ICM 1/72nd Polikarpov I-5 (late) By Matt Bittner

History

In light of trying to get this review "out the door", I'm foregoing a history section. Just let it be known that the I-5 was the predecessor to the very successful I-15 series of aircraft.

The Kit

There are two versions of this kit released. The first ICM Polikarpov I-5 (which I don't have yet) is known as the "early version" and differs from the later version primarily with the forward fuselage, "cowl" and engine. The I-5 that I'm reviewing here (the "later" type) saw more widespread use and had more examples built. The ICM kit comes with 41 green, injected molded pieces and a sprue of 6 clear pieces (which includes an alternate windscreen). This "late" kit does come with spats for the wheels, but the versions that are catered for on the decal sheet don't use the spats. Another option in the kit is the prop - there are two types dependent on which scheme you're building. The decal schemes are for the widely known, very colorful machine of Moscow District Air Defense Chief I.U. Pavlov, and an indiscriminate machine that flew in 1941 (which is green uppers with blue undersides). Decals are sharp and in register.

This is an exceptional kit. While there is some flash present it's not enough to distract from how well molded this kit is. All of the detail parts are very well molded and ICM has done a lot of work on this kit to ensure a first rate model. Knowing how the ICM I-16 has some sink marks present on the main pieces, I was initially leary to see the same problem in the I-5. Not so. There are no sink marks are anything else that mars the perfect exterior to this kit. In addition the cockpit out of the box is more than sufficient for the very small opening - the only thing missing are seat belts.

Construction does start with the interior and the cockpit pieces. Take your time with clean-up so you don't break the fragile parts. Unfortunately the instructions don't really show how some of the pieces fit into the interior. The problem areas I can see are where the instrument panel sits, as well as the upper guns. ICM has engineered the seat in a most unique way. In order to ensure that corrugations are present on the sides of the seat as well as the back, ICM molded it in such a way that the plastic sides are folded onto the back, creating the bucket seat in the process. Not only does this ensure the corrugations appear even and uniform, but it also makes for a stronger - and easier to assemble - piece.

The cockpit "floor" (actually just a couple of rails leading to an area under the rudder bar) is assembled onto the top of the lower wing. With care taken you should be able to fit it all together later without damaging the floor assembly.

The engine is another piece of awesome engineering. There exists a firewall that is installed inside the fuselage. To that is added an engine support structure, followed by the engine. This area could be super-detailed easily if the hatches and what it looked like on the inside could be figured out.

Once the fuselage is assembled, trapping everything, then construction moves onto adding the tail pieces (where the tail skid is molded in-situ with the rudder) followed by the engine, engine cover and cowl. Personally I would leave these off until last to avoid overspray on the excellent engine.

Now construction moves to the final phase. First is added the lower wing, and I taped the fuselage halves together and dry-fit the lower wing to them. This is going to be a perfect fit as my example is very tight in this area, resulting in no seams. Superb! You then finish with struts, the upper wing and landing gear. There are a few parts not supplied by ICM but called out for in the instructions, such as the pilot's step. These are not problematic to scratch and ICM is to be lauded for not trying to mold these very small and delicate parts, which usually means they have to be scratched anyway.

Conclusion

This is an awesome kit. I'm tempted to say it's the best biplane model I've ever come across, but the extra work with the flash stays my hand. However, don't get me wrong. I would much rather deal with flash than try to accurize an already inaccurate kit or deal with fit problems. A little bit of flash is nothing to complain about at all. If you enjoy between the wars aircraft ('tweeners) or especially VVS aircraft, this kit comes highly recommended.