In Box Review of MPM 1/48th Scale
Soviet Tupolev SB-2 Bomber
Kit no. 48010
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
HISTORY:
The Tupolev ANT-40, also known by its service name Tupolev SB (Russian: Скоростной бомбардировщик – Skorostnoi Bombardirovschik – high speed bomber) and development co-name TsAGI-40, was a high speed twin-engine three-seat monoplane bomber, first flown in 1934.
The Tupolev design was advanced but lacked refinement, much to the dismay of crews, maintenance personnel and of Stalin, who pointed out that "there are no trivialities in aviation".
Numerically the most important bomber in the world in the late 1930s, the SB was the first modern stressed skin aircraft produced in quantity in the Soviet Union and probably the most formidable bomber of the mid-1930s.
It was produced in the Soviet Union and was also built under license in Czechoslovakia. Many versions saw extensive action in Spain, the Republic of China, Mongolia, Finland and at the beginning of World War II against Germany in 1941.
It was also used in various duties in civil variants, as trainers and in many secondary roles. Successful in the Spanish Civil War because it outpaced most fighters, the aircraft was obsolete by 1941. By June 1941, 94 percent of bombers in the Red Army air force (VVS RKKA) were SBs.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fast bomber
Manufacturer: Tupolev
Designer: Alexander Arkhangelsky
First flight: 7 October 1934
Introduction to service: 1936
Retired: 1950 (Spanish Air Force)
Primary users: Soviet Air Forces, Czechoslovak Air Force, Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Luftwaffe
Produced: 1936–1941
Number built: 6,656
The Tupolev ANT-40, also known by its service name Tupolev SB (Russian: Скоростной бомбардировщик – Skorostnoi Bombardirovschik – high speed bomber) and development co-name TsAGI-40, was a high speed twin-engine three-seat monoplane bomber, first flown in 1934.
The Tupolev design was advanced but lacked refinement, much to the dismay of crews, maintenance personnel and of Stalin, who pointed out that "there are no trivialities in aviation".
Numerically the most important bomber in the world in the late 1930s, the SB was the first modern stressed skin aircraft produced in quantity in the Soviet Union and probably the most formidable bomber of the mid-1930s.
It was produced in the Soviet Union and was also built under license in Czechoslovakia. Many versions saw extensive action in Spain, the Republic of China, Mongolia, Finland and at the beginning of World War II against Germany in 1941.
It was also used in various duties in civil variants, as trainers and in many secondary roles. Successful in the Spanish Civil War because it outpaced most fighters, the aircraft was obsolete by 1941. By June 1941, 94 percent of bombers in the Red Army air force (VVS RKKA) were SBs.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fast bomber
Manufacturer: Tupolev
Designer: Alexander Arkhangelsky
First flight: 7 October 1934
Introduction to service: 1936
Retired: 1950 (Spanish Air Force)
Primary users: Soviet Air Forces, Czechoslovak Air Force, Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Luftwaffe
Produced: 1936–1941
Number built: 6,656
THE KIT:
MPM is based in Prague, Czech Republic. They manufacture short run multi-media type aircraft kits.
This kit came in a generic white box. The box art is a separate sheet glued to the lid.
The box art shows 2 SB-2's making a bombing run. Both are brown-green over light-blue under- carriages. The one in the foreground has a yellow rudder flap. It has flat-nosed engine fronts showing grill work and two-bladed propellers.
No other markings are on either aircraft other than the Soviet red stars.
The other SB-2 has pointed engine-nacelles with 3-bladed propellers.
MPM is based in Prague, Czech Republic. They manufacture short run multi-media type aircraft kits.
This kit came in a generic white box. The box art is a separate sheet glued to the lid.
The box art shows 2 SB-2's making a bombing run. Both are brown-green over light-blue under- carriages. The one in the foreground has a yellow rudder flap. It has flat-nosed engine fronts showing grill work and two-bladed propellers.
No other markings are on either aircraft other than the Soviet red stars.
The other SB-2 has pointed engine-nacelles with 3-bladed propellers.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 5 chalk-white vacuformed sheets, a brass PE fret in a stapled shut clear cello bag with stiff card to prevent it bending, a black photo negative of the instrument faces in another cello, the decal sheet and clear vacuformed canopy parts in yet another cello, 2 dark-green injection molded trees in a further cello bag.
The first and second chalk-white vacuformed sheets holds the wing halves (2 parts)
The kit contains 5 chalk-white vacuformed sheets, a brass PE fret in a stapled shut clear cello bag with stiff card to prevent it bending, a black photo negative of the instrument faces in another cello, the decal sheet and clear vacuformed canopy parts in yet another cello, 2 dark-green injection molded trees in a further cello bag.
The first and second chalk-white vacuformed sheets holds the wing halves (2 parts)
The third vacuformed chalk-white sheet holds the elevator halves and lower wing center section part (3 parts)
The fourth vacuformed chalk-white sheet holds the fuselage halves and landing gear compartment doors, cockpit floor and walls and wing center section. (12 parts)
The fifth vacuformed chalk-white sheet holds the engine nacelles (4 parts)
I have cut out and sanded all the chalk-white vacuformed parts except for the landing gear doors and the engine nacelles.
Both the dark-green injection molded trees were molded in a centrifugal spun mold and look like wagon wheels.
The largest one holds: 2 & 3 bladed propellers, landing-gear legs, radiators, spinners, dashboard etc. (30 parts)
Both the dark-green injection molded trees were molded in a centrifugal spun mold and look like wagon wheels.
The largest one holds: 2 & 3 bladed propellers, landing-gear legs, radiators, spinners, dashboard etc. (30 parts)
The second one holds: machine guns, steering yoke, wheels, seat etc. (17 parts)
The clear vacuformed sheet holds cockpit transparencies (5 parts) Three blisters on it are not shown anywhere in the instructions !
The brass PE fret holds: radiator grills, dashboard front, seat belts, gun sight rings etc. (16 parts)
The instrument panel has a clear sheet with the instruments to be attached to the panel.
The decal sheet completes the kit contents.
The instructions consist of a 6 page unbound booklet in 12" x 8 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a line-drawing profile of the SB-2M-100 (100A), over it's history and specifications in Czech, English and German.
Page 2 & 3 has a 1/48th scale line drawing of the SB-2, with the flat nosed nacelles and 2-bladed propellers.
Page 4 is the marking and painting instructions, with two 2-views and a side view. All are of the flat nosed version.
The first is in a wave pattern of green, brown and ochre, over a light-blue under carriage, with Czech roundels and black fuselage code J7. It is a SB-2 (B-71) with the Czech Air Force, camouflage type B, Czech Republic 1938.
The second one is a SB-2 in a spotted pattern of dark-green spots on brown-green above a light-blue under-carriage. It has red, yellow and blue horizontal stripes on the rudder flap, a wide red fuselage band and black fuselage code BK-58. It was with the Spanish Republican Air Forces, Spain, 1938, during the Spanish Civil War.
The third SB-2 is the box art scheme (already described above). However, it further shows a white 8 on the rudder sides. It was with the 8th Squadron, Soviet Air Force, Finland, 1940.
Page 5 is the parts trees illustrations and an exploded drawing of the cockpit interior and nose machine guns for assembly purposes.
Page 6 has another exploded drawing for the assembly of the rest of the SB-2, showing the 2 bladed propeller and flat nosed nacelles. The pointed nacelles are not shown.
In the parts trees illustrations a sheet is shown with the pointed type nacelles. The flat ones in the kit are not illustrated. Odd!!
Other than the 3 bladed propellers and their spinners the pointed nacelles version of the SB-2 cannot be built from the kit parts. This is too bad.
There are no crew figures included in the kit. Detail is the engraved type and flaps are all molded solid.
Nicely detailed mixed-media kit.
Recommended.
Page 1 begins with a line-drawing profile of the SB-2M-100 (100A), over it's history and specifications in Czech, English and German.
Page 2 & 3 has a 1/48th scale line drawing of the SB-2, with the flat nosed nacelles and 2-bladed propellers.
Page 4 is the marking and painting instructions, with two 2-views and a side view. All are of the flat nosed version.
The first is in a wave pattern of green, brown and ochre, over a light-blue under carriage, with Czech roundels and black fuselage code J7. It is a SB-2 (B-71) with the Czech Air Force, camouflage type B, Czech Republic 1938.
The second one is a SB-2 in a spotted pattern of dark-green spots on brown-green above a light-blue under-carriage. It has red, yellow and blue horizontal stripes on the rudder flap, a wide red fuselage band and black fuselage code BK-58. It was with the Spanish Republican Air Forces, Spain, 1938, during the Spanish Civil War.
The third SB-2 is the box art scheme (already described above). However, it further shows a white 8 on the rudder sides. It was with the 8th Squadron, Soviet Air Force, Finland, 1940.
Page 5 is the parts trees illustrations and an exploded drawing of the cockpit interior and nose machine guns for assembly purposes.
Page 6 has another exploded drawing for the assembly of the rest of the SB-2, showing the 2 bladed propeller and flat nosed nacelles. The pointed nacelles are not shown.
In the parts trees illustrations a sheet is shown with the pointed type nacelles. The flat ones in the kit are not illustrated. Odd!!
Other than the 3 bladed propellers and their spinners the pointed nacelles version of the SB-2 cannot be built from the kit parts. This is too bad.
There are no crew figures included in the kit. Detail is the engraved type and flaps are all molded solid.
Nicely detailed mixed-media kit.
Recommended.