (24 parts)
This kit contains 2 chalk-white vacuformed sheets and a chalk white injection molded plastic tree that is in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a un-bound booklet of 6 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a line-drawing profile of a Su-2 in a wave pattern of dark-green and brown over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a white fuselage number of 14. This is over the history of the Su-2 in Czech, English and German.
There are two pages labeled as being number 2. Each has identical 3-view line drawings of the Su-2. The back of the second number 2 page is blank.
Page 3 (really the 5th page) has an exploded drawing for assembly purpose, over specifications of the Su-2.
Page 4 (really the 6th page) has the painting and marking instructions on it as three side views.
1. A Su-2 in dark-green over light-blue undercarriage, with a 5 on the rudder. It was with a training unit of the Red Army AF, Far East 1942.
2. The box art scheme (already described above).
3. A Su-2 in a splinter pattern of dark-green and brown over a light-blue undercarriage, with a white 14 on the fuselage sides. It was with a bomber regiment of the Red Army AF in 1941.
The injection molded plastic chalk-white tree holds: the propeller, 2 seats, engine, dashboard, landing-gear legs, tail wheel, main wheels etc. (24 parts)
The first chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the wing and elevator halves and landing gear doors (9 parts)
The second chalk-white vacuformed sheet holds the cockpit floor and bulkheads, fuselage halves etc (12 parts)
Attached atop a ridge on this sheet is the clear vacuform canopy.
Attached atop a ridge on this sheet is the clear vacuform canopy.
This is a closer view of the canopies for the fuselage and turret.
The kit decals.
No crew figures are included. Kit is lightly engraved-detail. Flaps are all molded solid.
Recommended.